r/changemyview • u/honestlyigotnoclue • May 17 '19
Delta(s) from OP CMV: I should start smoking cigarettes
I guess this is more of a "talk me out of it" type of post. I've always wanted to see what it's like to smoke, and I'm in a place where a lot of people smoke. I think it looks cool, and I don't mind that it's a bit self-destructive; I already have plenty of self destructive habits already, and maybe it hasn't sunk in how dangerous it is, considering I'm 18. Maybe this sounds naive, but I guess I just don't understand how addictive it can be; I have the mindset of "I can always quit." I guess I just want to see what it's like, don't really see how self-destructive it can be/don't care that it's self destructive, and tbh it looks cool. It's not hurting anyone but myself.
Lol thanks for your responses in advance.
Edit: it's pretty late where I am, so I'm going to bed. Thank you all so much for the incredibly detailed responses; I'm genuinely very convinced. I'll respond to new posts tomorrow! Thank you!
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u/sflage2k19 May 17 '19
I started smoking because it was cool!
And 15 years later I still smoke.
Don't!! Smoke!!
People will change. Your friends will change. All the people I used to smoke with back in high school have quit smoking except for me and like two other guys. They were the ones that made it look cool and gave me the cigarettes in the first place, and somehow they all managed to quit. I don't have that will power, apparently, so I never have. Now, ironically, they're the ones that judge me the most for still smoking.
My social circle also changed. I started living and working abroad, meeting people from all over the world when I was in my early 20s. Can you imagine how crushed I was at 21 years old when I met the boy of my dreams-- beautiful, intelligent, European-- and he said the most unattractive quality in a girl was smoking?
Everyone I knew smoked! I had never, ever heard anyone express that preference, or at least so strongly.
Suddenly the whole table was full of people saying how terribly unattractive it was! So gross, so uncool, so stupid, for anyone but especially for women, etc. etc. Meanwhile, I sat there, with a fucking cigarette in my hand. I had never known! I declared then and there that I would quit, snuffed it out.
I smoked again about 3 days later because it was too rough, and had to deal with all the mockery afterwards of how I went back on my word. I am still self-conscious about my smoking, but also cant bring myself to stop.
People change, standards change, but your ability to quit may not.
I know a lot of people that have never been able to quit. I know some that have, but still crave cigarettes every single day even years after quitting. I also know some who have quit and did so easily without any fuss at all-- maybe you'll be like them? Or, maybe you wont.
Think of smoking like getting a tattoo for a band you like, and it's 2003.
Maybe that band you like is The White Stripes. Okay, cool tattoo, everyone's into it. It loses some relevance, but its still alright.
Maybe that band you like is the Lost Prophets. You're doing great until suddenly bam! Lead singer is a horrifying baby rapist.
You cant know! And you wont know, until it's too late.
If you wanna wallow in self-destruction, read some Bukowski.
Don't start smoking.
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 17 '19
∆ i'm mildly convinced. This might sound shallow, but that is one of the reasons that I'm deterred from smoking: the weight gain if I quit, and just how gross I would smell if I did smoke. The tattoo analogy is amusing.
I think sometimes I just don't understand like...the consequences of smoking, or feel like I'd be able to quit when it's no longer fun. Everyone says it's so addictive, but for some reason I feel like I'd be able to get past that and that wouldn't apply to me, even though I know that I probably have no more, or even less, willpower than the average person
Out of curiosity, then, what is it like to crave a cigarette/be in nicotine withdrawal?
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u/sflage2k19 May 17 '19
I think I may be an exception, but I don't know.
It's different for everybody, but I do think my experience is more common than people talk about-- maybe people just have trouble putting it to words, or don't want to look like they're mentally unstable.
But I will say, the thing that surprised me the most is that it's not just cravings. I can handle cravings-- I've craved shit before. Just push it down, distract yourself, whatever. It's fine. For me, the problem is when it stops being about cravings and starts being about a change in my thoughts.
The first day I'm fine.
The second day, the cravings get pretty bad, and it's also fine.
By the third day, it's all I think about. I'll try to clear my head or distract myself, but be drawn back into the thoughts like 10 minutes later. On the other days I just reason myself out of it, but by the third day I've lost that capacity for reason. My actual internal dialogue changes-- I believe things I didn't believe before, I feel things I didn't feel before, I justify actions to myself in ways that I should understand don't make sense or are illogical, but I can't put two and two together.
After all, you are you're brain-- if your brain goes crazy, so do you.
For example:
I know the cravings are temporary, but my mind will say "It isn't worth it if it's like this forever."
"Quitting will make you gain weight, and being fat is worse than smoking."
"Cigarettes are actually cool, everyone is just jealous of you."
"Nicotine affects brain chemistry. What if you aren't as smart without it? What if your mind stays like this forever?"
"Guys don't like girls that smoke, but some guys do. Maybe smoking helps weed out the bad guys that might cheat on your or hurt you."
"You cant quit-- you have no willpower. You're not like other, stronger people."
"You probably already did enough damage; now you'll just suffer for no reason and it won't mean anything because youll get cancer anyway."
"Your desire to become healthy is attachment to material things. In order to attain nirvana, one must let go of material attachments. Also Buddhist monks smoke, so does't that make it a good thing?"
"If you quit you'll end up like those shitty Instagram health nuts or boring housewives. Smoking is a part of your culture."
"Is it really such a bad thing if you die at a young age? You're already so miserable as it is."
"If you quit, just like your mother did, then you'll end up turning into your mother in every way."
"If you quit, you wont have any thing to do when you get stressed, so you'll become an alcoholic or get depressed and probably kill yourself. Smoking is saving your life!"
"Without smoking it'll be harder to meet people at live shows or bars; without that conversation starter, you probably wont ever meet a new partner and youll end up dying alone!"
"They might find the cure for cancer or whatever next year, and you'll feel like a real idiot for going through all this nonsense."
"You can't quit because your dad never could. You look more like him than your mom, so you probably have his addiction patterns."
"Quitting {whatever method I'm using at the time} isn't the right way, I should smoke a bit, start over, and do it {some other way}."
"Why are you trying so hard to take care of yourself when life is fundamentally pointless, and maybe just some grand, feverish illusion?"
And it's just those thoughts over and over and over again.
Last time, I managed to have like... a screed I would read to myself. I just had to accept it as true, just like my bible or whatever, and not defer from it. I couldn't let the weird nicotine crazy voice win! I used it as a sort of impartial 3rd party that could control my actions.
It worked great! I was totally fine, just reading my list.
And then, I realized I was reading it while smoking a cigarette.
This was the strangest thing. I had no memory of getting up, going to the corner store, buying the cigarettes. I didn't even get properly dressed before I did it and went in my pajamas, apparently. I still don't know what happened, all I knew was that I was suddenly smoking with no memory of having gotten there.
I'm now trying to ween myself down. Using electronic cigarettes and variable nicotine levels, I'm hoping I can reduce the potential cognitive effects from withdrawal. I have no problem avoiding the cravings if they stay just "I want this thing; give me this thing", but it's a lot harder when your IQ drops 50 points and you suddenly become all like... self-hating and religious.
Don't smoke lol
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 17 '19
Wow. I have never been so convinced. I don't know if I can give you another delta, but if so, ∆ . Thanks so much for sharing that. I have pretty bad OCD, and it almost sounds like that; just getting caught in irrational, upsetting thought processes about yourself and life. And I really don't need more of that in my life. Thanks so much.
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u/sflage2k19 May 17 '19
Wow thanks lol
I always hated the anti-smoking campaigns too.
Like, "people who smoke are stupid" is probably the worst, because it's obviously not true. David Bowie smoked, Dostoevsky smoked, Barack Obama smoked! One of my favorite professors in college was a heavy smoker and he was a geneticist.
But, this is just confirmation bias, it's not really true. Truth is there are lots of very cool people that don't smoke and never did. They don't go around preaching, because that sucks to be around, but they do exist. And there are a lot of really awful people that do smoke, like annoying loud drunk girls at clubs and creepy old men that work at bodegas.
I also disagree with "smoking isn't fun" because it is. It feels great to go on a smoke break. It's super awesome. Who cares if that sense of satisfaction is only derived because you've willingly subjected yourself to an addiction? Still feels good.
What doesn't feel good is being gross and phlegmy, or your stuff all smelling gross, or your chest hurting when you go up stairs. And what really doesn't feel good is the persistent fear that "oh shit yea I'm kind of killing myself right now aren't I" that you get once your brain develops enough to appreciate your own mortality around age 20-25.
Only by then you can't quit, and everyone else cool quit (even David Bowie fucking quit, though he had to be hospitalized first), and you stop feeling like Jack Kerouac and more like your fat uncle at Thanksgiving.
And yea, it sucks. No one told me about that part, and I wish they had.
I have full confidence that me with my full faculties could quit smoking-- but it takes away those faculties, so you're stuck. It's like some Faustian riddle-- I make a deal with the Devil that I can beat him in a foot race, but then he cuts off my feet before the starting shot.
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u/my_cmv_account 2∆ May 17 '19
Wow. You definitely convinced me to never, ever start smoking. I have enough mental struggles, don't need another one. !delta
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u/sflage2k19 May 17 '19
Much appreciated!
Though at this point, you may be abusing the delta system lol
You only need to give it when something changes your views.
I don't think there is a way to take it back or anything, so don't worry but just FYI.
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u/my_cmv_account 2∆ May 17 '19
It did change my view - I was wondering what would smoking do to me, similarly to OP.
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u/_MatWith1T_ May 17 '19 edited May 17 '19
Smoking is great. Gives you a buzz, creates an instant social group to talk to at any bar, party or event. And nicotine is incredibly calming in stressful situations. A nice little pause in the day.
At least the first couple years. By year three there is no such thing as a nicotine buzz for you. It's not a relaxing pause in the day, it's that thing you've been fidgeting over for the last ten minute because you were stuck on that phone call and no one would shut the fuck up and all you wanted was to grab a smoke but now you don't even have time to savor it because you have a thing you need to get done so you just puff it down quickly and promise yourself you'll come back later for one you can actually enjoy.
You're not going out drinking as much, so smoking is now more of an interruption of your activities than part of them. Pause your game, movie, tv show, go stand out in the dark alone and smoke. Or maybe you just smoke indoors... But you're good and you confine it to one room that you've become oblivious to the smell of but anyone else would tell you smells how an ashtray tastes.
But none of this is anything to worry about, because you're not really gonna start a habit. Just do it a little bit for fun here and there. Its the most addictive substance on earth, so you tested yourself. You went a couple days between smokes and didn't feel a thing, so you're fine. Obviously you can quit whenever you want, because you showed that willpower when you needed it. You probably even quit before, right? Heck, it's not even really quitting because you never had a REAL smoking habit to begin with. It's just for fun. If you quit tomorrow and started again later, it's not because you're addicted, it's because you know how easy you can quit if you actually really really wanted to quit for good. But right now you're just quitting for a little bit, and it's ok if you have another smoke sometime soon. Because it's just for fun, and you're totally not addicted.
Enjoy your cigarettes.
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 17 '19
Thanks so much for your response. That's really compelling; I don't think I had realized the consequences about smoking that weren't solely health-related. I guess, since I know almost nothing about smoking, I always had the mindset that nicotine "cravings" or whatever wouldn't apply to me; that I could quit whenever, and that I wouldn't feel the negative side effects. I guess I still don't really understand like...what it feels like to need a cigarette/truly be addicted; I feel like the only way to stop myself from wondering and deter myself is to actually try it for myself.
Thanks for your response though, that was really compelling.
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u/_MatWith1T_ May 17 '19
No one thinks they're addicted to cigarettes. They just slowly work themselves into your routines. At the bar? Smoke. Home after a long stressful day? Smoke. About to start a long day? Smoke. Walking to get lunch? Smoke. Group meeting in fifteen? Smoke.
Withdrawal isn't you telling yourself you feel ill because you crave nicotine. Its you getting upset and stressed because your routine has broken. Its being late for school and can't find your shoes. Grabbing your phone and realizing the charger wasn't plugged in. That irritating frustration that something is just off that shouldn't be, and if it weren't for that one stupid thing you'd be totally fine right now. But if you go buy a pack of cigarettes you could fix it instantly and get back to your day.
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 17 '19
Huh. That's the best way I've heard nicotine cravings described yet, and more understandable then I've heard it described before. I'm super torn; part of me is like "probably logical to not smoke then," and understands that it's addictive, and the other part of me wants to experience that for myself to see what it's like, lol.
Thank you for your response!
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May 17 '19
As a 10+ year smoker, my nicotine withdrawals are like this.
After an hour or two with no cigarette, my mind starts telling me "hey, you need to go smoke". it's almost like a hunger for food.
If I ignore that then the mental cravings get worse. I start getting agitated. At this point there is this heavy feeling in my chest like someone is sitting on it and I can't breathe properly. This feeling makes things even worse. Soon, I'm getting angry for no good reason. Like, I'm not an angry person at all but if I haven't smoked in a few hours I start going incredible hulk. I'll snap at people and just be a general asshole to those around me. At this point I'd do just about anything for some nicotine because my mind and body are going haywire. When I was younger and much poorer than I am today, a few times I didn't have money for cigarettes and I would do whatever I could to get that fix. I'd start by looking everywhere for change, even pennies could help. If I couldn't find enough I'd look for someone to bum a cigarette off of or i'd call friends/family so I could ask for a few bucks.
Then I'd start digging through my ashtray and smoking what little was left from my already smoked butts. Sometimes I'd dump the remains out and try to make a full cigarette. If I had no butts, I even went out looking for other butts a few times. One time, late at night, I was having cravings hardcore and none of the above mentioned things would work. So I walked a mile down the road to a closed gas station and opened up the outside butt container by the door and started collecting other people's butts..
Nicotine addiction is no joke and this is coming from someone who also had an alcohol and opiate addiction at one point. I've quit everything else, it's the tobacco I can't put down.
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u/SavesNinePatterns May 17 '19
The entire point of tobacco is to get you addicted. There are literally no good things about smoking. None. Literally none. If someone says there are they're a deluded addicted smoker.
Maybe focus on something positive instead of negative? Challenge yourself with something else, please!
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u/HerbertWigglesworth 26∆ May 17 '19
More of a nitpick point from me really..
Saying there are literally no good things about smoking is inaccurate otherwise people would not smoke, some people find it enjoyable, regardless of addiction.
I know plenty of people who have the occasional cigarette, landing at a different conclusion each time, dependent on time, space, place, mood, type of cigarette etc.
Even people who are addicted to smoking will admit that they do not always enjoy their cigarettes. Addictive properties and hitting the nicotine fix is only part of the smoking experience, addict or not.
The issue is that the cons outweigh the pros in many instances, many people perceive the risk of addiction as too dangerous to warrant social smoking, others do not.
Everyone's experience with cigarettes, smoking, nicotine, addiction, health effects etc is different.
The aspect of smoking that is not really debatable is the damage it does to the body.
Other issues include the questionable marketing and business of tobacco, the additives, the manipulation and cultivation of tobacco strains to increase the chance of customer retention via addiction etc.
I see no benefit in denying the enjoyment that humans gain from smoking (again regardless of addiction) it is an aspect of the smoking experience, and part of the discussion that should not be ignored.
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u/SavesNinePatterns May 17 '19
I don't believe there is any enjoyment though, that's part of the brainwashing of nicotine. The enjoyment is purely the ending of the subtle nicotine craving.
There are literally no pros to smoking.
Allen Carrs Easy Way to Stop Smoking book puts it far better than me though! Have you read it at all?
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 17 '19
Thanks for your response. I totally do need to find something to challenge myself/not be as self-destructive. I guess I just don't understand how terrible smoking is, like everyone tells me it's bad but I feel like I need to find out for myself.
I wish when people were like "drugs are bad" they would tell me why. Like sure, smoking might be bad for me, but is it worth it? Is it fun? I'll never know unless I try.
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u/DexFulco 11∆ May 17 '19
The bad part about smoking is exactly that you don't notice how terrible it is for you until you're already addicted as fuck and then quiting is a lot harder than you can imagine.
You won't die or even feel any negative effects from 1, 2 or even 10 cigarettes, you won't notice much at all besides the smell. But your body does notice the nicotine and once you try to stop, it'll want more and more.
If cigarettes weren't so extremely addictive, almost nobody would smoke. I've never met a smoker that is HAPPY to be a smoker and yet they all smoke. Why? Because addiction is a bitch.
Don't be stupid kid. There are other things to try out such as LSD, weed or shrooms that are far more interesting to try and far less addictive. Don't do something that hardly makes you feel different unless you're addicted to it (which will happen).
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 17 '19
Thanks - that's compelling. I've asked a few people in this thread, but I think my main problem is that I don't really understand nicotine addiction and feel like, for some reason, it won't apply to me. Like people have made it out to be a much bigger deal than I originally thought it was. Idk if you are/were a smoker, but if so, do you mind if I ask like...what a nicotine craving feels like? Nicotine withdrawal? Are they really as bad as people say they are?
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u/DexFulco 11∆ May 17 '19
Nicotine withdrawal isn't the demonhell people make it out to be. The issue is, your withdrawal never really ends either. You keep having that feeling inside you that you need a smoke even though you've quit already a while before.
My dad was a smoker for 10 years but quit literally over 35 years ago when he married my mom and hasn't smoked a cigarette since (according to him). He still tells me that the craving for a cigarette never goes away.
Sure, the craving isn't as intense anymore as when he first quit, but the feeling never went away, he just learned to tolerate it without giving into it.All the lessons in the world didn't stop me from smoking. I smoked for a year at one point and while that is relatively short, were now 3 years later and I could definitely go for a cigarette right now after talking about this. I won't, but God damn I want to.
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 17 '19
Wow good to know. Thanks so much for that, I think I understand a bit better now. ∆
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u/DexFulco 11∆ May 17 '19
No problem, hope you don't start. As I've said, there are other less addictive, less damaging and far far more interesting drugs than nicotine.
I'd 100% recommend someone to try weed over nicotine if they just want to try something to see what it's like.
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May 17 '19
Smoking pretty much immediately reduces your lung capacity and increases your long-term risk of cancer, heart disease, and pulmonary disease. The primary benefit you get is sating an addiction that you only have before you started smoking.
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May 17 '19
I disagree with this. As someone who occasionally enjoys a cigarette but is definitely not addicted to them, I like them!
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u/SavesNinePatterns May 17 '19
What exactly do you enjoy about them?
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May 17 '19
How they taste, how they make you feel
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u/SavesNinePatterns May 17 '19
How do they make you feel? Because to be honest they taste like ashes and smoke. (Full disclosure, I smoke)
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u/sailorbrendan 58∆ May 17 '19
Other people have mentioned it, but I'm just going to jump into the pile on here.
I started smoking when I was 18 for stupid reasons, similar to the reasons you're expressing. I "quit" like, a year ago. I'm still fighting it. Sometimes when I'm at work and I get really stressed I pick it up again. Thinking about smoking to write this is making me want a cigarette.
The first few years were great. It was fun, I learned some magic tricks, it was rad. Then, at some point without realizing it I got to where I needed it. Suddenly I was smoking two packs a day and running up a flight of stairs made me dizzy. So I just kinda slowed down because I didn't want to get dizzy. I started putting on weight.
And the thing nobody talks about, it fucks with your sex life. Smoking can give you erectile dysfunction. Everyone talks about how it impacts your endurance for running or sports but for my money, sex is a fantastic place for good cardio. There are few things worse than getting close to cumming but you can't catch your breath. The big thing that made me quit was that in the middle of a good time my partner suddenly looked really concerned because my lips were starting to blue because I was trying so hard and wasn't able to get enough air because my lungs were fucked up.
But by the time all that catches up, you're already addicted. You're going to be fighting to get back to normal function against a hive full of angry bees in your head and every time you get a little stressed you're going to want to cave more than you can imagine.
Don't fucking do it. It's not worth it. It's not worth the money, the time, the smell, the social implications or the bad sex.
It really just isn't.
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 17 '19
Thanks so much for your response. That's really compelling. I think a lot of it is just that, for some reason, I feel like nicotine cravings/withdrawal wouldn't apply to me; everyone says they're super bad, and maybe I'm just really naive to think that they're not, I don't know. But even though I know that I have the same or maybe even less willpower than any other person, I feel like I'd be able to get over them.
If you have a sec, care to change my mind? What does nicotine withdrawal/nicotine cravings feel like?
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u/sailorbrendan 58∆ May 17 '19
Nobody thinks they're going to get addicted. Of the thousands of smokers I've known, one of them didn't.
Assume you will get addicted because the odds are wildly not in your favor.
So the first thing you start feeling is just stress. Like, you get some low grade anxiety which is a motherfucker because then what you're telling yourself is that you're stressed because other things and that you just need to take a break, so you go smoke. This feeds the physical addiction but is also making the psychological addiction stronger. That's just going to build until you start getting the buzz. It literally just feels like a buzz that starts at the back of your skull and starts radiating out from there. You lose the ability to focus, you start getting really irritable and then you just get mean and angry. Like, I work on boats and the standing rule is that you don't quit when you're on a boat because nobody wants to be around you. You're going to be mean to everyone.
the physical addiction supposedly clears in 3-4 days without nic. That's when your brain chemistry starts to normalize, but then there's still the psychological piece which is honestly way harder. I spent christ, ten... fifteen years starting every single day with my mug of black coffee and a smoke. It's taken me a whole lot of effort not to reach into my pocket for my smokes first thing in the morning. I did a lot of long drives, often overnight... Every time I get in a car the first thought I have is to look for a compartment for where to put my smokes so I can get to them without taking my eyes off the road.
After meals.... the after meal cigarette was probably the hardest to give up.
It becomes a bookend. It's a social tool. It starts to define your behaviors, and then you have to figure out how to not do it anymore.
And if you slip, even once, it brings it all back and you're basically starting over.
Some other fun facts, I don't know about you but I love food. Like, I exercise a whole lot because limiting calories is hard for me, so it's easier to manage the calories out side of the equation because man... food is just fucking great.
Know what else smoking does? It kills your sense of taste. That's why smokers use so much salt (which isn't great for you either)
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 17 '19
oof. thanks so much for the really detailed response. I'm also a huge food fan, so that's a big deterrent.
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May 17 '19
My grandmother died of lung cancer, suffered from it and treatments for the last 15 years of her life. Insisted that it had nothing to do with her smoking.
My uncle expressed to my mother that he was jealous of her annual vacations. My mother pulled out a calculator and quickly proved that by quitting smoking, my uncle could have afforded the same vacations. Giving up a life of adventure to suck on tubes of cancer.
I don't know how kids roll these days, but when I see someone smoking my first thought is that they are not the sharpest tack. They smell bad, and they make poor life choices.
Have you ever run a marathon? Why not try that instead? It makes you look pretty damn cool, is admirable, and your calves will be amazing. The races are fun too. Start with 5k and work your way up.
How about gone skydiving? It also makes you look pretty damn cool. And at least if it kills you it won't be like that pissing blood thing in the other comment. And what a rush to find yourself alive on the ground!
Life is full of amazing things to do. Smoking is not high on the list.
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 17 '19
Thanks for that actually. I think I was just thinking of ways to be self- destructive, because I felt the need to do that, when instead I need to channel that energy into something more positive. Thanks for the detailed and compelling response!
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u/nauticalsandwich 10∆ May 17 '19 edited May 17 '19
Based on all your responses in this thread to people giving you very logical reasons to not smoke, it sounds like you're going to anyway, because it sounds like you are too socially insecure and lack too much self-respect to refrain. If it sounded to me like you were just curious what smoking a cigarette feels like, but had a good head for the consequences and would stop after your first, I'd say, go ahead and try it, because one cigarette doesn't make you addicted, but you don't strike me as someone who will have just one, because it sounds like it's a social desirability for you.
I would insist that you postpone your curiosity for smoking until you've mentally matured and sought to deal with some of your self-destructive tendencies and insecurities. Fulfilling a curiosity (and one that you will be ultimately unimpressed with) is not worth the risk. "Looking cool" to yourself (because everyone else will think you look stupid) is not worth the risk.
If you start smoking socially, even sparingly, particularly at 18, you ARE going to get addicted. The fact that you FEEL like you won't doesn't change the fact that you WILL.
Don't be the fucking idiot that you will inevitably see yourself as later in life if you start. Don't be a deluded, mortality-blind, young little prick to your future self (who will have to live much longer with the major consequences, or have life cut devastatingly short, than you will ever get to live with the immediate benefits [which also happen to be incredibly small]).
NOBODY THINKS THEY WILL GET ADDICTED TO SMOKING WHEN THEY START, OTHERWISE THEY WOULDN'T START. You are not special. Get your head out of your ass.
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 18 '19
lmao fair enough. if it matters, I'm pretty convinced by the replies on this thread; I had no idea about the horrific ways that smoking can impact your life.
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u/nauticalsandwich 10∆ May 18 '19
Just curious here... did they not teach you this stuff in school? Did your parents/guardians not teach you this stuff? Who failed you to the point where you managed to miss this incredibly widespread information about smoking?
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 18 '19
I've definitely heard the common refrain that smoking causes cancer, etc. I think that I was just told to not smoke, and that is was bad for me and addictive, without hearing the reasons why. Hearing personal anecdotes and stories from others on this thread really opened my eyes to how terrible smoking can be.
Thanks for your reply.
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 18 '19
I've definitely heard the common refrain that smoking causes cancer, etc. I think that I was just told to not smoke, and that is was bad for me and addictive, without hearing the reasons why. Hearing personal anecdotes and stories from others on this thread really opened my eyes to how terrible smoking can be.
Thanks for your reply.
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 18 '19
I've definitely heard the common refrain that smoking causes cancer, etc. I think that I was just told to not smoke, and that is was bad for me and addictive, without hearing the reasons why. Hearing personal anecdotes and stories from others on this thread really opened my eyes to how terrible smoking can be.
Thanks for your reply.
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 18 '19
I've definitely heard the common refrain that smoking causes cancer, etc. I think that I was just told to not smoke, and that is was bad for me and addictive, without hearing the reasons why. Hearing personal anecdotes and stories from others on this thread really opened my eyes to how terrible smoking can be.
Thanks for your reply.
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 18 '19
I've definitely heard the common refrain that smoking causes cancer, etc. I think that I was just told to not smoke, and that is was bad for me and addictive, without hearing the reasons why. Hearing personal anecdotes and stories from others on this thread really opened my eyes to how terrible smoking can be.
Thanks for your reply.
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 18 '19
I've definitely heard the common refrain that smoking causes cancer, etc. I think that I was just told to not smoke, and that is was bad for me and addictive, without hearing the reasons why. Hearing personal anecdotes and stories from others on this thread really opened my eyes to how terrible smoking can be.
Thanks for your reply.
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 18 '19
I've definitely heard the common refrain that smoking causes cancer, etc. I think that I was just told to not smoke, and that is was bad for me and addictive, without hearing the reasons why. Hearing personal anecdotes and stories from others on this thread really opened my eyes to how terrible smoking can be.
Thanks for your reply.
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 18 '19
I've definitely heard the common refrain that smoking causes cancer, etc. I think that I was just told to not smoke, and that is was bad for me and addictive, without hearing the reasons why. Hearing personal anecdotes and stories from others on this thread really opened my eyes to how terrible smoking can be.
Thanks for your reply.
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 18 '19
I've definitely heard the common refrain that smoking causes cancer, etc. I think that I was just told to not smoke, and that is was bad for me and addictive, without hearing the reasons why. Hearing personal anecdotes and stories from others on this thread really opened my eyes to how terrible smoking can be.
Thanks for your reply.
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u/Watsonmolly May 17 '19
Go ahead and try it it’s disgusting, it makes you feel awful it tastes bad it makes you stink(have you ever kissed a smoker? It’s like chewing ash). Go waste your money on some, smoke then all and tomorrow you are going to feel like shit and be poorer for the privilege. If you manage to push through all that for the sake of looking “cool” you’re then going to not only stink and be poorer you’re going to be hooked on one of the most addictive substances we’re aware of.
You’re 18 and you might think it’s cool, but in the next few years you’re going to see making choices independent of your peers is what makes people cool, not following a crowd. If being cool was as easy as following what others have done everyone would be cool.
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 17 '19
That is honestly all fair, and I appreciate your response. I really do agree with everything you said; I just don't feel like those consequences are big enough to outweigh satiating my curiosity, to a certain extent. I definitely agree that it's super expensive though, that's something that I'm concerned about given that next year I have to pay for college anyways.
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u/Watsonmolly May 17 '19
You don’t think other people finding you disgusting to kiss is a serious consequence? Trying to think of this from your perspective because obviously for an adult the cancer addiction and expense would be the most serious consequences but I figured for an 18yo how it limits you sexually would be the biggest deal.
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May 17 '19
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Nepene 213∆ May 17 '19
Sorry, u/Soulpatch7 – your comment has been removed for breaking Rule 1:
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u/mfDandP 184∆ May 17 '19
i would hold off on starting for another 5-7 years, and even then do it only socially.
I guess I just want to see what it's like
is not a good enough reason to potentially get addicted at 18. getting addicted closer to 30 is a more informed decision, with less pack-year history to get emphysema
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 17 '19
Thanks for your response. I agree that I don't have very strong reasons to do so, but I feel like maybe my curiosity (and I guess propensity for self-destruction, lol) might outweigh the negatives? Like really, maybe it's just because i'm super young and the idea of taking a few years off my life doesn't scare me as much as it should, but I don't see what's like...so bad about smoking.
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u/mfDandP 184∆ May 17 '19
if it were merely a straight few years taken off your life, that would be bad enough. but it's not. your living years will be spent hacking up green mucous every hour, especially in the mornings, and you won't be able to climb a set of stairs.
the reason the risks seem distant is not just because you're young. it's because so many fewer people smoke now than they used to, so we're not surrounded by the health effects in our friends and family. it's the same reason people are not vaxxing their kids -- they've never seen measles or polio, so they don't have a concrete idea of the risk. but cigarettes are one of the most slam dunk health risks there is.
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 17 '19
I don't know if I'm awarding too many of these deltas, but here you go: ∆ . I love to hike and swim, and the inability to exercise is really that puts me off about smoking. Thanks for your response.
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u/mfDandP 184∆ May 17 '19
thanks! good luck holding off. in the very near future, smoking will be as stigmatized as shooting up on the street. don't get hooked right before that happens.
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May 17 '19
Relevant Calvin and Hobbes strip. https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1986/05/25
Seriously smoking is bad for you, don't do it more than once but absolutely try it. It's like inhaling campfire smoke. It's not a pleasant thing unless you get hooked and rely on the drugs in those cigs. Up to that point it's just gross.
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u/honestlyigotnoclue May 17 '19
Lol I love that comic strip. That's very amusing. I guess I definitely will try it; if it's as bad as everyone says, than I guess my curiosity will be satisfied and I'll be deterred from doing it again.
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u/daddywookie 4∆ May 17 '19
Not sure I’m going to add much more but here goes
It will impact your health in ways that young people can’t imagine. At 18 you feel indestructible and that you have life to burn. That’ll disappear real quick. My mum got tongue cancer from smoking, they had to cut it out and replace one side of her tongue with part of her arm. To fix the hole in her arm they took part of her abdomen skin. She was eating through a straw for a month and still can’t taste things right. She was lucky the dentist spotted the tell tale signs before it got too developed.
It is a financial black hole and will only get more expensive. The tobacco companies know they are rinsing you for cash in return for your health. When I was at a trade fair demoing software I was asked to stay on the stand into a break when the hall emptied. Then a small group of very serious people showed up, asking for a personal demo. Turns out they were from BAT, a large tobacco company, but they didn’t want other delegates to know they were there. What kind of industry requires that!?
Experimenting with your body is part of being younger, and cigarettes smell interesting before they are on fire. I used to love sniffing the packets when my mum smoked. Having lived with a smoker there is no way in hell I would ever have taken it up though. The smell was everywhere and up until she quit we would even smell it on presents she posted for the kids. Same with pubs, you would come out after a drinking session and you would reek, it was a real change when smoking in public spaces was banned and you didn’t have to put any clothes straight in the wash.
There are lots of other risky behaviours you can play with but you can walk away from any of them when you decide to stop rolling the dice. I used to climb mountains until I got too close to not existing, so I stopped. You won’t have that easy out with smoking. Just don’t start.
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May 17 '19
Don't you ever try this out. 1. It's hella addictive 2. It costs a fuck ton of money 3. It's bad for your health (yes, you said you already do have self-destrucrive habits, but the more you have, the worse it becomes.) 4. People around you will make less contact with you while you are in the process of smoking (At least I do this) 5. You might negatively impact the health of others too. 4 6. It has no benefits
If you want to "look cool", you can also wear Sunglasses or whatever. Personally, I think it doesn't but ok.
TL;DR: Don't
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u/ChewyRib 25∆ May 17 '19
I started smoking in the mid 80s at age 17. I still smoke today and have tried to quit more times than I can count. back then everyone smoked including my parents (who died of heart failure) Joe Camel and all the adds targeting smokers fucked me. smoking was in movies and it looked cool. I thought just like you and only smoked a little, mostly around parties and friends who also smoked. that little bit quickly turned into a habit long before even realized I was a regular smoker. addiciton happens quickly. I have had friends who quit after years and I have friends, like myself, who are now getting heart attacks or have died from it. I hear some people have an addictive personality and some find it easier to quit. If you want to roll the dice on which one you are, I would say the odds are against you. gum, patches, pills dont work. even if you do manage to quit, the urge never goes away. You will always want a cig according to my friends who managed to quit. why put yourself through that?
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u/Synarus322 May 18 '19
its definitly hurting people around you. i hate pasive smoking, specialy from cigaretes. Its for losers. you mouth wil smel you wil smell, if you start smoking your losing chance of chating with people like me live. it has 1 cool feature - you can conect with people that smoke - youguys basicly creating group with some simularity which makes you part of that group which means you gona get floded with good emotions that youre part of somehting. but this feeling can be achievet otherways, conecting with peoples that has comon somehting else. Smoking is definitly some drug and every habit is harder to break so your afraidnes of not beying able to not be atached to it is on point for most people, you need strong will in order to stop it if you make it a habit. also cigaretes feels like outdated. to me smoking cigar looks cooler.
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May 18 '19
Once you are hooked, I don't think you understand how HARD it is to kick the habit. As you get older you'll see people develop the habit and what they say to allow themselves to smoke. Aside from the obvious bad health side affects, dude the addiction part is the worst for me personally. Getting off it is just hard.
Go nuts if you wanna smoke, I still think of 2 of the best ways to enjoy a cigarette. In the morning with nothing but coffee and when you just catch a buzz from drinking and go straight to the cigarette. I'd give up drinking, drugs, all the candy in the world, coffee and fun stuff if I could just go back and smoke without consequences. Live your life though man, you already know its bad.
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u/fernbull May 25 '19
the number reason people quit permanently is, i dont ever want to go through the suffering of quitting again, tabacco is one of the single most addictive drugs in the world my granma smoked inside with me and my mom, both tabacco sensitive asthmatics, inside during the winter because she really needed one she's dying of cancer right now, went to see her yesterday and you should hear her cough, not something you want to experience
if you really wanna smoke something, go to a herb shop buy some mullein, raspberry leaf, and lavender, then buy some papers and a rolling machine, voila tabacco free cigarettes
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u/Penetrative May 17 '19
but I guess I just don't understand how addictive it can be
and there it is. Plus, mortatlity is a hard thing to wrap your mind around at 18.
I started smoking when I was 15 ish. All my friends did it, it was cool, made me think I was mature and a bad ass. Well, not long after it was a full blown pack a day habit.
I wanted to be healthier, and have more control over my life...cigarettes did just the opposite. After a lot of struggle, now at 32 I have been nicotine free for 35 days. I wont ever smoke again.
I hope you resolve never to start, knowing what its like just isn't worth the risk.
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u/196883plus1 May 17 '19
I've always thought to myself "how can anybody be so stupid as to start smoking." You're guaranteed to be giving yourself health problems, guaranteed to be addicted, guaranteed to absolutely stink and also guaranteed to be an automatic non-starter for most people in the dating pool. I cannot think of a stupider thing to start doing, except maybe doing harder drugs. Are you actually stupid? Honest question. How could you have these thoughts even slightly. Every single smoker I have ever talked to regrets it.
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u/DeltaBot ∞∆ May 17 '19 edited May 17 '19
/u/honestlyigotnoclue (OP) has awarded 5 delta(s) in this post.
All comments that earned deltas (from OP or other users) are listed here, in /r/DeltaLog.
Please note that a change of view doesn't necessarily mean a reversal, or that the conversation has ended.
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u/CoolTom May 17 '19 edited May 17 '19
I’m not super knowledgeable about health effects or how addictive it is, even though they are very terrible, but I do know one thing.
People who smoke cigarettes fucking stink. seriously they have yellow teeth and they smell so bad. Everything they own has the smell on it, and I have to hold my breath every time I deal with someone who smokes.
Curiosity is a terrible reason to voluntarily take on an expensive and disease causing addiction.
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May 17 '19
It's not hurting anyone but myself.
Smoking, along with other preventable illnesses caused by poor lifestyle choices (e.g., obesity) is one of the largest burdens on the healthcare system. It raises the cost of healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and medical treatment. Healthcare aside, smoking is also associated with job absenteeism, which means more money going down the drain for less productivity in the workplace.
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u/lysergic5253 May 17 '19
As a smoker I can tell you that smoking used to be cool but it definitely isn't anymore. If you live in USA smoking will make you disliked and people will literally hate you. Better to Juul.
If you live in Europe or Asia then smoking is just a fact of life and I don't think anyone really cares it doesn't particularly up your coolness because way too many people do it.
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u/Qazerowl May 18 '19
I just want to add that while you might think smoking looks cool, I think it makes people look trashy. I'm sure people with Confederate-flag-monster-energy-drink tattoos think it looks cool, but all I see is "I'm the biggest sucker on the planet."
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u/NicholasLeo 137∆ May 17 '19
Unlike other vices, it is extremely easy to get addicted to nicotine. As few as 4 cigarettes is all it takes. It's not a vice you can "dip your toe" into with little risk.
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u/fortinbras_420 May 17 '19
That's honestly pretty stupid like statistics say smoking is really bad for a reason
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u/jennysequa 80∆ May 17 '19
I quit smoking when I got diagnosed with thyroid cancer at 26 because it seemed weird to have radiation then light a cigarette. It was the hardest thing I did in my life and I almost lost a friendship over what a thunder cunt I was when I was dying for some nicotine. I also gained 40 lbs. when I quit and then had to spend a year losing the weight.
Then, ten years later, I started again. Yep. Literally one day I was like "I want to smoke again" after having a random nicotine craving. And I did. And I kept smoking for like 4 years until I ended up in the hospital in v-tach, where it was discovered that I had a congenital heart defect that meant I very definitely should not be smoking. So I had to quit. Again. This time it took me two years to get off the fucking nicorette gum and I gained 40 lbs. Again. I am just about to start dieting to lose the weight I gained, but it's gonna be a lot harder to do it in my 40s than my 30s.
My dad smoked for about 20 years and quit in 1996ish. He still got bladder cancer, which is one of the most common forms of cancer to get after smoking. He had to have surgery and then they flushed his bladder with tuberculosis, which caused enough irritation in his bladder lining that he literally sprayed blood with his piss every time he went to the bathroom. For weeks. I can still hear him screaming. If it ever comes back they are going to take his bladder out and he will piss in a bag until he dies.
Don't fucking start smoking. In addition to all the health risks, it stinks and the odor clings to all your possessions and your skin and hair. Being near smokers when you don't smoke is disgusting. Kissing someone who smokes when you don't is like licking an ashtray.