I started at 11 or 12. Both parents smoked, so it was only natural to follow suit.
Why did you start smoking in the first place?
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Nerves, and something to do with my hands while waiting backstage to play in the monthly concert at university. I was a piano performance major with terrible stagefright. As such, today I'm not a concert pianist, but I still smoke.
I was raised in a smoking family but the idea of me smoking was always taboo. I remember a specific conversation with my dad when I was about 8 years old, we were sitting at one of those restaurant & brewery places that sold pizza and beer and he had let me try his beer (like all redneck families do, or at least did back then) and he's puffing away on his Newports talking about this that and the other thing then he looks at me and says "I don't care of you drink, I don't care if you want to smoke pot, I don't even care if you want to try other drugs, but if I EVER catch you with a cigarette, you'll be going to the hospital" (JIC anyone didn't catch it, it was a direct threat to beat me within an inch of my life) And of course at 8 years old I just laugh and nod because I had no interest in smoking.
Fast forward to about 6weeks after my 13th birthday. I'm in a new town, finally got my first 3 friends that I'd ever had in my life and I'm walking down the street at midnight just having a nice stroll through town. Well 1 of my friends smoked but knew that I didn't smoke, my other friend had never hung out with me outside of school, well the second friend pulls out a pack of Marlbro Red 100's and hands one to the first friend and offers me one. I said no, and he didn't push the subject he simply put it back in the pack and we continued walking and talking.
About 5 min later I suppose curiosity got the better of him because he looks at me and asks "Just curious, but can I ask why not" so I smile and tell him the story about my dad and that day at the restaurant, and the first friend laughs and tells him how big my dad is (6'5 & about 350 to my little ol 5'3 & 120 at the time) My friend accepts that answer and continues the previous conversation.
I may have gotten 10 steps past that point when the echos of the memory in my head ticked me off. It wasn't peer pressure, it wasn't wanting to be cool, it was dad's voice in my head "If I ever catch you with a cigarette...." I literally stopped dead in my tracks (I was walking a little in front of the other two) turned to the friend with the smokes and said ".... it, give it here" and he did. If dad had never made that threat, I never wouda done it. It was only the first of who knows how many cigarettes, inititally I only did it with my friends, and only to see if I could get away with it. It honestly took a good 18months for me to get truely hooked. It was always the rebellion factor... sounds so stupid now, but it made total sense to my 13 year old brain.
Fast forward to about 6weeks after my 13th birthday. I'm in a new town, finally got my first 3 friends that I'd ever had in my life and I'm walking down the street at midnight just having a nice stroll through town. Well 1 of my friends smoked but knew that I didn't smoke, my other friend had never hung out with me outside of school, well the second friend pulls out a pack of Marlbro Red 100's and hands one to the first friend and offers me one. I said no, and he didn't push the subject he simply put it back in the pack and we continued walking and talking.
About 5 min later I suppose curiosity got the better of him because he looks at me and asks "Just curious, but can I ask why not" so I smile and tell him the story about my dad and that day at the restaurant, and the first friend laughs and tells him how big my dad is (6'5 & about 350 to my little ol 5'3 & 120 at the time) My friend accepts that answer and continues the previous conversation.
I may have gotten 10 steps past that point when the echos of the memory in my head ticked me off. It wasn't peer pressure, it wasn't wanting to be cool, it was dad's voice in my head "If I ever catch you with a cigarette...." I literally stopped dead in my tracks (I was walking a little in front of the other two) turned to the friend with the smokes and said ".... it, give it here" and he did. If dad had never made that threat, I never wouda done it. It was only the first of who knows how many cigarettes, inititally I only did it with my friends, and only to see if I could get away with it. It honestly took a good 18months for me to get truely hooked. It was always the rebellion factor... sounds so stupid now, but it made total sense to my 13 year old brain.
I started in kindergarten with an after sex smoke...........oh what was her name. I can't remember I was so drunk
This will date me for sure. When I started smoking, the Worst thing anyone said about smoking was that it would stunt your growth! I was already 6 feet tall (taller than either of my parents) and captain of the high school track team. People didn't talk about cancer. The word was whispered if you knew somebody who supposedly had it. There were no warnings on cigarette packs. Nobody knew we even had a Surgeon General. And all the major ball players and pop stars were featured in ads touting their favorite brand (or at least the one that paid them the most money.)
While I had tried a few earlier, I really started when I was 17 and had my driver's license. My high school band director helped get me a job driving an ice cream truck for the summer which he did as well. We had different routes but would ride to and from work together. He offered me a cigarette, I accepted. Pretty soon I was buying my own.
By the time the bad news filtered out I was solidly hooked. I wasn't feeling bad. I led an active life as a musician and scuba instructor. I could swim three lengths of the pool underwater on a single breath, and a five mile non-stop swim was a piece of cake. I'd climb out of the water and have a cigarette.
But when the doctor opened my abdomen up and threw some of my parts away things started to change. One doesn't swim too well when all the muscles between the navel and the groin have been cut. The recovery process made me fat and lazy in a short time.
I'm resigned to the fact that I'm addicted to nicotine but I'll be damned if I going to get it with smoke any more. The patch and the gum just don't cut it. Some studies have shown that those only work for about 15% of the people who try them. I'm sorry guys, I just ain't strong enough to go cold turkey. I've tried that and everybody around me suffered. Thank God for e-cigarettes.
While I had tried a few earlier, I really started when I was 17 and had my driver's license. My high school band director helped get me a job driving an ice cream truck for the summer which he did as well. We had different routes but would ride to and from work together. He offered me a cigarette, I accepted. Pretty soon I was buying my own.
By the time the bad news filtered out I was solidly hooked. I wasn't feeling bad. I led an active life as a musician and scuba instructor. I could swim three lengths of the pool underwater on a single breath, and a five mile non-stop swim was a piece of cake. I'd climb out of the water and have a cigarette.
But when the doctor opened my abdomen up and threw some of my parts away things started to change. One doesn't swim too well when all the muscles between the navel and the groin have been cut. The recovery process made me fat and lazy in a short time.
I'm resigned to the fact that I'm addicted to nicotine but I'll be damned if I going to get it with smoke any more. The patch and the gum just don't cut it. Some studies have shown that those only work for about 15% of the people who try them. I'm sorry guys, I just ain't strong enough to go cold turkey. I've tried that and everybody around me suffered. Thank God for e-cigarettes.
Had a Camel Light when I was 14. I wanted to see what was so great about them that made people keep smoking them knowing they were unhealthy.
Stupid curiousity!!!
Stupid curiousity!!!
Bad Newz Blare:
...Look at me now... A master in the art of smoke rings, the lord of the rings if you will. I can't run the length of car.... but I can shoot out the olympic symbol with half a drag...
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Lord of the Rings. LOL
I'm reminded of a time when I was a kid new to smoking. My parents' friends had just come back from Vegas. I heard one of them mention that they had a contest to see if anyone could blow one smoke ring inside another. If you could they handed you $50. (no doubt this was sponsored by Phillip Morris, eh?)
Well, I pretty much knew this NYC kid wasn't going to be in Vegas any time soon but I had to learn how to do this -- just in case. What's the best place to teach yourself to blow smoke rings? Umm, that would be in the bathroom in front of the mirror where there's no wind. After about 5 cigs I perfected the art of blowing rings inside each other. Hell, I even made the Ballentine symbol on cue. I even discovered that if one takes a fingertip and presses down on the top lip ever so slightly, those rings become heart-shaped. Isn't that romantic? When I opened the bathroom door the smoke was so thick it looked like a Led Zepplin concert at Madison Square Garden -- 'cept that wasn't cigarette smoke, natch.
I just dated myself, didn't I? Smoking inside an arena? Geez.
...Look at me now... A master in the art of smoke rings, the lord of the rings if you will. I can't run the length of car.... but I can shoot out the olympic symbol with half a drag...
>
Lord of the Rings. LOL
I'm reminded of a time when I was a kid new to smoking. My parents' friends had just come back from Vegas. I heard one of them mention that they had a contest to see if anyone could blow one smoke ring inside another. If you could they handed you $50. (no doubt this was sponsored by Phillip Morris, eh?)
Well, I pretty much knew this NYC kid wasn't going to be in Vegas any time soon but I had to learn how to do this -- just in case. What's the best place to teach yourself to blow smoke rings? Umm, that would be in the bathroom in front of the mirror where there's no wind. After about 5 cigs I perfected the art of blowing rings inside each other. Hell, I even made the Ballentine symbol on cue. I even discovered that if one takes a fingertip and presses down on the top lip ever so slightly, those rings become heart-shaped. Isn't that romantic? When I opened the bathroom door the smoke was so thick it looked like a Led Zepplin concert at Madison Square Garden -- 'cept that wasn't cigarette smoke, natch.
I just dated myself, didn't I? Smoking inside an arena? Geez.
It was cool. Seemed most of the kids were doing it back then. Plus my parents smoked, and stores didn't care how old you were. There were huge billboards of advertisements. My high school had a senior lounge; smoking was allowed and plenty of smoking was always going on in it.
I think it was easier to be a smoker than not when I first started.
I think it was easier to be a smoker than not when I first started.
BTW: Anyone remember when the Bic lighters first started showing up? (God...I feel so old.)[/quote]
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Remember before that? The cricket? Cylindrical shaped. Jewelry and department stores sold gold sleeves that slid over it to make it look expensive.
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Remember before that? The cricket? Cylindrical shaped. Jewelry and department stores sold gold sleeves that slid over it to make it look expensive.
Started when i was 13. Don't remember a particular reason. Some of my 'cooler' friends did so I joined. Plus there was nothing to do where I lived. My first cig was Kamel, spelled with a K.
I had two friends in 8th grade, both had been left back, so both of them were a year or 2 years older. The oldest one smoked because her parents did (1991) and the second one smoked, and her parents did not know. I found out what happened to the second girl when her parents found out. Her mother made her eat a pack of cigarettes... She ate about a half a pack, and puked for 2 days. Not a very nice punishment, and she stopped for about a year. Then her mother caught her again and this time she made her smoke an entire pack, while drinking water after each draw... she said "congrats mom, you taught me to inhale"
That was it for her, and she had gotten me more hooked. I was stealing cigarettes from my mom... a pack here and a pack there. I was about 16 and I went to Israel for 2 months... no laws barring kids that age from buying them, so I bought a whole bunch. I came home and used to smoke on the way to the bus stop, and on the way back, and before my mom got home. So like 5 a day or so.
Then one day my mom decides she is going to quit smoking... she went through hypnosis. She was doing great all day, and had thrown out her cigarettes. I had one pack left (friends bought them for me)
I was in my room with the door locked, window open, blowing smoke out of the window. My mom came home from work, and like you see in the movies, the teenager puts the cigarette out, waves the smoke away and grabs air freshener (within 10 seconds)
My mom kept banging on the door and she says "I know you have cigarettes, give me one"
I opened the door and said "I don't know what you are talking about."
She reaches into the closet, grabs the pack and the lighter, and takes a cigarette out and lights it. She said "you've been smoking since you were 13, I know when my packs go missing."
LOL - Daggone mothers have eyes in the back of their head I guess. Needless to say I have smoked for 16 years (and didn't actually quit when pregnant, but went down to less than 5 cigs per day) I have quit cold turkey when I had pneumonia but I started again within 3 months. I am now sneaking a cigarette or two once in a while, but primarily reach for my ecig when I want nicotine.
My mom, after 55 years, has finally quit analogs... never even went back to them as of April 1... GO MOM!! She prefers her 901, I like my 510... She likes Coffee, I like RY4
That was it for her, and she had gotten me more hooked. I was stealing cigarettes from my mom... a pack here and a pack there. I was about 16 and I went to Israel for 2 months... no laws barring kids that age from buying them, so I bought a whole bunch. I came home and used to smoke on the way to the bus stop, and on the way back, and before my mom got home. So like 5 a day or so.
Then one day my mom decides she is going to quit smoking... she went through hypnosis. She was doing great all day, and had thrown out her cigarettes. I had one pack left (friends bought them for me)
I was in my room with the door locked, window open, blowing smoke out of the window. My mom came home from work, and like you see in the movies, the teenager puts the cigarette out, waves the smoke away and grabs air freshener (within 10 seconds)
My mom kept banging on the door and she says "I know you have cigarettes, give me one"
I opened the door and said "I don't know what you are talking about."
She reaches into the closet, grabs the pack and the lighter, and takes a cigarette out and lights it. She said "you've been smoking since you were 13, I know when my packs go missing."
LOL - Daggone mothers have eyes in the back of their head I guess. Needless to say I have smoked for 16 years (and didn't actually quit when pregnant, but went down to less than 5 cigs per day) I have quit cold turkey when I had pneumonia but I started again within 3 months. I am now sneaking a cigarette or two once in a while, but primarily reach for my ecig when I want nicotine.
My mom, after 55 years, has finally quit analogs... never even went back to them as of April 1... GO MOM!! She prefers her 901, I like my 510... She likes Coffee, I like RY4
My dad tried the same tactic with a slightly different twist. I have to wonder a) if they caught me with pot would my parents then make me eat or smoke a whole bunch of it? and b) did that tactic actually work with anyone?
This was well before I was an official smoker (was 10 or 11), but I was caught playing with cigarettes (I hadn't even lit them, I was just looking and pretending to smoke) and my dad in his infinite brilliance made me smoke an entire cigar. It was a cheap, but not exactly horrible fake cuban.
Dad was mortified when I actually liked it (I coughed until my stomach hurt, but it tasted sooooooo good.) Not wanting to look like a total hypocrite and a failure, there was nothing he could but sit back and watch me puff (and cough) happily away.
My dad did something very similar when I was about 9 or 10, my stepmom lied and said my sisters and I (ages 6,10,11) were stealing drags off her cigarettes when she wasn't looking. We were totally innocent but of course he would believe his new girlfriend over 3 young kids and so he made us split a cigar between the 3 of us. My older sister was good enough to fake the inhale (got it in her throat and blew it out her nose without it hitting her lungs) my younger sister threw up after about 3 drags, I tried blowing on the end and just pulling a little into my mouth but he didn't buy it, it didn't make me sick just made my chest and throat hurt.
When I was 17 I had a summer job working at a boat yard. I got stuck working on a strip down, and rebuild of a 38ft Hinckley, with a guy who would chain smoke Parliaments. I finally got tired of him taking a five minute "smoke break" every ten minutes.. Felt like I was doing all the work at that point. Initially I started to take my own "smoke break" and force him pick up his own slack.
Then I started smoking when hanging out with my friends(who smoked) on evenings.
At the end of the summer I discovered I couldn't stop
DOH!
Then I started smoking when hanging out with my friends(who smoked) on evenings.
At the end of the summer I discovered I couldn't stop
DOH!
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My first cigarette was when I was 15 then 2 years later I decided to start smoking because of that first cigarette just because i thought it would be cool and all. But now i just cant stop.
Personally i think once you have that first cigarette, one day in your life you will start smoking and you will probably regret it.
Personally i think once you have that first cigarette, one day in your life you will start smoking and you will probably regret it.
My Mother smoked, so did my older siblings. Most of my Mother's siblings smoked also, so it was a 'family' thing'. It was also easy to steal one or two out of someone's pack when I was 13. The rest is history.
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Remember before that? The cricket? Cylindrical shaped. Jewelry and department stores sold gold sleeves that slid over it to make it look expensive.[/quote]
LOL! I had one of those!
I think I'm one of the winners having started at 11 .
I was in the 'cool' group at school and on weekends we'd always go to a snooker/pool club in town, which was obviously full of smokers. Wasn't long after we started to go there that we ended up buying ourselves cigs to smoke at the weekends... Not long after that we were also smoking in the lunch hour at school (hiding in trees at the end of the fields that we weren't supposed to be in during lunch hour) and then I started smoking progressively more often. Left school early due to illness and at 15 I was on 30 a day for a while! I came back down to 20 a day and switched from B&H to Marlboro Mediums, then Marlboro Lights which is what I've been on since about 16/17... I'm now nearly 25.
As a side note I made an excellent income when I was at school out of making and selling Fake ID - mine was a quality product!
It's funny you should say that... I'm a police officer over here in the UK and quite a few times offering somebody a cigarette has calmed a situation down massively, and I'm sure some of those times it's actually prevented me getting into a fight or getting assaulted. Prisoners here (in my force at least) aren't allowed to smoke once they get into the Custody Suite (jail cells at the police station), even in the small excercise yards as it would fall foul of the workplace smoking law we have, so I'll generally let prisoner have a cigarette before we go into the building which is always appreciated by them and puts them at ease... Since getting my e-cig I'm not taking any 'real' cigs to work with me so I wonder how I'll be with prisoners that I arrest now - will I let them smoke, or will I find that too much of a temptation (I'm probably not above asking prisoners if I can buy a cig off them!!), or will I join in with my Evo and take delight in explaining the e-cigs to them?
PS, I wish we were called Sheriffs' Deputies.. "Excuse me Deputy" sounds much better than "oi... you pig scum ....**d" which is what I got called today by a charming young man of no more than 12
. I was in the 'cool' group at school and on weekends we'd always go to a snooker/pool club in town, which was obviously full of smokers. Wasn't long after we started to go there that we ended up buying ourselves cigs to smoke at the weekends... Not long after that we were also smoking in the lunch hour at school (hiding in trees at the end of the fields that we weren't supposed to be in during lunch hour) and then I started smoking progressively more often. Left school early due to illness and at 15 I was on 30 a day for a while! I came back down to 20 a day and switched from B&H to Marlboro Mediums, then Marlboro Lights which is what I've been on since about 16/17... I'm now nearly 25.
As a side note I made an excellent income when I was at school out of making and selling Fake ID - mine was a quality product!
It's funny you should say that... I'm a police officer over here in the UK and quite a few times offering somebody a cigarette has calmed a situation down massively, and I'm sure some of those times it's actually prevented me getting into a fight or getting assaulted. Prisoners here (in my force at least) aren't allowed to smoke once they get into the Custody Suite (jail cells at the police station), even in the small excercise yards as it would fall foul of the workplace smoking law we have, so I'll generally let prisoner have a cigarette before we go into the building which is always appreciated by them and puts them at ease... Since getting my e-cig I'm not taking any 'real' cigs to work with me so I wonder how I'll be with prisoners that I arrest now - will I let them smoke, or will I find that too much of a temptation (I'm probably not above asking prisoners if I can buy a cig off them!!), or will I join in with my Evo and take delight in explaining the e-cigs to them?
PS, I wish we were called Sheriffs' Deputies.. "Excuse me Deputy" sounds much better than "oi... you pig scum ....**d" which is what I got called today by a charming young man of no more than 12
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