Do you smoke?

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 4/19/2010 7:55:34 PM
Author: HollyS
My parents smoked. My sisters and I grew up with it in our home, and not one of the three of us every lit up. We hated it then, and we hate it now.

But, remember, smokers were the norm when we grew up in the 50s - 70s. No one gave smoking a second thought, and since nearly everyone did it, you didn't really notice how the smell permeates everything.

Smoking is so infrequent in public places now, you are definitely not used to the stink of it. It seems even more offensive now by comparison.

yep, even for doctors.

 

[lightningbug]

We''re non-smokers. The smell doesn''t bother me, but FI finds it loathsome and probably wouldn''t have asked me out if I''d been a smoker. Personally, I love the smell of pipes and cigars, but there aren''t many of those around these days.

 

[kittybean]

I am in the vehemently-against-smoking camp. I have asthma, so I''ve never tried it. DH hates cigarettes, but he does like to have a cigar once in a while with his buddies. When he does, I make him quarantine all of his clothes and wash them separately from mine, and he has to shower right away when he gets home. The smell makes me nauseous.

I definitely think the smell is more offensive now that I don''t have to be subjected to it all the time in public places (including bars and restaurants--love this!). When I was studying in Spain, I found myself getting sort of immune to the smell since I was exposed to it so often. I would still have asthma problems, but the smell didn''t bother me as much when I was around it more often.

 

[Missy]

Date: 4/19/2010 7:48:20 PM
Author: somethingshiny
Additional questions to the original topic (hope you don''t mind Laila)


Have you ever tried smoking? If so, how old were you? Did you decide to start/never smoke at that time?



I was 8 when I tried smoking. Cigarettes were very easy to come by in my house. I did it because I was with a whole group of neighborhood kids. A couple of them were smokers (late elementary school and jr high). I nearly choked to death and decided I''d never smoke.


My dad has smoked since he was 6 yrs old! (he''s currently 51)

I tried it when I was in Europe for the summer. That was the summer I turned 20. I went with 2 friends who were Canadian and they were always smoking so I did occasionally just for that summer we were in Europe. As soon as I got back to NYC I stopped and it wasn''t a problem for me to just stop. You do stupid things when you are 19 going on 20

 

[jewelerman]

No to any form of smoking!Only one person i know smokes.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Dad was a chain smoker and couldn''t quit. Had a cigarette going in every ashtry in the place.... None of us kids smoked (we all "tried" but it never stuck)--nor did my Mom. I abhor it.

Speaking of Mom''s I was picking up my teenage son from HS today and beside us was a lady smoking in her van. Kid in his carseat--sucking in all that second hand smoke. Upsetting to be sure--my son expressed his displeasure to me in how anyone could be "so irrresponsible". I just grinned!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

I started smoking in high school and quit just over two years ago (using the patch and the Oprah.com message boards). FI maybe smoked a little when he was in college but I don''t think he was a "serious smoker." I was up to a pack/day when I quit. Bleh. I still crave them when I''m on a long car ride, when I''m around my immediate family for an extended period of time (they don''t smoke but they stress me out) or after I eat a big meal. I HATE the smell now. Luckily I don''t really know many smokers anymore.

No one in my immediate family openly smoked (I think my dad sneaks them now and again). No one in FI''s family smoked either.

 

[CharmyPoo]

How come everyone is a non-smoker? Are all the smokers afraid to come out and admit it?

 

[Circe]

Date: 4/19/2010 9:42:27 PM
Author: CharmyPoo
How come everyone is a non-smoker? Are all the smokers afraid to come out and admit it?

Heh - I''m an ex-smoker, but I''ll bite.

The first time I tried smoking, I was 11. My mom had smoked in her youth, quit while pregnant with me, started again after I was a few years old (she hated the weight she had gained and couldn''t lose), and quit again for good when I was 7. My dad has smoked a pack a day or so since he was 12. At 11, my mom caught me after a week or so, and inflicted the worst punishment in the world - she came into my room with a shopping cart, and took all my books. She didn''t give them back for a month. (This is when I discovered music.) I didn''t smoke again for over a decade.

The next time I picked up a cigarette, I was 22, in grad school, away from home for the first time, and dreadfully homesick. To boot, the rest of my programme smoked like chimneys. I started off by burning my dad''s brand like incense because I missed the smell, shifted into smoking at parties, and was firmly addicted within 3 months: for the next 7 years, I smoked between half a pack and a pack a day without fail, come trips, bronchitis, pneumonia, and asthma.

I finally quit using electronic cigarettes, of which I am a fanatical proponent: sadly, I still miss smoking, but I''m no longer addicted. It''s an interesting feeling ....

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 4/19/2010 9:42:27 PM
Author: CharmyPoo
How come everyone is a non-smoker? Are all the smokers afraid to come out and admit it?

Ha, probably after everyone said how disgusting they think smoking is! Actually, I think most people in their mid-twenties and up just don't smoke anymore. Back when I was smoking, my friends and I all agreed we had to quit once we got out of college or else it just becomes stupid. When you can't blame it on your carefree, irresponsible youth anymore it's time to quit!

 

[jewelz617]

Date: 4/19/2010 9:42:27 PM
Author: CharmyPoo
How come everyone is a non-smoker? Are all the smokers afraid to come out and admit it?

Ha! Why would anyone want to admit they smoke after a page of everyone saying how stupid, smelly and disgusting it is

Sometimes I am tempted to have a cigarette. It''s something you become used to when you feel idle or bored. You reach for a cigarette. That''s why people who quit sometimes gain a lot of weight. They have that fixation. I gained 15 pounds when I quit, it sucks. But I''d rather be pudgy than get emphysema.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 4/19/2010 9:53:43 PM
Author: thing2of2

Date: 4/19/2010 9:42:27 PM

Author: CharmyPoo

How come everyone is a non-smoker? Are all the smokers afraid to come out and admit it?

Ha, probably after everyone said how disgusting they think smoking is! Actually, I think most people in their mid-twenties and up just don''t smoke anymore. Back when I was smoking, my friends and I all agreed we had to quit once we got out of college or else it just becomes stupid. When you can''t blame it on your carefree, irresponsible youth anymore it''s time to quit!

Haha, agreed.

I started smoking when I was 18/freshman year of college. That was still back before smoking bans and before it was so looked down upon. I quit 3-4 years ago depending on which time I actually count, and the word "quit" is a relative term.

There have definitely been times when I''ve fallen off the wagon for days or weeks, or had one here or there just because I felt like it. I don''t beat myself up about it, I did enough of that when I was actually smoking on a regular basis (which was like 3 packs a week at most). I posted a thread about it a long time ago, I really let people make me feel awful about it.

Most people honestly never knew I smoked at all and were shocked if I ever told them. I never took smoke breaks at work. I didn''t smoke in my cars. I didn''t smoke around people who didn''t smoke, I didn''t smoke in people''s homes even if they smoked. I''ve known a lot of other "closet" smokers as well and let''s just say those of you who consider it so disgusting and beneath you might be surprised.

 

[junebug17]

Dh and I are non-smokers and always have been. My sister smokes, and is trying to quit but boy is she struggling. My two nephews and my niece smoke. Neither of my kids smoke, and I''m really glad about that. My brother-in-law used to smoke but he quit a few years ago. Both my parents smoked, but my mother quit cold turkey many years ago, and my father had a lung removed due to lung cancer and continued to smoke until he got to ill to go out and buy them. Awful, I know...my father had a lot of problems.

It''s funny, but I really don''t remember the smell of cigarette smoke growing up, even though both parents smoked. But I noticed a difference when the smoking ban went into effect. I told my husband I was going to drive to the state capital and kiss whoever was responsible for the ban. My husband thinks I''m crazy.

 

[Smurfysmiles]

I smoked from about the age of 13 to 24. DH refused to propose to me until I quit. I quit the next day. 2 weeks later he proposed! Haha I haven''t smoked since then, almost 2 years now

However, I don''t mind if people smoke around me because I know how alluring and addicting it can be. People won''t quit until they are ready to and I''m not the type to try to force it upon someone.

 

[lilyfoot]

I don''t smoke, and neither does my FI. We each have 1 brother that smokes, but that''s it.

It''s just not something that interests me, I don''t look down on people who do smoke or anything like that. For health reasons, I wouldn''t like any of my loved ones to smoke.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I was a smoker, I quit when I found out I was pregnant with baby #1 (he is now 10 years old). I will occasionally smoke a cigarette when I am having cocktails with friends, but one is usually enough for me.

DH has never smoked, never even tried it.

 

[wsu12]

DH and I are non smokers. I had tried smoking in my early twenties and it just never felt right and I didn''t pick up the habit (thank goodness). DH has never smoked a cigarette in his life. He is VERY extreme anti-smoking.

On the other hand my mother is a pack a day smoker. She has been smoking for 30+ years. I am disgusted by it, scared, afraid, annoyed....a laundry list of emotions. I have tried the TLC approach, the tough love approach..nothing helps or is impactful. HELP! What can I do?

 

[swingirl]

NO! Never! But I must admit I like the smell of cigarette smoke at the beach. I must have inhaled enough of it as a kid when everyone smoked and my brain has linked fond memories at the beach with second-hand smoke! Weird. But I nearly gag from smoke in any other circumstance. Oh ya, I was in college in the 70''s...

 

[Karl_K]

Date: 4/19/2010 9:42:27 PM
Author: CharmyPoo
How come everyone is a non-smoker? Are all the smokers afraid to come out and admit it?

lol I smoke and am not ashamed of it.
Am working on quitting however, want to quit before i get married in a few months.

 

[FrekeChild]

We''re both HUGE non smokers. Vehement. Neither of us would date, much less marry, a smoker.

Having said that, both of my husband''s parents smoked like chimneys. His mother had a lot of health conditions, and the point in which she stopped smoking was when she was put on oxygen, shortly before she passed away. His father smoked since he was in the military when he was 18ish. He still smokes a ton, but his new wife makes him go outside, so during the winter it really cuts down on how much he smokes.

Our nephew (husband''s sister''s son) is 21 and started smoking as a teenager, and stopped for his 21st birthday...his grandfather (above) bought him a carton of cigarettes for his 21st.

My mom smoked one cigarette EVER, and decided it was NOT FOR HER.

My dad smoked when he was younger and stupid. I was such a tattletale though, that once I was old enough to talk, he HAD to stop, and started chewing on the mouthpiece of a pipe instead. Since my mom passed away he seems to have picked up a little big of a cigar habit and smokes at least one a day. We moved in with him just over a month ago, and he now smokes cigars outside.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Oh, how I loved to smoke. I love the smell of a freshly -lit cigarette. It was heavenly.

I don''t smoke anymore, because it was bad for me. Haven''t done for years now. When I get old or am diagnosed with a terminal illness, I''ll be smoking again.

DH has never smoked and did try to say he wouldn''t marry me if I didn''t stop. Ok, don''t marry me then. He got over it.

How I miss my cigarettes. They sort of punctuated the day. Nice to light up when a task is done, or for a few minutes procrastination before it has to begin. I''m quite nostalgic for the old smoking days.

 

[mrscushion]

I''m not a smoker, though very rarely (and typically after a fair bit of alcohol) I may have a social cigarette, maybe twice a year. FI doesn''t smoke, either.

My mom used to smoke when I grew up and it took her 4 attempts over 10 years to finally quit. She''s very happy she got over the habit.

 

[Tuckins1]

Nope. I don''t smoke. I did when I was a teenager, but I quit when I was 20. DH quit a year and a half ago.

 

[alli_esq]

Vehemently against it here...I did smoke for about 2 months when I was in college, but I didn''t enjoy it that much--I was just looking for ways to cope during a very difficult emotional time (that didn''t do the trick). DH used to smoke for a long time before I met him (ages 17 to about 26), but quit before we met. However, when things get tough for him with work, or sometimes when we have a fight, he''ll smoke a couple here and there. He knows how much I hate it, but for some strange reason, that doesn''t stop him

 

[oddoneout]

No smoking for me. I find it unhealthy and I''m allergic. I can''t even stand to smell it.

 

[mayerling]

Fiance and I are both anti-smokers.

 

[Lauren8211]

No way. Absolutely not. I would not date or marry a smoker, either.

My dad was a smoker (and TMK, still is) and my brother has smoked since he was about 13.

 

[jewelz617]

Date: 4/20/2010 4:18:28 AM
Author: Mrs Mitchell
Oh, how I loved to smoke. I love the smell of a freshly -lit cigarette. It was heavenly.


I don't smoke anymore, because it was bad for me. Haven't done for years now. When I get old or am diagnosed with a terminal illness, I'll be smoking again.


DH has never smoked and did try to say he wouldn't marry me if I didn't stop. Ok, don't marry me then. He got over it.


How I miss my cigarettes. They sort of punctuated the day. Nice to light up when a task is done, or for a few minutes procrastination before it has to begin. I'm quite nostalgic for the old smoking days.

"DH has never smoked and did try to say he wouldn't marry me if I didn't stop. Ok, don't marry me then. He got over it."

Haha! That's awesome. I used to get really annoyed with that too when I was dating. I'd be with a guy who knew I smoked from the get-go and then months later he'd say I needed to quit or he else. Um, how about no pal, if you knew it was a dealbreaker from day one you should have never asked me out.

I sympathize with smokers. My father smoked for 30 years, my grandmother smoked, my aunt smoked, it was just something that was normal growing up. It doesn't have anything to do with intelligence or maturity, it's simply a habit that anyone can become exposed to. Ultimately I quit for me and for my daughter no one else, and I'm proud of that. IMO you should do it for yourself, and if makes someone else happy that's great too.

 

[rhbgirl24]

HECK no! My mother is a HUGE smoker. I breathed it in my entire life. So I never even tried smoking. Yuck!

 

[AussieNic]

I don''t smoke, never have. I was far too scared of my parents finding out that i might have tried it, then i was of peer group pressure. My DH on the other hand, comes from a family of smokers. His mum smoked while pregnant with him, along with his brother and gave it up when she was pregnant with his sister when he was 10. His dad gave up almost 12 months ago i think. My DH was a smoker when i met him as a teenager. The family smoked inside the house. When DH came over to visit me, he would have to smoke outside. When we moved in together he still smoked outside.

He tried a couple of times to give up. Once i think it was mainly because he had just watched his pop die from emphysema. But honestly, he wasn''t ready to do it for himself, so he took it back up. When we were starting on IVF, he stopped again for around 6-9 months. then took it back up when we got the positive test. He gave up 12 months ago now. This time he did it for himself first, so i think he has the best chance this time round. Our problem at the moment is he is still chewing on the nicabate mini''s... he just needs to wean himself off them now.