TheaterFire

People who still smoke cigarettes, wtf?

Posted by bigmistaketoday@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 848 comments

Seriously, why do you still do that to yourself?

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848 Comments

19OregonTrailXer81@reddit

I already quit smoking cigarettes a few years ago, but as a former smoker I can tell you it’s an addiction. It’s not easy to overcome. If you’ve never been a smoker, then good for you! But you’ll never understand what addiction is like unless you’ve been addicted yourself. On the other side of that coin, however, lies the fact that addiction can be beaten. I quit cigarettes. If I can do it, so can the next smoker. But one has to truly want it because that addiction will put up one helluva fight. But it can be done.
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LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

Sugar. This is a way ppl that haven’t experienced real addiction but in reality they have. It’s in everything. If they had to actively seek out products wout sugar, they’d realize they were addicted too. Not the same, I get it as an ex smoker, drinker & addict. But just one way to try to help others understand how our bodies become dependent on a substance.
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19OregonTrailXer81@reddit

Absolutely. We do get hooked on sugar, myself definitely included. My jig addiction now is Coca Cola. If I’m not careful I can slam a 12 pack a day.
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Turkey_gravy_on_meat@reddit

You’d be better off ditching the cola and starting smoking again. Seriously. Also, ‘81 is not genx, btw.
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19OregonTrailXer81@reddit

Have you seen what a smoker’s lungs look like? And btw by some ranges ‘81 is Gen X, like the one use by this range for example.
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Turkey_gravy_on_meat@reddit

Yes I have. The “smokers lungs” phots/videos are nothing more than propaganda. Usually the “smokers lung” is a pig lung that has smoke forced in (post mortem) or a coal miners lung, who also happened to smoke. You are not immune to propaganda (no one is).
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19OregonTrailXer81@reddit

I feel ten times better as a former smoker than I ever did as a smoker, so the result speaks for itself.
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Turkey_gravy_on_meat@reddit

Good for you. You probably changed your whole lifestyle, too, rather than simply cutting out cigs. You do you , just don’t take everything you read as face value. It’s a form of confirmation bias. When I smoked I was was training for fitness competitions and felt fine. Nothing like a cig after an intense workout. I don’t smoke anymore due to the smell. I damn sure miss it tho.
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19OregonTrailXer81@reddit

I don’t miss it at all. It stinks, it tastes bad, interrupts my daily life, and costs a ridiculous amount of money. And for what? To satisfy that nicotine craving for what, one more half hour/hour? No thanks.
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Turkey_gravy_on_meat@reddit

Sounds good, millennial. Thanks for your insight.
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19OregonTrailXer81@reddit

No problem, Boomer. Any time.
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Turkey_gravy_on_meat@reddit

Nope! I’m actual genx. Imagine lying about being in a group you so desperately want to be a part of lol. You must have been picked on as a kid. Head over to r/zoomers, as your maturity is better suited for that group.
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GenX-ModTeam@reddit

No name-calling or similar stuff.
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19OregonTrailXer81@reddit

Change this sub’s date range and I will.
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GenX-ModTeam@reddit

No name-calling or similar stuff.
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Turkey_gravy_on_meat@reddit

Typical millennial. Can’t defend yourself so you go to personal attacks. I don’t have to like you and I don’t. Stop replying if you’re so sensitive. Use the block button. You have options. Sorry you’re so caught up in yourself that you can’t see three feet in front of you. Typical millennial personality trait.
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GenX-ModTeam@reddit

No name-calling or similar stuff.
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19OregonTrailXer81@reddit

Typical troll. Mommy and Daddy didn’t give you enough attention, so you want it from me. Fuck off. Go resolve your childhood trauma somewhere else.
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GenX-ModTeam@reddit

No name-calling or similar stuff.
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GenX-ModTeam@reddit

No name-calling or similar stuff.
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LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

Holy shit!! Damn dawg. That’s intense. And I am from Atlanta aka home of Coke. Whatever u do don’t switch to diet, that fake sugar is worse! Try to get some water in ya, but I feel weird telling someone in our GenX sub what to do. We know at this age. 😂 choices, choices right?
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19OregonTrailXer81@reddit

I’m trying to change that up for sure. It’s not easy though! And no I don’t like diet. I’ll quit soft drinks completely before I switch to diet.
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LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

That’s good to hear! Ya that fake sugar causes cancer, but doesn’t everything nowadays?
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LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

I saw your name earlier when reading through & wanted to say it’s badass!
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19OregonTrailXer81@reddit

Thank you! I think it’s fitting.
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Vegaprime@reddit

It's the only way to get breaks at work.
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EnvironmentalOne6412@reddit

Yeah people won’t question smoke breaks, but always the 15 minute shits.
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MrsSadieMorgan@reddit

Speak for yourself. As a librarian in California (not exactly haven for smokers), I got SO much crap for taking smoke breaks before I quit. Didn’t matter if I kept track of every minute, and never went over our allotted total break time - they’d still question/nag me. Not to mention, I often got complaints about the smell. Meanwhile, I have a co-worker with IBS who spends much time in the crapper; nobody ever gives her shit for that, pun intended. As they shouldn’t, but just sayin’.
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19OregonTrailXer81@reddit

Been there, done that.
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DecisionThot@reddit

I was in the minority in that it was easy for me. But I was also motivated by wanting to attract a specific person. Nothing will make you quit something like getting laid.
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VIJoe@reddit

I was one of the lucky minority too. Just woke up one day and didn't want to do it anymore. That lasted for about six years - until I started chasing a specific person who smoked. Nothing makes you want to start something like getting laid.
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just-regular-I-guess@reddit

> But one has to truly want it because that addiction will put up one helluva fight. But it can be done. I dipped in high school, then cigarettes in college. Switched back and forth between the two for years. After grad school I started vaping, hoping to ween myself off of nicotine once and for all. I got it down to a real low nicotine level. Then I got some bad news regarding my blood pressure, quick cold turkey. Fuck that was tough! It has been 6 months and I still randomly think about it. I don't have the urge, in fact, all the vape stuff is in my garage. It's just muscle memory asking for it. Side note: One of the little ridiculous tricks I used was to sort of yelp/yell every time I thought about reaching for the vape pen. It was way more often then I would have thought, like every 10 minutes, but the little yelp was ridiculous enough to retrain my brain that this is stupid.
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capsaicinintheeyes@reddit

>One of the little ridiculous tricks I used was to sort of yelp/yell every time I thought about reaching for the vape pen. Was this something you held yourself to even in public? Bc I can sure see that having real potential to spur someone to get serious about quitting in a hurry😄
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just-regular-I-guess@reddit

My wife and kids were out of town for 2 days when I quit. Just happened to line up, it wasn't planned. As I said, I quit in response to a high blood pressure issue. So I did do it out loud, but in my own house or in my car. It only takes like 3 days to kick the physical addiction, the mental one is rough.
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capsaicinintheeyes@reddit

My experience as well. ^(*scratches ~~yelp like stuck puppy~~ off of brainstorming list*)
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swormer@reddit

Its been 9 years now nicotine free and still sometimes when I sit down at my computer (work in front of one all day, everyday) I reach for the can of chew that used to be to my right. Its bonkers how much it sticks with you but thankfully everyday without makes it easier to not go back. I still even have dreams from time to time that I had a dip or a smoke and I will wake up feeling guilty until I realize it was just a dream!! TLDR; FUCK NICOTINE!!
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arkham1010@reddit

Tell me if these two things sound familiar to you. a) That little voice b) The hand around your heart that squeezes when you want nicotine. Put them together and......
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19OregonTrailXer81@reddit

Not anymore. I silenced that little voice. Mr. Nick O. Time is no longer part of my life.
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CarlatheDestructor@reddit

I smoked a pack or more a day for 30 years and I quit permanently on the first try. It's not impossible.
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jawshoeaw@reddit

Did you try the usual gum, patches, vape? Do those help at all with the craving?
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19OregonTrailXer81@reddit

I quit cold turkey. I tried gum and vaping, and those do help. But I found the best approach to quitting is just quitting. It’s hard. But it’s doable. When I decided to just quit I took it one day at a time. I know that sounds cliched but it’s true.
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7Aimee@reddit

I had to decide for myself that I didn’t like cigarettes anymore and then it was easy to quit. You have to want to quit.
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19OregonTrailXer81@reddit

Yes, absolutely! In my early days of smoking I really liked cigarettes. I mean I loved every thing about it. The smell, the taste, the hand gestures; everything. Years later I’d go on to discover that just wasn’t true anymore. It stunk, it tasted horrible, and was a constant interruption to my daily life. But I still smoked. I smoked for many more years after that until one day I just woke up and decided I just didn’t want to smoke anymore. I still had the addiction. The first few weeks of quitting were a living hell! But I had lost all desire to smoke another cigarette. I haven’t had one in over three years. And for that I am truly grateful.
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ooone-orkye@reddit

Quitting was definitely one of the most difficult things I ever did. A friend of mine helped me, to keep me accountable and to talk during times that I wanted to restart. 20 years later, I’m so grateful and indebted to that friend.
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19OregonTrailXer81@reddit

Quitting was definitely one of the best decisions I ever made. I’m great full for every day I put between me and my last cigarette.
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FlawedWoman@reddit

I quit cold turkey 19 years ago. Myself and two friends quit the same day. I was the only one who was able to stay off the things. One smokes regularly still and the other vapes (worse, in my opinion). I don’t approve of smoking or vaping but it doesn’t affect me so why judge?? Why not judge people who drink alcohol? That garbage makes you think you’re sober enough to drive and then hurt or kill other people. It has a much greater potential to cause public and private harm to other people. Cigarettes not so much. So yeah, let’s judge smokers who only hurt themselves. Or “hey for those who still do crack, whyyyyy?” People do all kinds of bad things to themselves so where’s the rest of your list of complaints about what other people do?? Do you have a post about eating junk food? Over eating? Or not going to the doctor when you should? Or driving too fast on a crowded highway? Or participate in street take over? Or bungee jumping… or anything else that’s bad for you and dangerous? Why hone in on… oh wait because for some reason it bothers you personally. Do you live somewhere that allows public smoking? Go to your city council and complain there. I think most states in the US have banned public smoking so why do you care? Do you judge everyone with addictions?? Judgy McJudgerson
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bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Why does judgment bother you so much? If you're such a badass, just ignore what is writtien about smokers and go on. However, I feel it's because you know you behavior is wrong and you feel helpless to do anything about it. Why not bow up and take control of yourself? You can do amazing things if you try. Look at yourself, you quit a crippling addiction, why don't we expect the same of others? Do you think they aren't as strong as you?
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FlawedWoman@reddit

CJ is that you?? 😂 😂 😂 I don’t think I’m a badass. But I’m not a judgmental asshole either. Why? Because I’ve been through things that keep me humble and nonjudgmental and fully aware that other people are going through things I don’t know about. I love how you’re mad over someone calling you out for being judgey and trying to flip it. You sound exactly like my exe 😆 Like that makes you look any better when you try and flip that script. 😂. Read the thread dude, I’m not alone in thinking you’re judgmental. I do not expect anything from anyone because they have their own struggles and it’s none of my business. Just like it’s none of yours. Why the hell do you have expectations of strangers as though you’re some authority figure?? What the hell makes you so much more superior than them that you think you’re in right for judging them?? That’s living in delusion land. I’m no stronger than anyone else out there who’s going through life in their own way. And neither are you. You are no better than those you judge. Matter of fact, I think they are far better than you. We all are in suddenly places in this life, everyone has something they choose to do/use in order to cope. Food, drugs, sugar, video games, driving fast, sex, God, Social media, … everyone has something that helps them through the day. You included buddy. Stop thinking you’re a freaking Saint. You’re not. Far from it. Expectations? My biggest lesson from life is that expectations will only get you hurt and disappointed. So why bother expecting anything of anyone? You, however, have lived up to exactly what I suspected you are. Question. How do you call someone “such a badass” and “helpless" at the same time? Talent!! That’s how! 😆 Your ego is sickeningly large. Musk would have trouble topping that level of arrogance.
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bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

There is no anger at all in my posts, none. I only expect more of people than to harm themselves and other with their habits. We have actually decades of research telling us of the harm cigarettes do to us and others. We have horror stories of emphysema and cancer. We have 8 dollars a pack cigarettes, yet people still hide behind "addiction" and refuse to quit, why? Because they like it, it feels good. It is quite maddening. And, while angry trolls say, "mind your own business," the smoke and stench are my business. What's the saying, your freedoms end where my nose begins or some such? Why not be conscientious that others live in the world for a second and think maybe someone doesn't want to be nauseated when they encounter you because you smell so bad? You act as if your and others' action have effect only on the actor and no one else. That isn't how it works, especially when you are spewing dangerous chemicals into the world. How one can be so ignorant and uncharitable to others is beyond my pale. So yeah, maybe it's harsh to hear that your habits are appalling, but your habit, in the case of cigarette smoking, most certainly doesn't harm only you. As someone who grew up with the threat of discipline and rebelled against it in every way, I know where I was wrong, smokers need to learn the same lesson, they are wrong to smoke and while they actually know it, they are loathe to do anything about it. You can get mad and name-call all you like, I will never, ever believe that smoking is anything but a foolish blight.
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FlawedWoman@reddit

No one cares what you believe. Good God you have a superiority complex. Bye
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FlawedWoman@reddit

By the way, for me it was not a crippling addiction. And I am 100% aware that I am among the very lucky few who can cold turkey quit. That is Not a bragging point! I was exceptionally lucky. Not strong! Lucky!! I feel awful for those who are addicted to anything. You want to know why I don’t hide? I lost 2 brothers to drug addictions. 2!!! I know full well that my experience isn’t like other people’s so I support them and do not judge them. I was not strong. I was lucky.
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OkAd6047@reddit

It took moving from a place where nearly everybody smoked (Chicago) to a place where hardly anybody smoked (Boulder, Colorado) helped - there was no social aspect to support the mental addiction, and it was my first experience with "no smoking" housing and school campuses. So, inconvenience helped. When I did finally have enough, it was because I was tired of the hassle, and I managed to go 2 weeks... I tried to smoke one of my "emergency" cigarettes, and it was so foul. But the last straw was smelling someone who had just been smoking - I asked my 10 year old if I had smelled like that, and she said I had. I dreamt about it for a long time - the ritual of it - but that was it. PRO TIP: Bic flair pens - the ones with the white cross on the end of the cap - have ideal airflow when capped to scratch the itch... because it really isn't the nicotine. It's the HABIT - it becomes part of your entire life and personality.
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FlawedWoman@reddit

That’s just a lie. Nicotine is a very highly addictive substance. Glad you got off them and found what works for you but don’t spread full blown lies.
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OkAd6047@reddit

Your experience may be more severe than most, but I also didn't say nicotine isn't addictive. Of course it's addictive, but the physical addiction isn't the long term issue for most people - it's the mental addiction (the habit). Sorry if that wasn't as clear as it could be. To clarify, nicotine takes around 4-6 weeks to get totally out of the body - after that, the battle is with the habit (though as with other addictions, if you go back to it, your addiction will be retriggered and you have to start again).
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FlawedWoman@reddit

😂 I didn’t struggle. Nice assumption. I wasn’t addicted. I am one of those lucky people who could quit cold turkey and not look back. I was extremely lucky. My friends, not so much. And you did say nicotine wasn’t the problem. You claimed it was just the behavioral aspect. I’m all done with people today. Have a good one.
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Heterophylla@reddit

Who cares . Leave people alone . We are all going to die and if a drag on a dart makes someone’s existence a little nicer, let them have it .
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FlawedWoman@reddit

Exactly!
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strangedazey@reddit

I used to work ltc and had a resident that would go outside and smoke with his oxygen tank
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FlawedWoman@reddit

I worked with patients that did that! All I could think is that one day there was going to be a big boom and that was gonna be it for us. But what made me crazy was that I couldn’t smoke at work so I had to sit there and smell their smoke while waiting for the boom… not good. Not. Good. 😂 I didn’t want to get blown up by someone else’s cig when I couldn’t have one myself 😂 freaking irrational 20 year old 😂
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BarkusSemien@reddit

I smoke about two packs per year. I’m sure the amount I sit and all the sugar I eat are causing far more harm.
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FlawedWoman@reddit

I’m trying to kick the sugar thing. I quit cigarettes cold turkey and convert myself incredibly lucky for that. But this sugar thing? Hardest thing I’ve ever tried to quit.
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Realistic-Tone1824@reddit

I started smoking a few months ago. The sooner this is over the better. But actually ending my life will result in "complex grief". Apparently, cancer is more acceptable because our society is insane.
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FlawedWoman@reddit

Yup. “Oh you want to unalive yourself? Ok. Just don’t smoke cigarettes. Those things will kill you”. Makes no sense but it’s accurate.
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LordVaklam@reddit

Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times. Mark Twain
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FlawedWoman@reddit

My dad used to say “what do you mean I need to quit? I quit several a day.“
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VerbalGuinea@reddit

This whole thread is making me want a cigarette.
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FlawedWoman@reddit

Right! 😆
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cartoonchris1@reddit

Because people are dumb. What’s even worse is seeing a young person smoking. Trying to fathom their thought process boggles the mind.
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Soulpatch7@reddit

Brother, have you ever had a well-packed Marlboro Red after 2 drinks and a good fuck?
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FlawedWoman@reddit

That after sex cigarette was always the best!!
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125acres@reddit

I would love to smoke again.
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FlawedWoman@reddit

Me too
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shavenyakfl@reddit

People who are obese and still eat garbage fatty foods, wtf? Easy to judge others for something you don't "get", isn't it?
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FlawedWoman@reddit

Yup
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meandhimandthose2@reddit

As an Australian, I don't know how anyone affords to smoke here. A pack of 25 Winfield blues is $45. Even if you only smoke 10 a day, that's at least $135 per week!!! And most of the smokers I have known were a pack a day.
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FlawedWoman@reddit

Holy crap!! 45$? And I thought they had gotten outrageous in America. One more reason I’m glad I no longer smoke the things.
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Sunnywaters75@reddit

45$?! I'm speechless
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JoyfulNature@reddit

None of us is perfect, and life is not fully in anyone's control. I do not smoke or drink. I've never even smoked pot. Why? Because I'm lucky enough to not enjoy smoking or drinking, both of which I tried in my youth. And the thing I most dislike about drinking is the way it makes me feel, so pot never interested me. You know what this makes me? Lucky. I am overweight. I have been my entire life. Why? I'm sure it's a combination of complicated factors. I've whittled myself down numerous times and even managed to maintain a healthy weight for three years. but it's not sustainable for me. I eat healthy food and I exercise and my blood work and etc. are all good. I (try to!) accept that my fluffiness has its own inherent risks, but also that I'm going to need to live with it and do the best I can. You know what this makes me? Lucky. Because it's helped me develop empathy.
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Turkey_gravy_on_meat@reddit

> I am overweight. I have been my entire life. Why? I'm sure it's a combination of complicated factors. Uh, no. Burn more calories than you consume and you lose weight. You’re addicted to food and in denial.
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JoyfulNature@reddit

I am not in any sort if denial. I am comparing my situation to a smoker who is addicted to cigarettes. Why do I take in too many calories for my metabolism? The answer to that is the complicated part, with addiction being one facet. Have a good day.
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TransitJohn@reddit

You think being high feels like being drunk?
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fullofsharts@reddit

Drugs affect people differently. For me, alcohol is relaxing with a bit of energy. Cannabis makes me feel loopy and out of control. I could drive a vehicle just fine while drunk, but there's no way I would drive while I was high.
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JoyfulNature@reddit

Please don't drive while drunk or high.
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fullofsharts@reddit

I really don't do it anymore, only if I have to. Which is almost never because I never go anywhere and just do my drinking at home.
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JoyfulNature@reddit

That's good, but with respect and caring, even once is too much. I know you know this, but you could really hurt yourself (or worse) or hurt somebody else (or worse). Whatever it is, it can wait.
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fullofsharts@reddit

I appreciate and understand your concern but nobody is going to come save me. I'm all that I got.
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MrsSadieMorgan@reddit

There’s this thing called Uber… or taxis… or the bus… or your own damned feet. Hell, just sleep where you are if you’re too drunk for any of that. You never HAVE to drive home drunk, so stop making excuses. Sheesh. I’m no angel, believe me, but at least I can admit when I’ve done something dumb.
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TransitJohn@reddit

Sure, okay buddy, drive while drunk perfectly fine!
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fullofsharts@reddit

I almost never do it anymore but admit that I did it back in my 20s and 30s. I'm not an advocate for it but I also feel some people don't have an issue doing it.
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MrsSadieMorgan@reddit

“Almost never do it anymore.” Can you please tell us what city you live in, so we can be sure to avoid driving there? Please stop this before you kill someone… I promise you do NOT drive “fine” when drunk. Nobody does, just as nobody can safely text while driving. STOP.
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JoyfulNature@reddit

I have no idea! Because I don't like to be in an altered state, I was never interested in finding out. People have described what it's like to me, and it sounds different, but it's just not for me.
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TakkataMSF@reddit

I wish these posts got more upvotes. You see genuine sympathy for a smoker that has trouble quitting but talking about being overweight turns into comment after comment of people saying hateful things. I know people that have quit drugs and alcohol. There were killing themselves. 2 were told something like, if you keep drinking you'll be dead in 6 months. And it took an unfathomable amount of will power for them to quit. I'm proud of them. And I let them know. They still struggle with weight. Everyone has different challenges. I wish people would see that food or weight is no different than other addictions. You feel down, eat something bad for you because the sugar, fat, whatever tickles your pleasure brain bits. And you focus on eating and feel less depressed when you run out of food. Now I feel bad I ate and feel bad from before. But brain isn't getting it for some reason. Still thinks food helps. Anyhow, hopefully there comes a day when we can support folks instead of insult.
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Exotic_Zucchini@reddit

I don't smoke pot, but I do eat edibles at night to help me sleep. You can get some that really don't make you feel weird or high. I'm not trying to tell you to eat edibles or anything, just relating my own personal experience. I will say that the pandemic + edibles caused me to quit drinking entirely. It wasn't even a conscious choice. I just no longer felt the need to self medicate in that way. A lot of stress was alleviated for me. I have social anxiety and no longer having to interact with people meant I didn't need the alcohol as a crutch. This is why I'm such an advocate for working from home. There are a lot of people in situations with disabilities, both visible and invisible where WFH was a godsend, and I'm resentful that people want to take away that peace of mind from me and others. It makes me so angry, but I'm digressing big time. Anyway, edibles help me sleep and I no longer have hangovers. It's great. Everybody is different. However, I quit smoking cigarettes, drinking, and benzos, and they were all relatively easy, but the food thing has me over a barrel. I think the reason I was able to easily quit these other things is because I did it cold turkey. I think if I tried to just whittle down these addictions, I would not have been successful. This is why I can't seem to tame my food addiction. I can't stop eating cold turkey. Anyway, hang in there, we all have our problems and addictions, and I'm old enough to where I'm not gonna let other people look down on me for it, and I'm not going to look down on anyone who is overweight, or smoking, or drinking. We all have our demons and I'd rather us all just be kind to each other.
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americanbiru@reddit

menthols, mountain views, and lattes baby.
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FlawedWoman@reddit

Oh goodness I miss my menthols!! Nothing beats a menthol on a cold morning.
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ThisCorrosion@reddit

People who still think they can tell people how to act and what they can do. You are literally the reason people vote for Trump, it is to spite overbearing self righteous pricks like yourself. Just an FYI I hate Trump and would not vote for him but if it would piss off assholes like you, hearing you cry for 4 years would be worth it.
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FlawedWoman@reddit

Right on!!!
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newsreadhjw@reddit

Quit smoking 24 years ago. Quit drinking 8 years ago after drinking daily for 3 decades. Quitting drinking was way easier.
View on Reddit #21775731

FlawedWoman@reddit

I’ve seen several people do that. Every one of them said quitting smoking was harder than the alcohol. I quit smoking 19 years ago cold turkey. I know I was very lucky because I didn’t go through the cravings and stuff others go through. Very very lucky. Congratulations on both of your successes!!
View on Reddit #21788357

mike___mc@reddit

I’m going to go out on a limb and say addiction.
View on Reddit #21723189

HPIndifferenceCraft@reddit

Yup. I have a parent who has been through some shit because of smoking. And they still continue to smoke. They’ll quit when they get to a point that they physically can’t do it. It’s fucked up, but I’ve come to terms with it. I gave up after begging them to stop since I was a little kid. 
View on Reddit #21723384

Monica21_@reddit

Yup. My dad had a heart attack in the early 2000s and his doctor told him that he is now a nonsmoker. But dad had been smoking since he was 15 and just couldn't or wouldn't quit. He definitely smoked a lot less, but never stopped. And then he got COPD and lung cancer and died in 2015. It was messed up.
View on Reddit #21728040

Scrapybara_@reddit

My dad is in late stages of COPD but quit 15 years ago. He smoked 3 packs a day for 40 years.
View on Reddit #21787670

SeptemberSeahorse@reddit

My mother has advanced heart disease and COPD and she still smokes. Her kids and grandkids have asked her to stop so we don't lose her early, she's not interested.
View on Reddit #21780012

NewCrayons@reddit

That's how my dad died, as well. Smoked since he was nine.
View on Reddit #21731443

mtlaw13@reddit

> That's how my dad died, as well. Smoked since he was nine. I started picking up my mom's butts from the ashtray while she was at work and puffing away at a very young age - I am going to say around 11. Then at 12 I smoked my first Marlboro Light and continued sneaking butts and bumming smokes from friends but never gave all the way in. Until.. I was around 15 then I started going full tilt on the Camel Lights (damn you Joe Camel!!) Eventually I finally quit in my mid 30's using the nicotine gum mainly.
View on Reddit #21736573

Fatcatonlap@reddit

This is my story exactly except for the brands. Except my mom’s butts were Winstons and I started with Marlboro.
View on Reddit #21772959

NewCrayons@reddit

I'm so proud of you for quitting!
View on Reddit #21746132

Clean_Citron_8278@reddit

Sorry for your loss.
View on Reddit #21747657

Monica21_@reddit

Thank you. We knew it wouldn't be easy or quick. He'd moved to Florida about 20 years before and us kids couldn't be with him as often as we'd have liked, but he had a long-time girlfriend who helped him way more than we could, and I'm grateful to her for that.
View on Reddit #21754187

Clean_Citron_8278@reddit

I'm glad he had someone special. I'd wager that he realized that the miles between made it difficult for you to be around more often.
View on Reddit #21755131

shadyshadyshade@reddit

My dad was stubborn about quitting too, finally got lung cancer that rapidly spread to his brain. Just grateful that he was fairly old and lived a full and mostly pain-free life.
View on Reddit #21752436

Tricky_Excitement_26@reddit

In certain situations I’ve seen as a nurse, sometimes they continue smoking because it’s muscle memory and they’re so cognitively impaired, it’s the only thing they remember, not their kids, spouse, friends, etc.
View on Reddit #21725675

grrgrrtigergrr@reddit

Just want to note, my mom was a nurse and I don’t think I’ve seen a profession so dedicated to health also be one of the most addicted to smoking. They were chimneys back in the 80s/90s
View on Reddit #21727200

J6602@reddit

Firefighters. In the 80’s-00’s almost all smoked and think of what they had to deal with
View on Reddit #21737009

Aggressive_Ad5115@reddit

I knew a smoking fireman back in the day it was weirdest 💩 I ever seen looool
View on Reddit #21779695

AbhorrentBehavior77@reddit

Are you kidding me, that's nothing... The doctor smoked during my delivery in Florida in '77! There were ashtrays next to my mother's bedside - She was able to smoke the moment she woke up from her "ordeal" (my arrival). This wasn't a backwoods, bumpkin hospital or anything either. It was in Hollywood. 🤦‍♀️
View on Reddit #21730443

genialerarchitekt@reddit

I remember walking through a hospital in China in 2004 and people were smoking everywhere, including doctors. There was even a cigarette booth *inside* the hospital. I've rarely experienced that level of cognitive dissonance lol. Thankfully that's totally banned in China as well these days.
View on Reddit #21772784

AbhorrentBehavior77@reddit

2004??? That's wild! Then again, I often refer to the mid-2000s as if it were 5 years ago or so.🤭 I remember one weekend, back in Junior high school (12-13 yrs old) we had a chorus concert at a school school a couple of towns over. This is a combination junior high/high school, mind you. As you can imagine, it was an unfamiliar place. So, during a break, I was wandering around the halls of the school, looking for the bathroom, with a friend. I shit you NOT - lined up and down the hallways, in front of every single classroom door, was one of those tall stand-up ashtrays like you see outside of businesses. Essentially, both the faculty and students (provided they were 18) were allowed to smoke up and down the hallways of this high school in 1989-1990. Seeing that, at the time, completely blew me away. I also remember smoking on airplanes and in movie theaters. My parents were loving life back then... Once everything went non-smoking, they started staying home a lot more often. Haha.
View on Reddit #21775034

No_Plantain_4990@reddit

My nephew was born 28 years ago, and the Ob who delivered him was one of these old docs that have been there forever. Once he had done his part in the delivery suite, he came out, grinning like a mule eating briars, and gave us the news, then lit up a cigar right there in the hallway, no smoking signs be damned. Gotta admit, I liked his style.
View on Reddit #21732975

Clean_Citron_8278@reddit

I recall having a surgeon smoking in the room while we discussed my procedure.
View on Reddit #21747753

rewdea@reddit

There are so many obese nurses as well. It’s disheartening.
View on Reddit #21735295

twirlybird11@reddit

Boy is that the truth! I remember reading early Patricia Cornwall books, and she made a point of having her character, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta smoke and ruefully admit the irony considering they know and see what the end result is. I believe she finally quits, later in the series. Funnily enough, I think I quit for good around the same time.
View on Reddit #21733999

unreasonable_reasons@reddit

Mine too!
View on Reddit #21733529

Tricky_Excitement_26@reddit

Oh totally agree. It’s a “do as we say, not as we do” situation. The nurses who are nearing retirement, always tell me about smoking and charting at the nursing desk. Or the cardiac surgeon who did lines of coke before a long surgery. 😏
View on Reddit #21727606

EnvironmentalOne6412@reddit

That’s what happens when you have a culture that promotes 100 hour work weeks in residency lol
View on Reddit #21727828

Tricky_Excitement_26@reddit

To be fair, he was doing coke while we were in high school. I think it was part of his DNA by the time he was a surgeon. 🤣
View on Reddit #21729108

MissBoofsAlot@reddit

That was my grandpa. Alzheimer's took his memory but he keep doing this strange movement with his hands that nobody could figure out what it was. My dad and I went out for a smoke and I say my dad packing his pipe and it was the same motions. Grandpa also smoked a pipe. So after completely looaing his mind his body was still trying to pack his pipe.
View on Reddit #21772775

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

I was in the hospital for pneumonia and snuck (it was very obvious dragging my iv outside in a gown) to smoke. I quit a year later, but am still mortified thinking back about how important it was to smoke when I was hospitalized w pneumonia. Addiction is gross and real. I have fought every form of it. Smoking is the worst.
View on Reddit #21727552

darkmatternot@reddit

My Grandpa smoked from 14 yrs old til he died of bladder cancer (attributed to smoking). He would leave the hospital bed where he was on oxygen, beg a nurse or orderly to help him, and he would go outside to smoke. He was dying and still smoking. It's scary.
View on Reddit #21731756

ToughNarwhal7@reddit

I'm sorry about your grandpa. I actually feel the worst for our terminal patients who quit or try to quit after their diagnosis. You're not going to get sicker, so enjoy it if you'd like, as long as you remove your oxygen first. When you start young, your decision-making isn't developed and the dependency takes hold before you're really rational.
View on Reddit #21743666

darkmatternot@reddit

Truth
View on Reddit #21768314

Clean_Citron_8278@reddit

I'm sorry he passed. At that point, he may have felt that he wasn't going to improve even if he quit. I'm sorry.
View on Reddit #21748157

darkmatternot@reddit

Thank you.
View on Reddit #21768255

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

It’s an addiction for sure.
View on Reddit #21733680

Finnyfish@reddit

My brother struggled for years to stop smoking and waited too late; he died of throat cancer a few years after he'd quit. (He also put off seeing a doctor for months, despite his wife's begging him to go. Guys, please don't do that to your partners.) Tobacco addiction is brutal.
View on Reddit #21747946

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

So sad, so many ppp wait until it’s too late, either to quit or seek medical care. Sorry for your loss.
View on Reddit #21759408

Tricky_Excitement_26@reddit

At the hospitals I’ve worked at, we can’t stop patients who go outside to smoke, but no way would I want to stand outside in a hospital gown in minus 30 Celsius, for a cancer stick. But then again, I remember what I wore to the bar, in my 20’s, in minus 30. 🤣
View on Reddit #21729326

unreasonable_reasons@reddit

Yeah but in our 20s we could still smoke _inside_ at the bar.
View on Reddit #21733400

Clean_Citron_8278@reddit

But now those trying to stay safe while using H have a room to do so. But we can't smoke in bars. Can't buy flavored tobacco products. But go to a liquor store. Lots of flavors geared to 21 y/o and younger. Hello Kitty Bottles. I don't understand the rationle.
View on Reddit #21748049

Tricky_Excitement_26@reddit

Lol. Not in my home province. 🤣 Couldn’t smoke in church, restaurants, or hospitals since about 1989. I wasn’t in the bars at 14, but I was in the lounge or at the bowling alley with my grandma, getting a lungful of that delicious Menthol second hand smoke. 🤣
View on Reddit #21744977

ToughNarwhal7@reddit

I had a resident put in orders that it was okay for nursing to take a pt out to smoke. First, this is oncology, so we politely decline. Second, nursing doesn't have time for this, Doc, so YOU take him outside if it's so important to you. The attending nipped this in the bud real quick. 😂 Nicotine replacement gum and lozenges are available to anyone who walks in the door - visitor, staff, guy just passing by - plus counseling for patients and staff.
View on Reddit #21743416

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

I love your ending! So true. The shit we did in our 20s! Ya, I can just see myself lying to any staff member talking to me about where I am going. lol 😂 I was such a POS back then. I was hospitalized for pneumonia about 6 weeks after going to rehab (booze, opiates). I am sure that’s how I got sick. We were allowed to smoke as much as we wanted at this place. It was unlike any other rehab. Every place here has 4-6 smoke breaks (cigs) a day. In FL I was blowing through 2 packs a day. SMH 🤦🏼‍♀️
View on Reddit #21729920

ButcherBird57@reddit

Same here, friend.
View on Reddit #21735261

washington_jefferson@reddit

It’s wild how many nurses smoke, though it’s often the lower level nurses who probably switched to the career for financial reasons.
View on Reddit #21732716

Horror_Ad_1845@reddit

What do you mean? As an nurse since ‘85, I don’t know who these lower level nurses are.
View on Reddit #21735412

Perfect_Chemist9412@reddit

Agreed from another nurse
View on Reddit #21765951

JunoD420@reddit

That's really really sad. Random sample of 1 person only -- my grandmother had almost the opposite experience. She had Alzheimer's and had been a smoker for 60 years, but she quit cold turkey one day after her doctor told her she had emphysema. Forgot she smoked.
View on Reddit #21730950

Tricky_Excitement_26@reddit

I had that patient! Her grandkids were getting ready to take her out for a cigarette, and she said, “I don’t smoke!” Done. Quit on the spot. I was gobsmacked.
View on Reddit #21745123

Outside-Jicama9201@reddit

You're a better person than I am! I never came to terms with the fact that my dad couldn't quit. He quit all the other drugs he quit alcohol but he never could quit cigarettes. I understand part of it is because the cigarette manufacturing companies actually make them more addictive by all the additives that are in them they are specifically designed to be addictive even to a non addict brain. But I'm still infuriated that he smoked up until he died
View on Reddit #21764581

Patriotic99@reddit

My 79 y.o. mother has bad COPD and is on oxygen. She still smokes. Like you, I gave up years ago when I was a little kid.
View on Reddit #21764083

neuroticsmurf@reddit

I knew a woman who was hardcore addicted. To the point that it brought her to tears that her multiple efforts at quitting failed. She tried everything. Cold turkey, the gum, tapering, aversion therapy, hypnosis, acupuncture, everything. She was at a point that she was sure the only way she was going to be able to quit was when it finally killed her. I lost touch with her, but I shudder to think of what happened to her.
View on Reddit #21724915

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

A friend of mine was a big smoker. Our campus banned smoking on the grounds, so she would go sit in her car and smoke. She died of brain cancer. I really liked her and wish she was still around.
View on Reddit #21725328

Antina5@reddit

My mother died from lung cancer that metastasized to her brain. Same happened to my sister in law. I’m sorry you lost your friend.
View on Reddit #21761380

Clean_Citron_8278@reddit

Sorry for your loss.
View on Reddit #21747595

Antina5@reddit

Same. My mother didn’t stop smoking until her admission to hospice due to her lung cancer.
View on Reddit #21761307

MidnightAmethystIce@reddit

Yeah, I gave up on trying to get my mother to quit. Came to the realization she was never ever going to quit and all it was doing was ruining our relationship. Unfortunately it’s had the side effect that she now thinks it’s cool to light up in front of me. She’ll walk away after lighting up but I still get that first stink bomb cloud in my face. She really has no idea how bad that sh** stinks. 
View on Reddit #21748227

z44212@reddit

I did my best. They tried to quit many times, but it never stuck. They both died by age 68. Didn't get to see their grandkids grow up.
View on Reddit #21740151

TheLurkerSpeaks@reddit

I have a boomer colleague like this. Woman's got cancer, smells like an ashtray. Got hospitalized with pneumonia last week. Still smoking.
View on Reddit #21733513

ChubbyStoner42@reddit

I dated a girl whose grandmother pulled an oxygen tank around with her. She still smoked. Her family had the idea that granny only enjoyed smoking and drinking. So, no one would say anything to her.
View on Reddit #21731212

sunnybcg@reddit

I’m a person in recovery and my friends who were heroin addicts say that cigarettes were the toughest thing to quit. So, yeah.
View on Reddit #21727261

Wormwood666@reddit

Yep a former heroin addict I knew back in the 90s said the same thing. Plus the fact that you can’t walk into a 7-11 and buy some smack, but you can buy boxes of cigs. The 2nd toughest thing for him to quit was alcohol—another widely advertised,easily available & socially acceptable consumable.
View on Reddit #21728616

BuzzBabe69@reddit

Definitely, I was in a recovery house, trying to kick alcohol,whose front window faced a billboard advertising Budweiser.
View on Reddit #21739655

wombatmagic@reddit

If you don't laugh you'll cry.
View on Reddit #21761779

Happy_Frogstomp7@reddit

Always choose laughter
View on Reddit #21776651

Wormwood666@reddit

JFC, that’s awful! Big ups & much respect to you for working the recovery process.
View on Reddit #21747912

MixtureEuphoric666@reddit

If that's actually true then I really don't feel any sympathy for heroin addicts
View on Reddit #21741660

wombatmagic@reddit

Like you have any sympathy for addicts, regardless of whether this is true or not.
View on Reddit #21761976

capsaicinintheeyes@reddit

I'd always assumed it was the 7/11 factor that mainly accounted for this, rather than anything innate about the two drugs.
View on Reddit #21731221

Administrative-Flan9@reddit

You can go about your day while smoking a cigarette and to a lesser degree you can do the same with alcohol. So it's readily available, but it doesn't impact your day to day life like heroin.
View on Reddit #21735772

capsaicinintheeyes@reddit

Valid point...what if we swapped heroin out for a Schedule II pill habit? (Of course, then it's the *cost* that'd be devouring everything else in your life before you know it)
View on Reddit #21758372

Upset_Peace_6739@reddit

I don’t think people see it as serious an addiction as it truly is. Never saw one episode of Intervention where the addiction was tobacco.
View on Reddit #21754276

AbhorrentBehavior77@reddit

That's because a tobacco addiction doesn't hold a candle to the drama that they need, in order for those shows to be successful. Someone having a "Nic fit" doesn't generate the same level of ratings as somebody having PCP induced, murderous rage fit.
View on Reddit #21775332

washie@reddit

It's not seen as serious because it doesn't have behavioral affects. Smoking tobacco doesn't interfere with your cognition, motor skills, etc.
View on Reddit #21765228

Soulpatch7@reddit

And we’re all in recovery from something.
View on Reddit #21768883

mjh8212@reddit

I just quit cold turkey, it was worse than when I quit hard drugs. Problem is I’ll probably start again. I like smoking so does my family and we just quit when we pass it seems.
View on Reddit #21767379

hdckurdsasgjihvhhfdb@reddit

I had a classmate back in the 90s that told me that exact same thing. I thought she was full of shit because I’d never heard it anywhere else, but it seems I was wrong
View on Reddit #21749206

tmf_x@reddit

I found it to be the total opposite. I smoked in my teens and 20s and then quit for about...15 years. The wife and I picked it up when we would chill outside in the evenings and it just became something to do at night. Have a few and then call it a night. So technically you can say "well then you didn't quit" but whatever. Sure there was creep into other times, and it turned into a less social thing and just something I did slightly more often. But then we decided to quit and just.. quit. No fits, withdraws, nothing. The only time I really miss it is after sex, as cliche as that sounds. So I find quitting smoking to be a cakewalk. I cant fathom people that say its harder than something like heroin.
View on Reddit #21749179

shaddupsevenup@reddit

Former heroin user. Hated giving up my smokes more.
View on Reddit #21747276

slimwillendorf@reddit

Yeah. I loved smoking so much that I would have continued smoking forever…but alas. I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to do eight rounds of dose-dense chemo. I forced myself to read scientific studies about the dangers of smoking during chemo. Basically a death sentence. Yet I still smoked a few cigarettes after my first infusion. But I got super sick…too sick to smoke. I got hit with chemo sickness, nicotine withdrawal and forced menopause all together at the same time. It was awful but I got thru it. Every time I miss smoking I force myself to remember those awful days. And I am able to hold off. Damn.
View on Reddit #21745375

teamalf@reddit

Ugh I was leaving the grocery store today and in the car next to me was an old man with his windows down smoking a cigarette. I opened the door and quickly got in because the smell of it makes me want to throw up. Even for those brief seconds, the smell followed me into my car. That shit is potent. 🤢🤢
View on Reddit #21744383

Caloso89@reddit

Same. In recovery since 98. I am so grateful that I never started smoking.
View on Reddit #21729896

Sleeplessmi@reddit

Great job on your recovery! I have been sober since 97. I never started either, my mom smoked and my siblings and I all hated it.
View on Reddit #21741091

spidermankevin78@reddit

I would see my 4 year old cough that jolted me to quit. we smoked out side but even the smell on are cloths would get to him when we quit his lungs got better i could not stand killing him slowly that was 17 years ago he is 21 now and breaths great
View on Reddit #21738754

candlegirlUT@reddit

Addiction due to trauma in my case. I’ve gotten my eating disorder and drinking under control. Smoking is next, but one thing at a time.
View on Reddit #21764150

mike___mc@reddit

I hope you kick smoking’s ass next.
View on Reddit #21770917

candlegirlUT@reddit

Thank you! That's the goal!
View on Reddit #21773482

Soulpatch7@reddit

Quit crying guys. They’re tobacco. The vast majority of people throughout human history of tobacco use don’t “fit” in your hyperbolic hysterical addiction loathe hole.
View on Reddit #21768854

Kodiak01@reddit

Quitting is extremely hard. I had an easier time dropping 168lbs in 18 months than I did quitting smoking. It took many false starts, but I finally went cold turkey from being a 2+pack/day chimney; did it without gum, patches, vapes or anything but a giant bottle of Ibuprofen for the migranes. That was ~2007 (long enough ago that I couldn't tell you what year it was!)
View on Reddit #21734852

single_cell@reddit

No lie. I’m only a yearish done with cigarettes but I am hungry ALL THE TIME now. I’ve put on probably 15 lbs so far and haven’t gotten ahold of that part of it yet.
View on Reddit #21762189

Sawathingonce@reddit

Big if true
View on Reddit #21759114

ryubhjhdrgjjid@reddit

I quit smoking in 2004, and there’s not a single day that goes by that I don’t want a cigarette.
View on Reddit #21756290

tragiquepossum@reddit

Seriously, I think the same interventions for other addictions should be made available for those with nicotine addiction.
View on Reddit #21755694

Chibadger@reddit

Truth. I chewed Nicorette for 15 years after quitting.
View on Reddit #21738420

Clean_Citron_8278@reddit

My pulmonologist says that he'd prescribe a nicotine replacement for all my years. It's the tobacco that's bad.
View on Reddit #21748337

teamalf@reddit

Yeah but if one REALLY wants to quit, they would.
View on Reddit #21744503

holdstillitsfine@reddit

That’s a bingo!
View on Reddit #21737966

cybermage@reddit

Nicotine is a powerful, very addictive drug.
View on Reddit #21737000

ElliotNess@reddit

I've quit for ~week four times in the past 2 months.
View on Reddit #21736740

LudovicoSpecs@reddit

Average age a lifelong smoker has their first cigarette: 14 The younger you start, the harder your brain gets hooked, cause it's still developing. And tobacco companies know this. And they target kids anyway.
View on Reddit #21736482

LeoMarius@reddit

Because no one has ever quit smoking before.
View on Reddit #21731933

MyriVerse2@reddit

Smoked 25 years and quit cold turkey with no withdrawal. Mind over matter. Ended up losing weight too. More energy to walk.
View on Reddit #21730221

19OregonTrailXer81@reddit

I definitely went through withdrawal. But I quit cold turkey, and yes I had more energy, started breathing better, and my senses of smell and taste came back stronger. It was definitely worth the first few weeks of pure hell I went through to get to where I am today.
View on Reddit #21731869

Dynamo_Ham@reddit

I keep a pack in a drawer for special occasions - like when I'm up late with buddies on a weekend listening to music. I like cigarettes. I'm not addicted and never have been. My wife and I both quit when we started trying for children - which was 20 years ago. Now I smoke maybe 1 pack per year in total (if that) on special occasions, or just when the spirit strikes me. It's enjoyable. I agree that addiction is a problem, but reducing all the reasons why billions of people around the world smoke to a single issue - addiction - is drastically simplistic. I get that for a never-smoker it seems ridiculous - they're smelly awful death sticks, why would anyone do that to themselves? I'm not encouraging anyone to pick up the habit - surely you are better off without it. But for a former smoker, you don't need an addiction to enjoy an occasional stroll down memory lane.
View on Reddit #21725575

Turkey_gravy_on_meat@reddit

Cigarettes are relaxing and enjoyable, although stinky. Why do you do the unhealthy things to yourself? Caffeine, refined sugar, processed food, alcohol, drugs, binge watching. People are free to experience life as they wish. You should learn to understand that. Also, there’s not really concrete proof that cigarettes are bad for you. There is evidence but it is not good evidence. My conspiracy theory is that it’s the petroleum products that are the worst carcinogens, but they used cigarettes as a scapegoat since we rely heavily on petroleum products as a society. Also, tobacco was a huge money maker for the south and that made the union very mad. Vilifying cigarettes was a win-win for them
View on Reddit #21787663

nekkid_farts@reddit

I quit 6 years ago after 30 years of smoking. And i still miss it. I enjoyed the relaxing feeling it gave me, when i woke up, grab coffee and a cigarette and watch the sun rise, it gave me a sense of peace that ive never felt since. If youve never smoked, you cannot ever understand how it becomes part of you, your identity. Ive felt incomplete ever since quitting, but I have no choice i guess.
View on Reddit #21726640

PM_MEOttoVonBismarck@reddit

This is sort of how I explain it to non-smokers. Smoking makes whatever you're doing twice as enjoyable MINIMUM. Coffee break is now even better with a cigarette, mundane tasks like driving are now tolerable with a cigarette, listening to your favourite music is now even more amazing with a cigarette. And when you don't have one, it just feels wrong. I'm currently quitting for my girlfriend and I have days where I don't even smoke and the days I usually do I only have one, but ah man it just feels good to smoke.
View on Reddit #21786417

nekkid_farts@reddit

I still remember when I quit, at work when break time would come up I'd look at the non-smokers and say what do you actually do on your break, I had absolutely no idea what to do so I just kind of walked around staring at things
View on Reddit #21786751

PM_MEOttoVonBismarck@reddit

Yeah I think thats why so many quitters put on weight. 'What should I do now? I'll have a muffin, that'll occupy me'. I sat alone during my break looking a beautiful scenery and I'd put music on and have a cigarette and it was so relaxing. Now it's like hearing background noise.
View on Reddit #21786865

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

Perfection. Those quiet mornings, coffee & a cig. Only those that have experienced it will understand.
View on Reddit #21729051

xX_olive_Xx@reddit

I swear coffee and cigarettes were made for each other. I still miss that, but will never smoke again.
View on Reddit #21739703

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

Yep. I tried recently and immediately regretted it. (Been having a rough 6 weeks & finally gave in after 4 years. Don’t worry only smoked 2 & that was weeks ago). So gross! 🤢
View on Reddit #21759348

Froopy-Hood@reddit

![gif](giphy|eWLDhSJ206rUQ) I have a perfect movie for you.
View on Reddit #21758750

Congo404@reddit

Great response.
View on Reddit #21730834

describt@reddit

I quit cigarettes ages ago, then got addicted to cigars--was inhaling Capones. I quit those a decade ago, and still have dreams about smoking. Much respect to those still struggling, but it's daily. It gets easier, but never enough to let your guard down. It helps me to remember why I quit in the first place. If I didn't have a non-smoker wife and at least 1 kid I have to stay alive to keep from f-ing up his life it might be a lot harder. Also, all that extra money they claim you'll have by not spending it on smokes? Where's that?
View on Reddit #21784824

According-Training36@reddit

I'm 21 years smoke free. Used to be a pack a day smoker for 14 years. Never again!
View on Reddit #21781654

jncheese@reddit

So I quit like three years ago. But now that you mention it, I would really like to light one up. I won't, but I would for damn sure like to.
View on Reddit #21725015

MrsSadieMorgan@reddit

I quit almost 4 years ago (one week before the “lockdown” here, by coincidence); and while I haven’t been tempted to actually smoke again, I still dream about smoking occasionally. Then I wake up feeling mad at myself! 😂
View on Reddit #21777320

jncheese@reddit

Ha! I woke up from a dream the other night in which I bought a pack of smokes but then didn't smoke one because I didn't want to get hooked again. Dreaming... Crazy. I talked to an auntie who doesn't smoke but her husband does. She had the smell of second hand smoke on her, it immediately cured me right there. After a while you forget how bad that smell is. But I don't want to do that to my gf who doesn't smoke either. But I still feel like I want to sometimes...
View on Reddit #21781576

just-regular-I-guess@reddit

My wife quit when she became pregnant with our now 9 year old daughter. She still randomly wants one.
View on Reddit #21730287

jncheese@reddit

That's the whole thing. Give in to it once and you have to go through that whole quitting hell again. But indeed, every now and then it hits you. Good for me I am very good at not doing things.
View on Reddit #21733223

MissBoofsAlot@reddit

I quit for 4 years, never had any want to smoke again. Bummed a smoke from a coworker just for fun and have been a pack a day since. That was over 6 years ago. For me it's the hand to mouth more than the nicotine. I can vape zero nicotine and not have any nicotine cravings but if I run out of juice or other supplies I fall back to the cigarettes. They taste like shit and make me feel even worse but I still do it. It's horrible. I have drilled into my kids that they can't do anything that will make me more disappointed in them than start smoking.
View on Reddit #21772993

Surprise_Fragrant@reddit

Any time I see someone talk about smoking, or post, or whatever, I subconsciously take a huge deep breath... I miss smoking. But I like living more.
View on Reddit #21750001

MrsTruffulaTree@reddit

I quit 17 years ago. I have one every once in a long while. I want a cigarette now. I can't afford it anymore. $12/pack where I live.
View on Reddit #21739926

PaulClarkLoadletter@reddit

I want one every day even though I haven't smoked for close to 20 years. I know it smell awful but I want it. That's addiction.
View on Reddit #21738558

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

I bought my first pack in almost 4 years of quitting. Smoked 1 got a buzz but regretted it. Next day I lit 1, puked an hour later and was sick the next day. I tried lighting a 3rd on day 3 & was so disgusted I threw it out. Still have the pack, but haven’t touched it. Ugh gross
View on Reddit #21728135

Zivikins@reddit

Because they either want to smoke or can't stop? Growing up my grandfather had asthma from smoking. I watched the man suffer and eventually die. It kept me from ever wanting to try a cigarette. That said, I would never tell someone what to do with their life. I might try and get a close friend to stop smoking, but that's not the same as a random Joe sparking up his Marlboros.
View on Reddit #21781007

TesseractToo@reddit

I miss smoking. I have terrible social anxiety and it was easier to make friends by asking for a light or by standing with the other smokers
View on Reddit #21723236

Stupidsmartstupid@reddit

Smokers are instant friends. At an airport or business convention… the guys hanging out in the smoking section always sharing a lighter or pack are constantly just chatting about their trip, day, life. It somehow unifies a group of people. I smoked as an older teen, quit, then some really bad shit happened in my marriage and I bought a pack. It had been 23 years without one and that first light was magical. But, instant addiction. I stopped with a patch two weeks later but.. when life was hard again I wanted nicotine and started vaping. Still vaping. I like it a lot. But, this year is a milestone birthday and I am prepping for a marathon run in November. I plan to be in the best shape of my life this year. I’m going to quit vaping. I have lost 35 pounds getting training days in already. As soon as spring hits I’ll start distance running. Then I’ll hopefully feel the significance of healthy lungs. Wish me luck! 🍀
View on Reddit #21730057

felesroo@reddit

There are some products out there that are flavor inhalers - except you just suck on them for the flavor like a cigarette and don't really inhale anything. If your oral fixation habit is hard to break, at least those scratch that itch without any lung problems (don't inhale, obviously, but you wouldn't inhale a lollipop either)
View on Reddit #21780326

TesseractToo@reddit

>the guys hanging out in the smoking section always sharing a lighter or pack are constantly just chatting about their trip, day, life I'm jealous of this part of being a guy. Being the only female and just wanting to fit in but the guys always make it weird because they are assessing if you are a f or not, and if not, why you are "bothering" them... like chill the f out dudes I'm just looking to not stand alone same as you
View on Reddit #21731464

Stupidsmartstupid@reddit

Note taken… I am sorry that’s been your experience. I totally understand and appreciate you enlightening me. Hopefully this generalization doesn’t apply to all, I know it wouldn’t with my perspective and background but I can see how this could be a massive problem.
View on Reddit #21732005

TesseractToo@reddit

Not really relevant any more and no it wasn't all guys but it was enough that it is problematic for all women :) Speaking of this sort of thing, I was talking in another area about not being able to eat a banana like a normal person as lunch in the 90's because there was this one asshat who would come over and make loud WOOOOOOO sounds when I was just trying to eat my fucking lunch. And of course the school wouldn't do anything and if I'd trued to do anything I would have been "leading him on" and if he decided to go farther it would have been "my fault" or even a "date rape" (because you only had to know who a guy was for it to be defined as a date rape, you didn't have to be on a date. And not surprisingly the guy was at the college training to be a cop. Dangerous motherfucker that guy was. I always wanted to live outside gender, I hated having it inflicted on me. Unfortunately I couldn't pass as androgynous lol :D
View on Reddit #21734233

AbhorrentBehavior77@reddit

Funny you mention androgynous... Where I can't pass for androgynous, either - well, aesthetically speaking, anyway, I've been taking a lot of personality tests. And, many of my scores are coming back androgynous. They said, "based on your results we cannot detect your gender." It's awfully bizarre. Because I didn't think that I was answering the questions with a 50% male/50% female perspective. Yet, The test scorers did! This is not just one test either, mind you. This is numerous tests, taken over several months. It's become something of a running joke between my SO and I. The only test that scored differently was the cats and dogs test. You know, the goofy, just for fun one you take to determine whether you're more of a dog or cat person. It says that I'm a female dog person which, is correct. But, seriously? Haha.
View on Reddit #21776268

TesseractToo@reddit

It's almost as if gender is an imaginary social construct or something
View on Reddit #21776981

Creaulx@reddit

I smoked for 30 years and have vaped for the past 10. Wishing you luck, eventually I'd like to quit vaping too - but holy nicotine addiction.
View on Reddit #21730333

headzoo@reddit

Smoking was also a good excuse to leave the room. Getting away from people for a moment by stepping out into the quiet night.
View on Reddit #21726420

Not_NSFW-Account@reddit

I found that leaving the room is a great way to leave the room too.
View on Reddit #21748913

AbhorrentBehavior77@reddit

Ah yes, but you need an excuse to be able to leave the room - Hence, smoking!
View on Reddit #21775842

Real-Apartment-1130@reddit

That sounds like a Steinbeck novel! Now I want a cigarette to take out into the quiet night!
View on Reddit #21760027

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

This is why I started smoking @ 25… to get away from ppl & leave the room. Also sitting in traffic for an hour w coffee & adderal. But ya I am going w your answer
View on Reddit #21727632

SeedsOfDoubt@reddit

Huffing exaust wasn't enough?
View on Reddit #21736074

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

Hahahaha 😂
View on Reddit #21759051

Surprise_Fragrant@reddit

I miss the ability to just leave my post at work to go smoke. Boss' would never question smokers who just wandered away for 20 minutes, but non-smokers caught hell if they took a pee break longer than 5 minutes.
View on Reddit #21749931

grrgrrtigergrr@reddit

I started smoking at about age 25. Only because I was working at a marketing firm and kept watching the smokers take breaks while I was busting my ass. I wanted that get away too.
View on Reddit #21727318

90DayCray@reddit

Did this for awhile too. Only smoked at work so I could get breaks. Eventually I didn’t even smoke. Just went out with them. It was insane how much time they could get away. It was the only way
View on Reddit #21743923

Azanskippedtown@reddit

I just read something about this! The gist of the article was that people are still taking lengthy smoke breaks and the nonsmokers felt jilted. So, offices have been offering nonsmokers other types of breaks. (Maybe I read this on Reddit...I can't remember.)
View on Reddit #21727826

katemu8@reddit

My old office job did this. There was a "required" break twice a day. The smokers would smoke & the non-smokers would play ping-pong, cornhole or some other dumbass game.
View on Reddit #21729306

capsaicinintheeyes@reddit

In my state at least, two 15-min breaks per shift are in fact mandatory, by law--managers will actually get sore at you sometimes if you neglect to book yours on that day's break schedule sheet or whatever.
View on Reddit #21732465

Infamous-Mountain-81@reddit

Where I live there is mandatory 15 minute breaks (2) and lunch but if you work in the restaurant business you’re not getting any of those breaks. You sneak out for 5 minutes when you finally get the chance but non smokers would do it too.
View on Reddit #21740885

AbhorrentBehavior77@reddit

Did the same thing at 26. You should have heard my doctors, all the "responsible adults* in my life, really, saying what an idiot I was and why would you start at this age when you know better? Idk, the heart wants what the heart wants! Haha.
View on Reddit #21730704

LudovicoSpecs@reddit

You're GenX and you still need an excuse to leave the room?
View on Reddit #21736621

TesseractToo@reddit

Yeah it really helped
View on Reddit #21727788

ParkMark@reddit

I gave up over 10 years ago, but I still go outside to stand with the smokers to socialise and meet new people at gigs or bars. never been tempted to start again, I just think how much money I’m saving.
View on Reddit #21773182

TesseractToo@reddit

I can't go to gigs and bars anymore
View on Reddit #21773665

LeatherDude@reddit

I'll never smoke again, but if somehow we were able to cure cancer and COPD with a simple pill or something, I'd smoke a pack a day for eternity. I loved smoking. Nicotine made ADHD / anxious brain feel calm and make dopamine.
View on Reddit #21727109

sunny_gym@reddit

I probably would too. I loved it. I think one of the underrated parts of smoking is that it's great if you're bored. Smoke a cigarette and then you feel like you're doing something. I think people saying absurd things like "it's harder to quit than heroin" are not helping, though. The hardest part of quitting is psychological and I think comments like that and media portrayal make it seem like this insurmountable thing. It isn't. The physical withdrawals are quite mild, more a nagging irritation than anything else. If you can get through 3 days most of the nicotine has left your system, 3 weeks and it's all gone.
View on Reddit #21740053

ToughNarwhal7@reddit

Everyone is different, though. I'm glad that you had an easy time.
View on Reddit #21743799

sunny_gym@reddit

I wouldn't say it was easy. I just don't want people to think quitting smoking is like Renton getting clean in *Trainspotting*. If they're scared to try, it's easy enough to say "Well, I'm just never going to be able to quit." My advice to anyone that seriously wants to quit: please check out Allen Carr's book *The Easy Way to Quit Smoking*. It may actually be a subtle form of brainwashing but it absolutely worked for me. You don't get far into it before recognizing that the author was clearly a heavy smoker. He knew all the rationalizations and self-bargaining that goes in the smoker's mind.
View on Reddit #21759599

BandOfBroskis@reddit

You fucking nailed it. 😂 I’m with LeatherDude. I will amend slightly though. I think if I make it to like 75, I’d be seriously tempted to say fuggit and light one up.
View on Reddit #21755609

InterabangSmoose@reddit

I'm not adhd, but I feel exactly this. I smoked from 15-56 and I've been smoke free since Jan 1, 2023. I still miss it, (albeit not as badly as the first 6 months) and I'd go back if not for those pesky heath issues. I got out so my end years won't be completely miserable. The money saving is nice, too, though.
View on Reddit #21732379

teamalf@reddit

Congratulations! Keep it up!
View on Reddit #21747922

rec12yrs@reddit

As someone who lived for many many years with untreated ADD, this makes a lot of sense.
View on Reddit #21746016

KentuckyMagpie@reddit

Oh, I will. I quit cigarettes 15 years ago and I fully intend to take them up again when I turn 80. I figure at that point, something is gonna get me at that point, why not?
View on Reddit #21745494

JaneFairfaxCult@reddit

I would love to be able to have a couple a day. For me it was always a pack or nothing.
View on Reddit #21734678

LeatherDude@reddit

Omg same. Especially if I was engaged in some activity where concentration was key. Driving and playing video games, I'd light one smoke off of the butt of the last one for hours on end. Working in tech, I'd step outside for frequent smoke breaks, especially with co-workers who smoked. I did a pack a day on normal days, 1.5 - 2 if I was going out to the bar or a party. Ah, misspent youth.
View on Reddit #21736095

oakmeadow8@reddit

My ADHD loves smoking. Not only is there the calming effect and the dopamine, but it is great for transitions between activities.
View on Reddit #21735646

Outside-Flamingo-240@reddit

This is exactly why I chain-chew nicotine gum! It’s pretty miraculous for ADHD/anxiety. My doctor is ok with it as long as my ticker is strong. I still miss actual cigarettes - even though they are not a good combo with asthma! Won’t ever touch them again though.
View on Reddit #21729425

TesseractToo@reddit

Me too, although I didn't have trouble quitting luckily
View on Reddit #21727616

LeatherDude@reddit

Having kids made it easier. I wanted to be a good role model for them and also be alive to see them grow and flourish.
View on Reddit #21727731

TesseractToo@reddit

I was never in a position to have kids
View on Reddit #21727858

NotWorriedABunch@reddit

I was a very enthusiastic smoker. I loved everything about it and met so many people like me in the smoking section.
View on Reddit #21755498

Flaxscript42@reddit

Haha, same but different. I miss being able to get out of any intimidate social situation by going out for a cigarette.
View on Reddit #21751351

Yeeaaaarrrgh@reddit

I started smoking when I was 15 in '89 and kept it up until I was 37. I managed to put down cigarettes using lozenges but was addicted to those for 9 more years. I managed to put those down and have been nicotine free for 2.5 years. It has been a tough road but I did it.
View on Reddit #21750728

Difficult-Brain2564@reddit

I quit almost 2 years ago and I still think about having one all the time. When I smell it I inhale deep and reminisce.
View on Reddit #21747675

rec12yrs@reddit

During college, we had quite the little community in the library smoking lounge.
View on Reddit #21746060

TesseractToo@reddit

I started smoking in the patient lounge when I was in hospital for a few months as a teenager loo
View on Reddit #21746579

oakmeadow8@reddit

For the most part, smokers at smoker hangouts are incredibly social and helpful. Maybe it's an outcasts banding together type thing?
View on Reddit #21735376

SolutionExternal5569@reddit

I smoked 25 years (15-40). If it wasn't so damn expensive, and if my lung function wasn't noticeably worse before I quit, I'd still do it no question. Nicotine is a wonderful feeling
View on Reddit #21733481

ChubbyStoner42@reddit

I smoked when I was in the Army. It gave me a chance to talk to soldiers and find out what was really going on with them.
View on Reddit #21731370

Tomcat9801@reddit

I miss that “first drag” feeling from a cigarette sometimes. But yeah, not sure why people still smoke. There are so many other vices to choose from that don’t smell so bad.
View on Reddit #21726933

TesseractToo@reddit

I actually liked the smell. I grew up in a very poor non-smoking home so cigarette smell smelled "fancy" to me when I was young and I guess it went from there :D
View on Reddit #21727720

Tomcat9801@reddit

That’s interesting. I always thought a tobacco pipe was fancy and therefore that smell was “fancy” to me when I was younger. I still like a pipe tobacco smell but not a fan of cigarette smoke smell.
View on Reddit #21728118

TesseractToo@reddit

I had a pipe smoking friend and I liked the smell at first but he chain smoked the pipe so much it started to set off my migraines. Also I moved from Canada to Australia after I'd quit and the cigarettes here sell oilier and tarrier even than US cigarettes and I don't like the smell at all. They still make me slightly crave them but I think you have to be a zillionaire to afford to smoke here lol
View on Reddit #21729291

SchopenhauersSon@reddit

Omg same. I met all my college friends at the smoking wall.
View on Reddit #21725369

karenswans@reddit

I quit in 2000 and sometimes miss it, too.
View on Reddit #21725319

transhumanist2000@reddit

Government disinformation RE: vaping certainly hasn't helped. Based on my own anecdotal night life experience, said disinformation hasn't a done damn thing to detour Gen Z and millennials from vaping at the bars, but it has given an excuse for middle-age + smokers not to try and switch to a less harmful nicotine delivery system.
View on Reddit #21779107

ImRdyIllBeWaitn@reddit

Either medical technology will make it a non issue or more likely it won't end up mattering. Besides, my signature move is to let the other guy run his mouth while I quietly finish my smoke with a smirk on my face. Letting him make himself madder and madder because I won't say anything and right before he freaks out I flip the cigarette at his face. Does not work in the UFC, but behind a bar in the alley at 3am, works fine.
View on Reddit #21779025

Prestigious_Water336@reddit

I'll smoke if I'm drinking. If I'm not drinking I pretty much never smoke.
View on Reddit #21778866

Wonderful-Hall-7929@reddit

It's called addiction...
View on Reddit #21778803

Chance-Chain8819@reddit

I started smoking daily by 14. Now 26 days since my last one. This time it's easy. But every other time I've tried I did it because I thought I should this time I've stopped because I actually want to.
View on Reddit #21777974

RavingNoah@reddit

Hold up. Let me and my Kools mull this over outside.
View on Reddit #21776275

bettesue@reddit

I loved smoking, but pregnancy nausea made me quit, then breastfeeding, then I didn’t want to make my baby smell like cigarettes and now 26 years later, I can’t stand the smell of them. I still dream about it tho…
View on Reddit #21775682

crs1904@reddit

12 years, no heaters. 🚫🚬
View on Reddit #21774736

ZarinaBlue@reddit

I have been quit for a while. But. I want one every single day. My life at times has been high stress to the point that I developed a cardiac reaction to stressors. Smoking made me "happy." Also, I grew up with a mom who was not shy about telling me that if I wanted to ever be thin, I needed to smoke instead of "stuffing mashed potatoes in my face." Jokes on her. I lost weight when I quit. A lot and it's stayed off.
View on Reddit #21774358

InevitableTension667@reddit

Some of us went into hospitality. Big mistake. Some of us escaped and quietly quit smoking.
View on Reddit #21772498

marcall@reddit

ciggs are like what...8 dollars a pack now so like 250-300 dollars per month? I don't know why one would bother considering it's banned most public places.
View on Reddit #21747973

kamandamd128@reddit

$21.50 a pack where I live
View on Reddit #21772491

UrbExInferis@reddit

I’m addicted.
View on Reddit #21772262

One_Posh_Possum@reddit

It’s an addiction you smug dick
View on Reddit #21770792

jaesolo@reddit

Smoked for 18 years…motivated by my kid to quit. His 2nd birthday party was coming up and I realized I would be the only smoker at the party which was embarrassing. I wanted to quit for years and that moment made it happen. It was a slow process. Switched to American Spirits to get off the chemicals and then went on a patch for a week. It wasn’t that terrible. Going out drinking was tough for a while. I do enjoy a cigar or the devils lettuce once in a while. But now the smell of cigarette smoke is gross to me.
View on Reddit #21770631

JuicyApple2023@reddit

Quit in 2016 using the patch. Tried everything else except hypnosis. I occasionally get a vague craving and then I see the prices for cigarettes. I’d rather spend my money on something that won’t give me cancer.
View on Reddit #21769402

crissyb65@reddit

Because I don’t, a bad migraine will be downgraded by one cigarette. It’s weird.
View on Reddit #21769348

Daizzle-@reddit

Addiction and apathy, mostly…why, are they bad or something?
View on Reddit #21768794

OGINTJ@reddit

I smoked until 2008. I never thought I would quit. It was a part of my daily routine and my identity. I never considered it addiction. Total denial. I tried to quit but never for long. Finally what made me quit was staying with a good friend, a nonsmoker. This friend had started smoking and she and her partner smoked 3 packs per day per person. I stayed in their home 5 days. At the airport, I threw the lighter in the garbage at security and impulsively also threw the pack away. I was absolutely repulsed by it after my previous 5 days. As a postscript, one of the friends has since died of cancer. Never quit the cigs, throughout the illness.
View on Reddit #21768522

SilentSniper062@reddit

I quit 24 years ago and I’d be lying if I said i don’t miss it First cig of the day was the best I don’t judge,do what makes you happy,we all die eventually
View on Reddit #21768208

OccamsYoyo@reddit

Want something that will really blow your mind? I quit 19 years ago and am considering starting casually smoking because I’ve learned I can do that. I love smoking.
View on Reddit #21767928

Curvy_thing@reddit

Cause I actively enjoy smoking. It's my one vice. I love it
View on Reddit #21767559

Definitive_confusion@reddit

Because they're delicious? I mean, why do people do anything unhealthy? Because it's enjoyable. Why do people drink? Or do cocaine? Or watch tv for hours on end? Or anything else that destroys the mind and body? Cuz we're gonna die anyway.
View on Reddit #21735548

BionicgalZ@reddit

Well, kind of. At some point you are just smoking to fight back the withdrawal symptoms. That’s not really fun.
View on Reddit #21737212

Definitive_confusion@reddit

IDK. I've been smoking for 30+ years and I don't remember every not enjoying the hell out of a cigarette. Been between a pack and a pack and a half a day most of that time.
View on Reddit #21738070

BionicgalZ@reddit

If you are enjoying the hell out of every cigarette, then you really are a neurochemical anomaly. Most people I know who smoke feel rather trapped by that addiction. The only thing I’ve ever been addicted to is caffeine, and while I might imagine that it’s pleasure that I’m getting from my ritual cup of coffee in the morning, and there is some pleasure, it’s largely just the symptoms of withdrawal being alleviated. As much as I love coffee.
View on Reddit #21741458

Definitive_confusion@reddit

That's sad. I've never really had much of a physical addiction to anything. Been into and out of drugs my whole life. Never had any issues except boredom when I quit. I don't know if I'm capable of quitting cigarettes as easily as I did everything else but I've never wanted to try. 🤷‍♂️
View on Reddit #21754554

BionicgalZ@reddit

I’m not buying what you’re laying down. But you do you!
View on Reddit #21767301

mjh8212@reddit

I haven’t had a smoke in two weeks!!!!
View on Reddit #21767272

thejohnmc963@reddit

35 years of opiates/heroin/fentanyl and I’ve been sober for 5 years. Quitting cigarettes is the hardest to kick by far
View on Reddit #21766865

TurboCultist@reddit

Cause it's cool
View on Reddit #21766776

VerbalGuinea@reddit

I’m no quitter! Once I set my mind to something, I’m going to see it through to the end.
View on Reddit #21766589

st-jeb@reddit

My dad told me not to be quitter..
View on Reddit #21766533

Salty-Entertainer-29@reddit

Sorry. This post is ridiculous. I don’t smoke and never have, but I love several people who have struggled for years attempting to quit. EVERYONE knows why most people still smoke- it extremely addictive and difficult to quit. OP, Google it.
View on Reddit #21766368

mcrib@reddit

For anyone who still smokes, Chantix was a godsend for me years ago.
View on Reddit #21765948

BuzzBabe69@reddit

I didn't quit because I thought giving up would be like trying to give up Heroin, , until tried it for a week, it was so easy considering I had no intention of giving it up!
View on Reddit #21765313

MsjennaNY@reddit

I’ll never be able to quit. I give up trying. I haven’t had a drink in YEARS and don’t do any other drugs. It’s my only vice with my crazy, stressful life. I’ve tried everything. I smoke 10 a day. I was up to a full pack when I lost my bf of 15 years from Covid in 2021 for a year but down to 10 now. I wish I could stop.
View on Reddit #21765231

WildRed420_75@reddit

Haven’t had a cigg in 4 weeks.
View on Reddit #21764960

gamefaced@reddit

wtf, you?
View on Reddit #21764862

DepartureBusy777@reddit

I'm a champion at quitting, have perfected the process to an art since I've done it so many times already. 🙄
View on Reddit #21727498

DearWhisper1150@reddit

Same. I quit at the end of every pack…..but then something stresses me out, and off to the store I go.
View on Reddit #21764747

Youlookcold@reddit

I know 3 people that STARTED smoking in their 40s.  SMFH
View on Reddit #21730892

BarkusSemien@reddit

40s is when it becomes almost impossible to lose weight. Could be related to that.
View on Reddit #21763924

Apprehensive_Row_807@reddit

Good for them!!!
View on Reddit #21756603

sarahaswhimsy@reddit

I still love it.
View on Reddit #21763503

One-Earth9294@reddit

Man it's really hard to quit I wanted to quit for MOST of the time I smoked and that was 20 years of my life. Do not underestimate how nasty and predatory that industry is and how menacing that addiction is.
View on Reddit #21763363

Self-Comprehensive@reddit

I ain't trying to live forever. My mom who never touched a cigarette in her life died a terrible lingering years long death from Alzheimer's and I had to care for her. My friend who died of lung cancer found out and was dead six weeks later. You do the math.
View on Reddit #21724144

deblllllll@reddit

My mom and dad had Alzheimer’s. Devastating. Now my brother and sister have early onset Alzheimer’s. I often think I need to restart smoking or something. The future scares the hell out of me.
View on Reddit #21762896

stirred-and-shaken@reddit

Yeah old age only looks appealing if I’ve lots of money to afford independent care and support. Looking at my mother and her sisters in their 80’s…..I’m not sure that’s for me. It seems very painful.
View on Reddit #21725453

katecrime@reddit

I have a degenerative autoimmune arthritis. At 54 I’m already deformed and limited in mobility. I also haven’t had consequences that can connect to the smoking (when I could still work out, no problems like shortness of breath). I have severe pain almost every day. The planet is boiling. Old age doesn’t sound all that appealing to me. If I get cancer from it, so be it. I’m certainly not going to look around and say “why me?”. I would probably say “fair enough.”
View on Reddit #21731545

stirred-and-shaken@reddit

So young to have to that. Please accept my internet hug. That’s awful and it must be shattering to deal with loss of mobility and regular, severe pain. I’ve got Shingles right now and often wonder how people cope with long term chronic pain. My mother gets sports massages and Prolia injections. Both seem to help her.
View on Reddit #21732275

katecrime@reddit

Thank you. 😊 I am actually in a place where everything is “managed” so I can still have a life… but I’m definitely seeing the progression. I first got sick in my early thirties, and I’ve always been grateful that I got to have a healthy body in my twenties and got to do all the things I did.
View on Reddit #21735530

stirred-and-shaken@reddit

It’s great you have that take on it. Thank you. Wishing you all the strength too.
View on Reddit #21744035

Postcard2923@reddit

This is an interesting perspective I'd not considered: we're extending potentially the worst years of our lives.
View on Reddit #21726045

cityfireguy@reddit

Oh brother, you don't want to know how these seniors are living out their old age right now. With my job I see people on a daily basis who keep wondering why they haven't died yet. They no longer want to be alive, but their body is still functioning just enough to keep them alive and in constant pain. I'm gonna light up another one right now and not feel bad that I won't be 80 and in constant torture.
View on Reddit #21741080

stirred-and-shaken@reddit

They’re all in serious pain with arthritis and it’s awful to say but they look like stick-men walking. They don’t eat a whole lot, don’t sleep much and simple things we can do, like opening a jar, requires a lot of strength. And then they’re so vulnerable when they’re out. You’d think that people would be more careful about them but all ages and all sorts of people happily bump into them to move along faster. My mother never smoked or drank so she’s in the best shape. I think mid-70s is the sweet spot.
View on Reddit #21726488

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

This! I have horrible anxiety and going out w my crippled father is hell. Letting him go on his own is worse. But other ppl not paying attention or being mindful makes me CRAZY! If they fall, they break. Who deals w the damage is the person hurt & family. Not the lil assholes running around or glued to their phone. I gotta get outta gere
View on Reddit #21728378

Self-Comprehensive@reddit

My daughter promised to take care of me if it happens, but I don't want to make her go through what I went through.
View on Reddit #21725600

Maison1984@reddit

She will instead remember you suffocating while being alive … not very cool
View on Reddit #21728233

Self-Comprehensive@reddit

The end of life is never pretty. I'd prefer to still be a person with mind and personality intact instead of lingering burden that's barely a husk of a human anymore. You must have never cared for someone with Alzheimer's if you somehow think suffocation is worse than losing your actual personhood and lingering on that way for years.
View on Reddit #21735541

Maison1984@reddit

The disease will make you a lingering burden … I do know about Alzheimer’s.
View on Reddit #21738572

stirred-and-shaken@reddit

Or worse! Throwing it at her and demanding a lolly pop.
View on Reddit #21726696

LudovicoSpecs@reddit

Emphysema, heart disease and stroke are all increased with smoking, incredibly expensive and don't kill you. Source: Had one uncle live for at least a decade in a wheelchair unable to speak because of a stroke. Had another uncle live for over a decade putting all his meals in a blender cause he had tongue cancer or something. One was cigarettes. One was cigars. You don't always hit the lotto and die in a week or less.
View on Reddit #21737042

iwery@reddit

Someone once told me that smoking actually can prevent Alzheimer's. Not sure if it's true though. Something to do with nicotine acid or something.
View on Reddit #21739004

LudovicoSpecs@reddit

Never seen a person hooked up to an emphysema tank for a decade have you?
View on Reddit #21736806

Self-Comprehensive@reddit

Can they still think? Can they still talk? Can they still hug their grandkids? Cause my mom couldn't do any of that in her last decade. My goal isn't to linger on a tank. If I linger, I get Alzheimer's.
View on Reddit #21737781

PicklesAndCoorslight@reddit

Oh, I have the same story, friend. All my aunts too. It's a different life when you know what's coming. Bless us.
View on Reddit #21731567

Maison1984@reddit

Dying of lung disease or even living with it with emphysema / COPD is horrific & long lasting. It’s not like most people who smoke drop dead from a quick death.
View on Reddit #21728185

zonicide@reddit

*looks around at state of the world* *lights another cigarette*
View on Reddit #21723896

Exotic_Zucchini@reddit

haha...I mean, seriously, this is one of the reasons why I'm not going to judge people for it. The world is a shit show right now, and we're all going to die anyway, so do what you want. Having said that, one of the main reasons I quit was because I don't really feel like going through what smokers go through at the end of life. It doesn't sound like a good time to me. Cutting life shorter? Eh, who cares. Having a painful end of life? Yeah, I care. But, you will never catch me judging someone for smoking these days.
View on Reddit #21727902

deblllllll@reddit

Exactly
View on Reddit #21762679

7Aimee@reddit

![gif](giphy|QMHoU66sBXqqLqYvGO)
View on Reddit #21728104

justonebiatch@reddit

If I am ever so unfortunate to get a terminal diagnosis I will immediately pick up smoking again
View on Reddit #21759322

7Aimee@reddit

I kinda feel the same way. I thoroughly enjoyed smoking.
View on Reddit #21760131

LudovicoSpecs@reddit

With as miserable as the world is, do you really want to add a decade of emphysema to your existence?
View on Reddit #21736562

Moveyourbloominass@reddit

Taking a delicious drag now.
View on Reddit #21725844

katecrime@reddit

Smoking is divine.
View on Reddit #21731216

goombatch@reddit

Looks at my lack of retirement savings Buys another carton
View on Reddit #21730923

smurfsm00@reddit

Yup.
View on Reddit #21730232

generic-ibuprofen@reddit

Did you smoke for 30+ years and quit? I did, and it's the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Have some empathy.
View on Reddit #21762100

Jumpy_Tomatillo7579@reddit

I think the pack a day smokers are down but the occasional smoker is way up
View on Reddit #21761801

Drhayseed@reddit

Because I enjoy , mind your own business Karen
View on Reddit #21761714

RockingFlower@reddit

not every person has support or self control. I quit drinking. I quit heroin. cigarettes are my friends
View on Reddit #21761707

dynamic_caste@reddit

I don't smoke anymore, but I do like smoking. After they cure all the health problems caused by smoking, I'm totally going to take it up again.
View on Reddit #21761206

77LS77@reddit

People who still smoke cigarettes right outside doors so I inhale a blast of smoke when I walk outside, wtf?
View on Reddit #21760980

SquareExtra918@reddit

You have to be motivated to make the change, a lot of people aren't. It's not just a physical habit, it's cognitive, behavioral... huge lifestyle change.  What I don't get is people who, in this day and age, START smoking.
View on Reddit #21760912

jebieszjeze@reddit

***this has been your regularly scheduled PSA.***
View on Reddit #21760779

Worldly_Ask_9113@reddit

Have you ever smoked, OP?!? I started smoking at 14. Quit for a bit, then started chewing nicotine pouches. 30 years of nicotine usage, shit is no joke to quit.
View on Reddit #21760602

FlutterbyFlower@reddit

My Dad was a smoker since he was 13. Begged him to stop but he couldn’t/wouldn’t do it. He had a massive heart attack in 2015 which he survived, but continued smoking. 9 months later he had another heart attack which killed him. I’m still angry at him for being so irresponsible with his body and for leaving us. He would have been 82 yesterday.
View on Reddit #21760520

repomonkey@reddit

I quit about 15 years ago. The nicotine addiction wasn't actually the hardest part - the hardest part was the rituals that come with smoking. Like having a nice meal, pushing your chair away from the table and lighting up. Or the feeling of camaraderie with other smokers in the smoking room or outside a venue. I still miss it. Also - given how annoying I found it when I got judged for smoking I made sure *not* to be a shitty ex-smoker to those who still indulge.
View on Reddit #21760490

justonebiatch@reddit

People who still judge people for choosing vices that don’t harm anybody else, WTF
View on Reddit #21759212

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Secondhand smoke has entered the chat
View on Reddit #21759912

onceinablueberrymoon@reddit

my idiot brother (boomer) has a pacemaker AND had an aortic aneurism (and somehow lived) and is STILL smoking. boggles my mind. esp when our dad and grandfather both died from heart attacks in their 50s.
View on Reddit #21759486

Real-Apartment-1130@reddit

To someone who has never been addicted to cigarettes, here is how I describe it: It is like having another Instinct to deal with. In fact it’s stronger than most of our natural instincts. If it’s midnight, pouring rain, and I’m out of food and hungry, I’ll likely just wait until tomorrow to get something. Change out food for cigarettes and I guarantee you I’m driving in the rain at midnight to get a pack of cigarettes! Some other factors… it does whatever you want it to do. If I needed a pick me up, it gave me a shot of energy. If I was stressed out, it magically made me relax. Also, there’s the oral fixation thing, the fire, the smoke, the ritual, the smoking friends you make at the designated smoking area, etc. Finally there’s nothing better after a big meal, as well as after sex.
View on Reddit #21759432

Overall_Lobster823@reddit

Fwiw, my pops was an alcoholic (in recovery) and a smoker (diagnosed with COPD). He said quitting smoking was harder than quitting drinking.
View on Reddit #21724140

Parabola2112@reddit

I’m also in recovery (from harder drugs) and agree.
View on Reddit #21724835

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

Smoking was the last of 3 habits to quit. Opiates, booze & benzos went first. 1-2 years later, cigs
View on Reddit #21728015

kalitarios@reddit

I thought you couldn't take opioids and benzos at the same time? that was the cause of death in one of my friends who od'd on fent was because she had taken Xanax earlier that evening
View on Reddit #21736953

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

Plus I bet it was the fentanyl that took your friend out. That is a WHOLE mother kinda opiate. Like someone else posted, I should be dead from the 6+ substances a day I was hooked on for years, but it didn’t. Everyone is different. But it was the fentanyl, you can’t trust anything anymore unless it comes from a pharmacy.
View on Reddit #21759270

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

They are both downers to the CNS. Everyone is affected differently by any type of substance (drugs, alcohol, food?) anyways many ppl are ok both, but in the last 8 years they’ve been cracking down.
View on Reddit #21759148

Parabola2112@reddit

Yes there are many drug combinations that can kill you, and many times the toxic sludge in my system should have killed me but didn’t. Grateful to be alive.
View on Reddit #21744565

kalitarios@reddit

glad you're here with us, too. Stay strong!
View on Reddit #21749409

arbitraryupvoteforu@reddit

Those are what I quit as well and in that very order.
View on Reddit #21732417

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

Crazy huh?
View on Reddit #21733779

Blue-Phoenix23@reddit

I've been sober for about a year and my doctor asks me about smoking but I am still "one thing at a time" lol
View on Reddit #21748427

funkcatbrown@reddit

I’ve quit a lot of addictions in life and nicotine is by far the hardest one to quit.
View on Reddit #21734687

arbitraryupvoteforu@reddit

I’m a recovering alcoholic/addict and that stuff was BY FAR easier. I was clean and sober for 4 1/2 years before I quit smoking. I haven’t thought about drinking or drugging in 5 years but I want a cigarette every fucking day.
View on Reddit #21729823

dinnerwdr13@reddit

I've been sober for nearly 15 years. Quitting drinking was very hard and a 2 year process for me. Quitting smoking? I've made several attempts but I'm guess I'm just not ready yet. I really need to. In many ways, I'm more mad at myself for taking up smoking than drinking.
View on Reddit #21734067

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

The responses here are interesting, either "fuck you" or "Ugh, I hate that I do this." We know for a fact what smoking does to us, this should be enough to make us quit. However, nicotine must be the most addictive element ever because people struggle so greatly with it. My relationship with smoking is not great, I think some folks look sexy or cool while smoking but most of the smokers I know are really gross people. Quitting smoking could make someone less gross. I'm a mentally a teenager but that's who I am.
View on Reddit #21734865

dinnerwdr13@reddit

I think when I was younger I probably could have taken offense to everything you have said on the topic. But with age and maturity comes some semblance of wisdom. It's unhealthy, I'm paying for a product that is killing me. And I keep choosing to do it. And smoking makes me only more gross than my natural state.
View on Reddit #21759267

BionicgalZ@reddit

My mom smoked all the way through chemo for lung cancer, and only quit when she spent five days on a ventilator. It’s criminally addictive.
View on Reddit #21737984

Lemonytea@reddit

It’s been over 20 yrs since I last had a cigarette. I gave myself one year of smoking as much as I wanted. The next year, I used a device called Phase Out. It pokes holes in the filter. I think I started out with 2-3 pokes for an about a month. Next month added another 2-3 pokes & so forth up to 12 months. Then I substituted gum. LOTS of it. The gradual cut off of nicotine for 12 months, helped me tremendously to quit. My wallet as well as my lungs are thankful and healthier! How much does a pack cost nowadays? It was between $7-$10 a pack back then. I can’t imagine the cost for a carton now.
View on Reddit #21759106

BeachCocktails@reddit

Why do you fucking care? You don't do anything in your life that is detrimental to your health? Go pass judgment somewhere else! (I'm a non-smoker and I hate the smell of cigarette smoke.)
View on Reddit #21741796

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Why so angry? Weird.
View on Reddit #21746849

BeachCocktails@reddit

Who the fuck are you, Mr. Mellow Yellow? Go take some more anxiety meds and go to your yoga class with all the ex junkies.
View on Reddit #21747074

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Who hurt you? My word.
View on Reddit #21747507

BeachCocktails@reddit

Oh, you really are that kind of troll aren't you? Mister oh-so-above-it-all. Classic internet troll responses "Weird" "Who hurt you?" You call me weird for being angry. Which nothing in my original reply was angry. I was just calling you out on your tired bullshit. Why? Because, you are an asshole. How do I know you're an asshole? Because I know that only an asshole would post that holier than thou bullshit you posted. So like I said before, fuck off, you passive aggressive, pill-popping, Eckhardt Tolle self help audio book listening, douche!
View on Reddit #21748071

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

lol wow I’m glad I could help you exorcise some bile. Goodness what angry soul you are though. Seek help before you hurt someone.
View on Reddit #21748172

BeachCocktails@reddit

Asshole confirmed. Oh you're so concerned about everyone's well being. Aren't you so sweet?
View on Reddit #21749404

GenX-ModTeam@reddit

No name-calling or similar stuff.
View on Reddit #21759019

BeachCocktails@reddit

Hurt someone? You're the weirdo. You're still an asshole.
View on Reddit #21748727

GenX-ModTeam@reddit

No name-calling or similar stuff.
View on Reddit #21759009

Kimberkley01@reddit

Lmfao
View on Reddit #21756766

GenX-ModTeam@reddit

No name-calling or similar stuff.
View on Reddit #21758980

GenX-ModTeam@reddit

No name-calling or similar stuff.
View on Reddit #21758958

Kimberkley01@reddit

This is perfect, I also hate this dumb post and I don't even smoke.
View on Reddit #21756713

Glittering_Net4992@reddit

My dad was a smoker since he was 14. He had an abdominal aortic aneurysm that almost killed him about 15 years ago and he hasn’t smoked since. He’s in his 80s now and is dealing with lung cancer. Unfortunately many years of smoking have already done the damage.
View on Reddit #21758930

Kimberkley01@reddit

Judgey McJudgerson has entered the chat.
View on Reddit #21756370

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

*Started the chat
View on Reddit #21758895

AnarchiaKapitany@reddit

I like smoking. Now I'm smoking maximum like one or two a day, not even normal cigs, just these heated tobacco rolls, and there are weeks where I don't even light up. But I do like smoking.
View on Reddit #21723337

WillieOverall@reddit

Exactly. I now smoke one or occasionally two a day. Most of those I only smoke half of, that's enough to get the relaxed feeling and enjoy it.
View on Reddit #21758811

ailish@reddit

I absolutely loved smoking. I was a heavy smoker, though. If they came out with a healthy cigarette I would definitely give it a try.
View on Reddit #21724920

trl718@reddit

I agree. I wish they were healthy lol
View on Reddit #21752215

Popcorn_Blitz@reddit

I really really wish smoking wasn't so terrible for you. I really liked smoking too, it's a nice relaxing little break. I still love the smell of fresh tobacco smoke (stale is gross), and if it weren't so harmful I'd absolutely still be doing it.
View on Reddit #21724577

pear_ciderr@reddit

The minute I get diagnosed with a fatal disease I'm back on the cigs without mercy. I mean smoking inside, ash burns in my sweaters, first thing in the morning smoking. Kinda looking forward to it in a sick way.
View on Reddit #21727141

EnvironmentalOne6412@reddit

Or you could move somewhere hot like here in Florida, so you can smoke outside in your beach clothes
View on Reddit #21728248

Popcorn_Blitz@reddit

I told my kid that if I truly thought that we were irrevocably fucked I'd do two things- buy a pack of smokes and smoke a bowl with him. We're a recreational state and he wants to try it, but I don't think it's appropriate for me to introduce him to it. I mean honestly, he probably already has (I'm not dumb) but it's a game we play. When my Mom had cancer one of the last things she did before she was completely bedridden was smoke a cigarette. I mean at that point, who's going to argue with her about it? She said it wasn't nearly as good as she'd hoped it would be. At this point that's what keeps me from picking it back up- I remember how lousy it feels to start smoking again and just decide it's not worth the headache.
View on Reddit #21728217

Exotic_Zucchini@reddit

Right? I mean, I have told people that if I somehow make it 100 years old, I may just start smoking again. It's not like I'm going to have that much time left anyway. lol
View on Reddit #21728016

WillieOverall@reddit

Do you ever: \* Drink Alcohol? That is poison and causes cancer. \* Are you over weight (66% of people in the US are). \* Vape \* Smoke pot \* Not exercise for at least 2.5 hours per week? \* Binge watch TV for more than two hours of TV at a time? \* Eat anything with high fructose corn syrup? Why do you do that to yourself? The "Seriously" and "WTF?" makes your post feel very judgmental rather than honestly curious or concerned. To answer your question: I gave up drinking. That was much more unhealthy for me than smoking, plus it induced to me smoke more. Now I smoke one, and occasionally two cigarettes per day. I may quit someday. But right now it's a hell of a lot better than drinking and doing it helps me not drink. It also helps me exercise, as strange as that sounds. I have a routine where I do work in the morning and then at a certain time go outside, have my one cig of the day and then do a hike -- usually 10,000 steps and sometimes 14,000 or more. Even on days I might not want to hike the desire for the cig gets me out the door. Does that answer your condescending question??
View on Reddit #21758481

Exotic_Zucchini@reddit

I stopped about 15 years ago, and I'm very glad that I did. However, I refuse to be one of those ex-smokers that judges people for smoking. It's a bad look.
View on Reddit #21727393

HairyHorseKnuckles@reddit

I didn’t plan to quit but I got a really bad sinus infection and it caused them to taste like literal shit. I would almost puke with every drag. I’m thankful that happened now but was not happy at the time with how I was forced to quit
View on Reddit #21758280

Surprise_Fragrant@reddit

Same... I'll offer every little bit of help I can, if you ask for it. But I won't badger you at all if you don't want it. I'm not your mamma, I'm not gonna nag you.
View on Reddit #21750145

sly-3@reddit

One of my neighbors would smoke, so I couldn't leave my windows open or had to close them every hour when he'd go out for one, otherwise my living space would smell like an ashtray. I do not miss the smell, and when I walk by someone who is smoking, it's like being hit with a hammer.
View on Reddit #21736836

Jillredhanded@reddit

I had no idea how badly I must have REEKED until I quit. I cannot tolerate the smell any longer. I won't freak out if somebody lights up around me but I'd happily chew my own arm off to get away from it. Ick.
View on Reddit #21746274

wifewantscake@reddit

it’s so strange looking back smoking was everywhere when we were teenagers I remember starting smoking when I was 15. It was so normal and high school kids could smoke on the front porch of school. I quit when I was around 20 and then picked it up again when I got into the bar scene in my mid 20s quit again when my first kid was born when I was 32 I’ve not had a cigarette in over 20 years. Now I can't stand them and can smell them a block away.
View on Reddit #21757733

linspurdu@reddit

Don’t judge. It’s harder for some to quit than others. Addiction isn’t fun… no matter what the vice is. Stupid to have started whatever the vice is? Yes. Does it make us any less of a person? No. Your initial question could have been presented better… or else just don’t ask at all.
View on Reddit #21757712

beachpleazz@reddit

Addiction. That’s it. But seriously people need to give that sh** up for reallz. Just chew the gum and start vaping weed man. It’s so stinking stinky I can’t stand yo be around people that smoke (Ex smoker here) 🙋‍♀️
View on Reddit #21757128

camergen@reddit

“Gotta die of sumthin…” seems to be a common response to this question.
View on Reddit #21755359

winelover08816@reddit

If I had a choice it would be “In my own bed, at the age of 80, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my cock.”
View on Reddit #21756863

JungFuPDX@reddit

I quit smoking for 8 years. My 19 year old son passed suddenly in December. I took up smoking again. Better than the bottle of Jameson. That being said, I’m quitting again soon .. maybe today? I’m over it. It smells bad. I have a routine where I have to wash my hands right after smoking. Then brush my teeth. Then moisturize my hands, face and neck. It’s tiresome. But it helped me cope the first couple of months. It’s time to move forward. This post is a reminder of how gross it truly is.
View on Reddit #21735173

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Judas Priest I can't even imagine the pain. If you need an anonymous friend, I'm right here, not in a creepy way (which is something a creep would say), but just ugh. Stay strong? Stay alive? Do what you can do to feel normal, I guess.
View on Reddit #21735455

JungFuPDX@reddit

Judas Priest :) that made me smile thank you. I’m going to have to start using that. And thank you. I’m doing all the things for my family and myself to get by. It’s all we can do, you know? But my heartfelt thanks for you kindness.
View on Reddit #21756661

joefatmamma@reddit

I was lucky enough to be tripping on lsd when I was about 20 and saw the habit clearly. Never touched another. Now weed…. that’s my vice
View on Reddit #21756555

betterthanbillgates@reddit

I have moved to vaping recently but... yeah mostly addiction and stress relief.
View on Reddit #21755913

Clean_Citron_8278@reddit

Was smoke-free for several months. Then bam. Shit ton of stressor. Which coping mechanism do I want to give in to? What's the lesser of the evils?
View on Reddit #21747463

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Least of all evils: exercise
View on Reddit #21747585

Clean_Citron_8278@reddit

I can do slow walks. That's it. My lung capacity is not even at 50%.
View on Reddit #21755656

Alternative-Plenty-3@reddit

I quit 8 years ago (I’m 53), which was probably way too late. I do vape now, however, because I got so fat when I did gum/patch or cold turkey. Smoking became financially and socially unsustainable. My sister (61) and my brother in law (65) still smoke like chimneys. I can’t stand to go to their houses because it makes my clothes and hair reek, Even when I smoked I didn’t do it inside after I was 23ish. I’m glad my son (24) never did it and I’m glad to see it’s gone the way of the dinosaurs.
View on Reddit #21755451

apikoros18@reddit

I haven't had a cigarette since 2009. I still use nicotine lozenges. I fucking love nicotine. If smoking wasn't lethal, I'd be right there. There was a post on /r/askold people, what would you do if you knew you'd die at 52. My first thing is I would buy a pack of Camel filters and spark it up
View on Reddit #21755431

MizzTerrious@reddit

I still smoke (50f). Stopped apologizing a long time ago. Everyone has an addiction in some form and I will never judge.
View on Reddit #21732396

CrazyCatLadyRookie@reddit

Right?!? If your absolute worst criticism of me as a human being is that I’m a smoker, I’m quite alright with that. Now piss off haha
View on Reddit #21733357

Swim_swam303@reddit

Couldn’t agree with you more.
View on Reddit #21754863

swipeyswiper@reddit

It’s the one addiction I can’t completely kick. I quit smoking cigarettes about 10 years ago, but my vape is grasped firmly in my hand at all times. I quit recreational drugs 30+ years ago; alcohol 3 years ago, both with no problem. Nicotine is a bitch that grabs hold of you and *won’t* let go, and goddamn it, it’s my last vice and I love it. I can’t and won’t judge anyone that still smokes because I know first hand how hard it is to quit.
View on Reddit #21754435

Lynda73@reddit

I vape. Quit smoking that way over 10 years ago. I need SOMETHING.
View on Reddit #21754370

Own-Capital-5995@reddit

I guess I'm a piece of shit. Now go on about your life.
View on Reddit #21754354

rubiconmanlife@reddit

4-5-09 was the last day for me. Thank God!!! Almost $10 a pack!!!!
View on Reddit #21728602

Surprise_Fragrant@reddit

I quit in 2007, when my Pall Malls were $2.75... I can't imagine how much they are these days!
View on Reddit #21750394

rubiconmanlife@reddit

I think Marlboro was $3.50 in 2009. The bars were losing inside smoking, and my Blackstone cherry Cigarillo I was smoking went from $3.50 a pack of 10 to $5.00 I was done. Looks like they are now $9.20 for the same amount today.
View on Reddit #21754283

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

NY?
View on Reddit #21728603

rubiconmanlife@reddit

WI
View on Reddit #21728670

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

I used to visit NY & remember cigs being crazy expensive back then. Never been to WI.
View on Reddit #21729964

Upset_Peace_6739@reddit

Started at 14. Quit in my 30’s for 5 years (no you really can’t just have one) and 58 now and still smoking. I know all the facts. I hate being a smoker but I love smoking. It’s gross and nasty and I still do not foresee me quitting. I did stop smoking inside years ago and that did cut back on the amount significantly. Still…
View on Reddit #21754223

watzrox@reddit

It’s weird cause I also have this thought when I see people still getting smokes. lol like come on - I have to remember how difficult it is to stop. I smoked for the majority of my life , can’t really judge anybody. I still miss them sometimes. ..
View on Reddit #21754186

prissyknickers@reddit

You raaaaaang? I quit for 10 years until I went back to bartending and it was literally the only way to get a 10 minute break. :(
View on Reddit #21753669

Jeffrey-Schafer@reddit

I've smoked cigarettes for 30 years. I've tried gum, patches, lozenges, anything to kick them. I even tried vapes and nothing worked. I'm 47 years old and at this point fuck it I'll probably die from smoking them at some point. There's my contribution to this post.
View on Reddit #21753180

L0renz0VonMatterhorn@reddit

I have no clue why these people don’t just get a vape pen. I have a friend who still smokes and I can’t convince him to just vape. I’ve tried it once…the nicotine buzz was crazy.
View on Reddit #21753164

thewhitebison@reddit

Okay Mr Cosby, why don’t you keep your judgements to yourself? We got enough problems in this life…
View on Reddit #21753088

MmeNxt@reddit

I smoke cigarilles. I enjoy the taste. It's not an addiction for me, I can go weeks without having one, but it's very nice with a cocktail.
View on Reddit #21727249

N-shittified@reddit

I actually like the mild buzz. It kind of gives me a warm, relaxed feeling right in my chest. But yeah, I probably smoke one cig on a special occasion, maybe in a month or even several months. I keep a pack of Marlboro lights in my car, and the current one is 2 years old.
View on Reddit #21727541

MmeNxt@reddit

I'm not sure if I get a mild buzz or if it's just a mental thing that I am rewarding myself with something. I grew up in the 80's and smoking was still glamorous back then so every time I light a cigarille, I sort of feel like Alexis Carrington. I have a silver case for my cigarilles and use a crystal ash tray - and I am looking for an expensive lighter. I just really like the glamorous vibe around smoking.
View on Reddit #21752958

Rld7669@reddit

Started smoking at 8. Am 48 now. I feel like smoking has been my best friend through out my entire life but unfortunately, that bestie is trying to kill me. Old habits die hard. Smoking is the only addiction I have not been able to kick.
View on Reddit #21752831

jawshoeaw@reddit

Have you seen how people vote? It's not a logical decision to smoke once you're addicted. The only people left still smoking I think have some kind of mental defect where they just can't or don't care enough to fight it. In my narrow experience they are poor, uneducated, blue collar and live in more rural areas, so they are also surrounded by more smokers and don't work in an office where they would not allow it.. These are the same people who still use chewing tobacco.
View on Reddit #21736233

sassynickles@reddit

Since your experience is admittedly so narrow perhaps you should consider keeping your gross judgmental incorrect thoughts to yourself
View on Reddit #21751033

jawshoeaw@reddit

huh?
View on Reddit #21751057

sassynickles@reddit

According to you smokers have some kind of mental defect. Oh, and they're poor, uneducated, blue collar, don't work in an office, and live in rural areas. Do you have any kind of actual statistics to back any of this up or are you just experiencing brain-to-mouth diarrhea?
View on Reddit #21751806

jawshoeaw@reddit

yeah i'd say that's pretty accurate in my experience. Everyone who can quit has quit. that leaves people with some wires crossed in their brains. And they are overwhelmingly poor and rural as those areas do not provide the negative feedback you will get in almost any urban setting. Have you met a smoker? they can be the most self centered rude disgusting people to the point that I have to assume nicotine makes you like that. I have melted plastic decking because a friend brought their friend over who smokes. Cigarette buts in flower pots and in my driveway. No apology. no "hey can i have an ash tray?" . Smokers flick burning cigarettes out into traffic. Stink up parking garages, cause fires, burn down houses. Had a coworker who refused to quit because she "didn't want to gain weight", literally burned her house down and almost killed her kids. I toured the house and it was a horror show. She f\*cking lied to the fire investigators and said a homeless guy did it (but privately told everyone haha my bad). Every meeting, stank up the room, took endless smoke breaks. smokers will borrow your car and smoke in despite being told not to, then lie to your face. i can provide endless anecdotes. But since I don't like to think these are actually bad people, i can only conclude they have a screw loose.
View on Reddit #21752519

Live-Cat9553@reddit

Why do you care what I do? You’re not my mom.
View on Reddit #21752510

unknowner1@reddit

Slow method of depressive self-destruction: “Here's the news: I am going to sue the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company, manufacturers of Pall Mall cigarettes, for a billion bucks! Starting when I was only twelve years old, I have never chain-smoked anything but unfiltered Pall Malls. And for many years now, right on the package, Brown & Williamson have promised to kill me. But I am eighty-two. Thanks a lot, you dirty rats.” -Kurt Vonnegut
View on Reddit #21752491

StrawberryKiss2559@reddit

I quit 4 years ago but sometimes I would absolutely LOVE a cigarette. The idea of a nice cocktail in a dark bar with an ashtray in front of me, a cigarette in one hand, and a lighter in another sounds like heaven. I won’t do it but I desperately wish I could with no consequences. I don’t blame people who still smoke. I get it.
View on Reddit #21751703

Akira75@reddit

![gif](giphy|MPgPVErA30K1YWsAby)
View on Reddit #21751586

Akira75@reddit

People who complain about other people’s life choices. WTF?
View on Reddit #21751512

vixisgoodenough@reddit

I quit smoking cold turkey almost 15 years ago. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about buying another pack.
View on Reddit #21751439

ailish@reddit

I managed to quit in 2015. I used chantix, which I know a lot of people can't do because of the side effects. I got lucky.
View on Reddit #21724812

Surprise_Fragrant@reddit

I quit in 2007 with Zyban (aka Wellbutrin). I suffered the side effects of... being a very, very... um... *affectionate* wife. I still don't know why that happened, but neither me nor my husband complained!
View on Reddit #21750334

TokyoRachel@reddit

Can I ask how long it took you to quit with the medication?
View on Reddit #21726799

sly-3@reddit

Lozenges were my ticket out. I was paying about $0.40 a tablet (2mg) and would break them in half. Took over a year or so (assuming you cheat because you still have the muscle memory), but you have no idea how much the smoke interferes with your taste buds and olfactory senses.
View on Reddit #21737153

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

I’ve used it and it works. Never was on the meds as long as I was supposed to. 2 weeks sounds right. Ps. The side effects are the same as quitting smoking - irritable & mood changes.
View on Reddit #21729191

TokyoRachel@reddit

I'm seeing that they discontinued chantix in 2021 but hopefully they've replaced it with something similar. Good to know about the side effects. Doesn't sound terrible.
View on Reddit #21732654

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

Ya u read somewhere else in here it was removed bc it causes cancer? Thank God I was never on it long!
View on Reddit #21733835

TokyoRachel@reddit

Well I saw that comment here so I googled it for myself and read that it was discontinued in 2021 which is a bummer. Glad it worked for you though.
View on Reddit #21736689

ailish@reddit

About two weeks. There's a point in the beginning where you start taking the chantix but you're still smoking. Then you just don't want them anymore. At least that's how it was for me.
View on Reddit #21726909

TokyoRachel@reddit

Good to know, thanks
View on Reddit #21727210

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

What ppl don’t realize is the side effects are the same as if u quit cold Turkey. Irritable, mood changes, for me lots of tears…. I have mental health issues too, and have done chantix 2x and final time was cold Turkey. But I highly recommend ppl to try it bc yes it is only like 2 weeks.
View on Reddit #21729311

Clueless_in_Florida@reddit

I quit while my wife was pregnant. That was 21 years ago. My 10 years of smoking caused permanent damage, but I'm doing much better than if I had not quit.
View on Reddit #21750259

Surprise_Fragrant@reddit

Do you treat other substance abuse addicts the same way? Like, *people who still smoke crack, wtf? Why do you still do that to yourself?* or *people who still drink themselves into a blackout, wtf?* Nicotine is addictive. Full stop. It's harder to quit than heroin. Sincerely, me - a Recovering Nicotine Addict (quit 2007)
View on Reddit #21749847

kat_Folland@reddit

I only quit a few months ago. If I won big in the lottery it would be tricky to stay quit because I quite enjoyed smoking. There were obviously down sides, such as the existence of non smokers, but the actual physical part i liked a lot.
View on Reddit #21749720

916urbanfog@reddit

After 35yrs of smoking today I'm 100 days off tobacco and cannabis 😁 https://preview.redd.it/9r4oesm03smc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f95dcb776a9d5edb15551008e400e689f0eebd95
View on Reddit #21749672

PushingData@reddit

I was walking through a parking lot the other day and was suddenly taking back to 1988 with the smell of a pile of cigarette butts in a car ashtray, and I thought to myself, "who in the hill still smokes today?". Then it occurred to me that I smelled weed in that same parking lot, and did not think anything of it. We have completely reversed to where we no longer notice the smell of weed coming from someone, but now the smell of cigarettes is offensive.
View on Reddit #21748614

DistinctTailor5937@reddit

A real cigarette smoker knows where to buy the cheapest ones that are packed full of vitamins and minerals…. 😂😂😂
View on Reddit #21748415

Zanders2J@reddit

Why ask why? Why is the sky blue, why are rainbows awesome...Wait, is OP an ex smoker? Then you'd know why. My mother didn't raise no quitter! ;) 2 months and 4 days now, not one cigarette. Have tried several times before, and I feel very confident I will be able to finally kick the habit for good. It IS an addiction, very, very hard one. AND yes, most know what we are doing to ourselves, OR seen what it's done to others. Mother is currently on Oxygen, can barely walk, and yet I still smoked until recently. It's a very personal and mental thing. Even now, I daily convince myself of all the money I'm saving, the better example i'm setting, the health benefits. Yet every time I walk into walmart I'm like damnit! I can't stand the smell in here, someone just give me a smoke would ya! LOL.
View on Reddit #21748390

UnitGhidorah@reddit

I used to smoke, quit 20+ years ago. I'd smoke again if they didn't kill me and were <$2 a pack. The whole ritual is nice.
View on Reddit #21725839

TraditionalYard5146@reddit

Same. Smoked from 15 to 25 but i hated spending the money and was already feeling the effects when I tried to run.
View on Reddit #21726922

UnitGhidorah@reddit

I played sports, a lot of them. I never noticed getting winded or anything but I'm sure I was. Putting tar in your lungs and constricting blood vessels is never a good idea.
View on Reddit #21727181

teamalf@reddit

Did you ever blow cigarette smoke into a white t-shirt?
View on Reddit #21748128

Exotic_Zucchini@reddit

I try not to think about the money I spent in the past. I'd probably have an extra $25K to my name, which is insane.
View on Reddit #21728867

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

This is a good answer. Smokers get so mad and defensive when you question their habit. It's like they know they are wrong and don't want someone telling them what they already know lol. I just think if you smoke your entire life you actually become a cigarette and it takes years to get the stench out of you. Like I said to someone else, I work with lifetime smokers and it's really hard to be near them.
View on Reddit #21726242

CertainFitness@reddit

>it's really hard to be near them Agree 100%. It's also hard to read all these excuses that they actually believe. Addiction seriously impaired their cognitive function as well.
View on Reddit #21728059

UnitGhidorah@reddit

I never really chain smoked when I was a smoker. Maybe 4-5 cigs a day for years. IDK if I ever got addicted.
View on Reddit #21726671

pandemicblues@reddit

Can't give up those Djarums.
View on Reddit #21747984

JonConstantly@reddit

People who don't smoke cigarettes? Wtf,? Do you keep up to date and follow all the food Intake science? Do you test your surroundings your carpet, your paint? Do you read every ingredient of every food? Fuck you our world is designed to hurt us. Give me what little control I can get. Did I mention fuck you? People who don't know what the fuck their talking about. Wtf? Fucking duche.
View on Reddit #21726816

kimbersill@reddit

Just so you know, I was indifferent to the paragraph of words you wrote and I then read. Your thoughts on the matter have not offended me at all. Only critique I have is, it's "fucking douche".
View on Reddit #21740013

JonConstantly@reddit

To speak to "fucking douche". I'm not proud of it but it's still one we have left where I live.
View on Reddit #21741297

kimbersill@reddit

I use it, but I usually throw a "bag" on the end:)
View on Reddit #21745359

JonConstantly@reddit

I don't know, care who you are but you keep making me laugh. Thank you. You ever call someone a tool?
View on Reddit #21745527

kimbersill@reddit

Only if they deserve it. Glad I made you smile today.
View on Reddit #21747719

JonConstantly@reddit

That's fare. It is an invasive comment. Take it or leave it. To be clear, and I don't mean you, most people are assholes. If that's not been your experience I'm happy for you.
View on Reddit #21741140

kimbersill@reddit

No, I'm with you, cynical as hell, there all buttholes.
View on Reddit #21744437

JonConstantly@reddit

Oh man Kimbersill. It's true most everyone is a butthead. Just do as best as can or don't. The only thing I've seen that has matterd has been being nice to people, being there for people. I mean we are less then nothing, I'm speaking galaxy style let alone universe or endless space. As will wheaton says, don't be a dick
View on Reddit #21745059

CertainFitness@reddit

Get help
View on Reddit #21728282

SuzQP@reddit

Wtf is wrong with you? Maybe seek treatment for your arrogant hubris and nasty personality.
View on Reddit #21746774

JonConstantly@reddit

We all need help of some kind. You offering to pay for mine? For anyone's. Are you getting help? Two words and you solved it well done.
View on Reddit #21728441

SuzQP@reddit

Anyone able to express their feelings as you did is better off than the kind of repressed asshat that tells a complete stranger to "get help" as if they have solved every problem caused by their own insufferably smug personality.
View on Reddit #21746695

CertainFitness@reddit

>We all need help of some kind Facts >You offering to pay for mine? No >Are you getting help? Yes >you solved it well done. You're welcome
View on Reddit #21731797

JonConstantly@reddit

Well played.
View on Reddit #21732602

JonConstantly@reddit

You don't, didn't know what a douche was before you Googled it did you? Haha that tickles me. Going to the bathroom at your best friend's house there it is the douche thing from the older sister. Nonevent really still a good burn. Fuckng dbah, may you knife chip and shatter.
View on Reddit #21745411

JonConstantly@reddit

Also sorry for my anger. I lashed out. It's just q thing for me. I apologize.
View on Reddit #21726942

longshotist@reddit

Because they're one of three pillars of my youthful appearance along with coffee and pot.
View on Reddit #21747638

fmlyjwls@reddit

When I started school, they told us that smoking was bad. I begged my parents to quit. Mom did, dad hid it for many many years. My grandfather died of lung cancer when I was 12. I started smoking at 13. I finally quit in 2007 thanks to a loving, stubborn wife. I still want to smoke. I know if I even had one, I’d be right back at it. Addiction is a terrible thing.
View on Reddit #21747498

averyfinefellow@reddit

I hate when people act like smoking is all about addiction and that's it. Smoking is a pleasurable experience. It's great! That why people do it! That's why despite having quit a few years ago I still want one every now and then. If I had to quit eating cookies, I'd probably still want one of those every 6 months or so.
View on Reddit #21747403

iminthecaravan@reddit

People that want to be 90, wtf?
View on Reddit #21747282

Puzzleheaded_Rub858@reddit

Addiction. Was at Disney World with a friend and the way they acted trying to get to the smoking area was more like an addict trying to get their fix. Not sure I want to take another trip with them if they are going to continue to smoke.
View on Reddit #21747204

External_Low_7551@reddit

I've struggled with smoking cigs for decades 😒 Managed to quit for a year due to pregnancy. All other attempts have been short-lived. Had good results with Chantix, but it was pulled from the market for causing cancer 🤦🏼‍♀️ Also tried Bupropion and had a bad reaction.
View on Reddit #21725520

SuzQP@reddit

Chantix is back! Turns out it doesn't cause anything.
View on Reddit #21746902

Walkertown5000@reddit

I look cool. 🚬😎
View on Reddit #21741592

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Actually one of the more honest answers.
View on Reddit #21746890

Unfinished-symphony@reddit

As I sit next two friends (outside) who are smoking.. smh
View on Reddit #21729696

dragonfliesloveme@reddit

You don’t have to judge them
View on Reddit #21730563

Unfinished-symphony@reddit

I’m not. I’ve known them for years and years. In response to the post though, why still do it? It is a talk had between us before. At our age it’s more from a place of concern. Of course I guess cancer can impact any of us in spite of what we do.
View on Reddit #21746540

ClmrThnUR@reddit

the air and water gonna kill you anyway
View on Reddit #21726558

Artichokeydokey8@reddit

a little slower than cigs tho.
View on Reddit #21726894

SuzQP@reddit

Yeah, we'll get that extra six years in the nursing home to sit rotting in our own smelly diapers. What a prize!
View on Reddit #21746412

Electronic_Cow_7055@reddit

I quit in November then in December I had bronchitis. It was the worst feeling. Not being able to breathe properly. Couldn't walk a flight of stairs without catching my breath. When the bronchitis cleared I had no urge to go back. I miss tje nostalgia of it. Care free youth smoking cigs without worry, but I don't want to go back.
View on Reddit #21746332

PVinesGIS@reddit

I find it interesting that smoking gets so much more negative attention than drinking, even though modern research has shown that there is no “healthy” moderation of drinking (yes, that 1-2 glasses of red wine being healthy has been shown to be a myth). I realize there’s no “second hand alcohol” issue, but there’s also no epidemic of people dying from drivers smoking cigarettes. I don’t smoke, but I like to have a drink once or twice a month. As long as people are educated to understand their own health risks and know how not to endanger others, I’m going to respect their ability to decide for themselves.
View on Reddit #21739536

ToroTexan@reddit

Second hand alcohol is when someone kills you with their car.
View on Reddit #21744794

PVinesGIS@reddit

Yeah, that’s the whole point behind the second half of my sentence
View on Reddit #21745926

fordyuck@reddit

One year two months clean! 🥹
View on Reddit #21745290

itsamadmadworld22@reddit

Mental illness, depression and addiction. My days are void of any hope so most days I dont give a fuck about anything . So why would I quit?
View on Reddit #21745180

4eva28@reddit

Why do people still sit on the beach in the blazing hot sun? Why do people drink and drive? Why do people eat foods that are detrimental to their health? Why do people not find time to stay active, even low impact? I could go on and on. Life is full of choices. Why do people feel it's ok to shame other people? Smokers know the risks. Let them live their lives.
View on Reddit #21745033

WillaLane@reddit

I live in Florida, no one in my circle smokes, I visit family up north and they all smoke like crazy
View on Reddit #21744991

JeffTS@reddit

I quit months before my 30th birthday in 2007 after about 15 years of smoking. 2nd toughest damn thing I ever had to do. To this day, if I picked up a cigarette, I have doubts about whether I could keep myself from going back.
View on Reddit #21744564

teamalf@reddit

Ugh I was leaving the grocery store today and in the car next to me was an old man with his windows down smoking a cigarette. I opened the door and quickly got in because the smell of it makes me want to throw up. Even for those brief seconds, the smell followed me into my car. That shit is potent. 🤢🤢
View on Reddit #21744445

chaoshaze2@reddit

We are all closer to death than we are away from it. If not for our age then from the drive home from work tonight. I have no children. I don't hurt anyone else with my smoking. Why are you here judging me or others? Live your life and let others live their own.
View on Reddit #21724882

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Asking why isn't judgement, it's just asking why. You feel judged because you know that with all the information we have about smoking, to continue to do so is ridiculous.
View on Reddit #21725237

Albie_Tross@reddit

To be fair, the WTF is a bit aggressive.
View on Reddit #21726194

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Fair enough. But really, with all the information on the dangers and the social stigma attached to it, "wtf" maybe isn't out of the realm.
View on Reddit #21726315

Albie_Tross@reddit

It's a little high-horsey, though.
View on Reddit #21744444

Exotic_Zucchini@reddit

You may think it's an innocent question, but a lot of your phrasing suggests otherwise. "to continue to do so is ridiculous" is indeed a judgmental statement. Because you're right, every smoker knows the deal. This isn't the way back time where advertisements proclaimed that doctors recommended the cool feeling of Newports. We all know, and some of us are very lucky to be able to say that we quit. The people that haven't yet may have tried countless times, so asking these kinds of questions doesn't help them. It only adds another layer of feeling bad about themselves. Even if people don't want to quit, there's no reason to ask "why do you still do that to yourself?" The question in and of itself is fine if you phrase it in such a way that shows curiosity and a desire to understand what it feels like to be addicted. However...the way your question and responses are written makes it feel like that's not your goal.
View on Reddit #21729391

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

The goal is always conversation. If conversation is somewhat contentious, that's fine, we are all grown ups with strong opinious. By using "wtf" conversation is certainly sparked, so mission accomplished. The reason to ask, "why do you still do that to yourself" is just as you say, maybe someone will say, "fuck it, u/bigmistaketoday called out smoking, so I'm done." Maybe not. I do find it interesting how defensive smokers are though. Like they are defending the indefensible and I guess that's kinda noble.
View on Reddit #21729778

olblll1975@reddit

So is eating unhealthy food and I guarantee you there are more people obese than there is smokers, but obese people keep eating unhealthy food in excessive amounts. Even though they know eating unhealthy and in excess is going to kill. Them.
View on Reddit #21728186

Postcard2923@reddit

Yeah, because questions ending in "WTF" are totally bereft of judgement.
View on Reddit #21726468

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Fair response. However, given what we know about it and how we've seen others suffer horrible diseases and deaths, "wtf" is kind of appropriate.
View on Reddit #21726678

mitsubachi88@reddit

So why not ask about vaping as well? There are now enough studies that condemn it as being just as bad for your health.
View on Reddit #21728007

Ok-Vast167@reddit

I don't want to live a long life but I don't want to straight up kill myself like shooting myself in the head or something. &#x200B; This planet is a hellhole that gets worse every year. Simple. I don't care if I die in my 50's-60's from smoking. Hell, even my 40's.
View on Reddit #21727058

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

That's sad that you think the world is so bad. It isn't perfect but it is all we have and I think it's pretty great.
View on Reddit #21727189

chaoshaze2@reddit

You wouldnt ask if you didnt feel like everyone should quit. It makes me happy. Why should I care?
View on Reddit #21725390

Multiple__Sarcasms@reddit

Addiction researcher here. Nicotine is the most addictive drug - by many definitions. Partly because of the number of times (drug-cue pairings) a person smokes a day, partly because nicotine acts on learning and memory centers …. but it all amounts to massive amounts of craving which is a hard thing to reckon with.
View on Reddit #21743365

SmellyBaconland@reddit

It's amazing how many human behaviors come down to self medicating for depression. Folks lose the ability to give a fk. If that idea feels foreign and/or hard to believe, congratulations.
View on Reddit #21726323

velvet42@reddit

Why you gotta call me out like that... For real though. I know it could kill me, but some days it's just, like...[when?](https://media1.tenor.com/m/tepbmj-AmH4AAAAC/when-blazing.gif)
View on Reddit #21742922

smurfsm00@reddit

Exactly.
View on Reddit #21730281

Exotic_Zucchini@reddit

Exactly. I mentioned this in another response, and it's slightly off topic. But, the pandemic allowed me to quit drinking. It became very easy to stop when I no longer had to trudge into the office every day and have constant interaction with people. Social anxiety was a prime motivator for a lot of my bad habits, alcohol and nicotine included. It's remarkable how, when people are allowed to live their lives as they see fit, addictions become easier to beat.
View on Reddit #21730143

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Smoking helps with depression? I always thought it was more of an anxiety supressant.
View on Reddit #21726569

8888u8@reddit

R u 14
View on Reddit #21729768

SmellyBaconland@reddit

Part of that comes from the physical addiction to nicotine, and relief from withdrawals.
View on Reddit #21729567

N-shittified@reddit

Many folks who suffer from depression are comorbid with anxiety.
View on Reddit #21727916

Alohadaze@reddit

I quit cold turkey 12 years ago. Every day I would Google the # of days I’d quit and the changes made in my body. Sounds strange but it helped me. Sitting in traffic was the hardest for me. That and having a cocktail without smoking. So hard. I remember reading once that quitting smoking was losing your best friend. You’re stressed? Light up. You’re celebrating? Light up. Morning coffee? Light up. Traffic annoying? Light up. I’d automatically light up if someone else did (or they’d light up in the movie/tv show). You feel lost when you no longer have your friend there to comfort you. It made sense to me. I smoked Parliament Lights and I’d swear I could smell when someone lit one up! So crazy! Now it’s like I never smoked BUT I swear I smoke in my dreams! lol it’s the wildest thing. I’m strange I know. Good luck out there to all trying to quit!
View on Reddit #21742820

TalkAcrobatic2628@reddit

I am in. Hronic pain and a cigarette is a brief and welcomed excursion away from pain for 5 minutes
View on Reddit #21742791

systemfrown@reddit

Mostly I only smoke now if there's an opportunity to piss someone like you off. Seriously. Also I'll kick your ass in a 10K or to the top of any 14er.
View on Reddit #21737612

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

5k time?
View on Reddit #21737711

systemfrown@reddit

dk, haven’t timed such a short distance in a couple years, and nothings flat around here anyway so it would mean anything to you…*but thank you for letting me know that you read my comment, and that it caused you to get your panties in a bunch*. I derive great satisfaction from that.
View on Reddit #21742704

MikeNunion@reddit

I stopped drinking almost 20 years ago, I'll stop smoking 20 minutes after I stop breathing f*** you.
View on Reddit #21725877

kimbersill@reddit

I love smoking, it's delicious! Mind your business and get the fuck away from me.
View on Reddit #21737762

Kitten_K_@reddit

Amen.
View on Reddit #21742484

CertainFitness@reddit

Gross
View on Reddit #21728222

MikeNunion@reddit

Awww whatever.
View on Reddit #21728423

Dawn-of-the-Ginger@reddit

I haven’t had a cigarette in a year!! Vapes helped me. Banana vapes to be exact. I used that until I didn’t need a cigarette anymore then weened myself off nicotine by lowering it every few weeks. Now I am only addicted to banana laffy taffy and now and laters.
View on Reddit #21729644

BourbonInGinger@reddit

Banana Laffy Taffy is my absolute favorite! The thing is I have to buy a bag of the other flavors just to get a few of banana flavor.
View on Reddit #21732312

Dawn-of-the-Ginger@reddit

If you look on Amazon you can find a giant bag of just banana!
View on Reddit #21734597

BourbonInGinger@reddit

Sweet!
View on Reddit #21742293

SomeCrazedBiker@reddit

People with certain mental illnesses often wind up smokers because nicotine can help with anxiety and mood regulation. Maligning people living with mental illness is not cool. Definitely not a GenX thing to do. Shame on you.
View on Reddit #21729387

Kitten_K_@reddit

Thank you for saying this so eloquently, I was failing to find the words. I am damn proud the only bad thing I do is smoke, people judging from their perfect sideline are ignorant which is messed up, but coming from a Gen X this is absolutely fucked. So my ubeloquent Gen X response to OP is go fuck yourself and did I even ask for your opinion.
View on Reddit #21742068

elissapool@reddit

Well said
View on Reddit #21739128

Jewzilla_@reddit

Addiction is tough. I get it. I was a smoker, too. It’s hard to quit. If you want to quit, there are resources out there that can help you achieve your goal.
View on Reddit #21741832

Old_and_Cranky_Xer@reddit

So I’m reading some comments I find EXTREMELY disturbing. So yes I am a smoker. I’ll be 58 next month and therefore have been smoking 44 years. The way some of you talk that I should be hung from the highest tree. How about this, it is an addiction. You all celebrate everyone who has beaten theirs as well as I. I’m not an alcoholic, never been a drug addict but apparently I’m not a human because I smoke. You fucking hypocrites! Yes I know I should quit. But in the foreseeable future it won’t happen. I’ve never had health issues from my smoking. While my doctor would like me to quit HE knows it won’t happen. He leaves it a moot point at this time. He knows it isn’t what makes up my health issues and keeps me from homicidal tendencies. So until you bunch of uptight, self righteous hypocrites live my life…
View on Reddit #21741205

Etrigone@reddit

Mid teens I worked with a guy who smoked cloves. I hadn't seen that since the 90s, the smell evoked a moment of nostalgia. Then, kinda "dude wtf?" He says he never really kicked the habit but he is/was way down on how much he smokes. Maybe, like 1x-2x/week one clove cigarette. generally as a reward for doing something productive like major work project, personal goal (lost n pounds) and such. The next several years bore that out. I suppose if there's a healthy level that might be it, but I realize he's something of a rarity. Now, pot smokers I know a few and there's one who, especially now that he's retired, he does a fair amount. He has some nausea, pain and general discomfort from dealing with cancer and he's trying to get himself away from any opiate use. The marijuana apparently helps that a lot. I suppose these are both off what you're really asking though.
View on Reddit #21741188

wishiwasyou333@reddit

It's the only habit I have left. I'm sober (other than cannabis) for thirteen years. Plus, why do you care? I can't get over why folks feel the need to butt in for something that absolutely doesn't concern them. If I smoke in public, I stand far away from people. I don't litter. I dispose of the butt in the proper bin. I don't even smoke inside my home or car. Why can't y'all just leave us alone? There are other things to be focused on out in the world. For real, it's out of hand. You stop bugging us and I won't roll up and talk about your unhealthy relationship with alcohol and how you are destroying your liver as well as developing unhealthy coping mechanisms.
View on Reddit #21729692

kimbersill@reddit

Don't you love when you're standing in the back 40, away from everyone, and here comes some family by you, all coughing and glaring. Parents teaching their kids to be all rude and dramatic................. get the fuck away from me!!!!
View on Reddit #21740376

wishiwasyou333@reddit

Yes!!! Someone did this to me on Fremont Street in Las Vegas at one AM. It was mom with a baby in a stroller! But yeah, I'm the problem. Clearly it is acceptable to walk with an infant past showgirls in pasties and a guy in a thong while three bands are trying to out do each other on different stages and people are crazy intoxicated. No. It's me well off to the side with my smoke that you feel the need to walk into. Ugh.
View on Reddit #21741148

mickeysbeerdeux@reddit

Ahhh b/c smoking is what the cools out back behind the school do. Duh!
View on Reddit #21740897

craigechoes9501@reddit

I enjoy it. Tastes good. It's a break. Gets me outside. I'm addicted for sure, but I enjoy smoking. I make my own now days so it is cheap now.
View on Reddit #21725919

kimbersill@reddit

Me too, I buy tubes with filters and pack my own. I may be slowly killing myself, but I'll be damned if I do it for $10 a pack.
View on Reddit #21737471

craigechoes9501@reddit

Same. No doubt about that!! They are $9 here. I started doing this in May of last year when they got to $8. Saving hundreds! Thousands even over time.
View on Reddit #21739523

kimbersill@reddit

There was definitely a learning curve in the beginning. If I have a regular smoke now, I can't tell the difference anymore, except for the fire suppression BS. Anytime someone bums a smoke, they say they can't tell, but who complains about a free smoke?
View on Reddit #21740887

Mercury_NYC@reddit

I feel like this is drilled into us from every news source: - Quit smoking - Quit drinking, even a little bit is too much. - Don't eat too much red meat. - Don't eat too many carbs. - Don't consume so much sugar. - No plastic bottled water, they have microplastics. - Factory animal farming is incredibly harmful to the environment, not to mention unethical - go vegan. - Eat GMO-free grains. - Too many pesticides in our crops. No matter what you do - you are going to harm yourself.
View on Reddit #21740840

67alecto@reddit

"They're cool. They're available. And they're addictive. The job is almost done for us."
View on Reddit #21740620

AquaTealGreen@reddit

Stress and to be able to get time to myself. Can’t smoke around the kid, so I go outdoors and get that 10 minutes of quiet. I have quit, even recently, and I actually didn’t smoke for like 2 decades. Picked it up again in the pandemic during my divorce.
View on Reddit #21740607

dezinerd@reddit

Quit smoking cigarettes over 12 years ago and my favorite breakfast to this day is a Newport and a black coffee.
View on Reddit #21740564

Puzzleheaded-One-319@reddit

I’ll never give up smoking weed
View on Reddit #21727540

kimbersill@reddit

You and me both, roll me up and smoke me when I die.
View on Reddit #21740463

Infamous-Mountain-81@reddit

I still enjoy them. Vapes and gum just aren’t the same. It’s nearly impossible to quit unless you really want to and I don’t really want to. I have no history of cancer on either side of my family (mostly smokers) and I have potential to live to 100 (my nana didn’t quit until she was in her 90’s and cigarettes didn’t kill her, she had to will herself to die after having to live through losing 3 of her 8 children, none from smoking ) my body is busted up and I don’t want to live another 50 years so I’m rolling the dice.
View on Reddit #21740461

medicmachinist38@reddit

People who clearly have no idea how addiction works, wtf?
View on Reddit #21731213

Shferitz@reddit

Seriously. I’ve quit a time or two and the rAgE and depression that follows (even with Wellbutrin) are too much.
View on Reddit #21740253

whiteoakforest@reddit

I love nicotine! It's really a great drug. If it didn't kill you and smell so terrible, I'd still be smoking. I quit 5 yrs so and I miss the buzz, the appetite suppression and energy that Nicotine gave me. Despite that, I'm am so glad that I am no longer controlled by the addiction.
View on Reddit #21740191

Upstream_Paddler@reddit

I quit an about two years ago after very heavy smoking since my teens, because I wanted to get loose skin removed from losing 200 lbs 15 years ago. But quitting also meant regaining (at least some weight), among other things. So long story short I quit smoking successfully but at the expense of everything else I hold dear in my life. Now body my settled down I can begin to loose weight again, and I miss smoking a little, but nothing on earth will have me repeat the past two years again so I’m sure it’s good. I can’t say I regret it but the asshats who get paid to act like it’s a temporary inconvenience can burn in hell’s ashtray.
View on Reddit #21740144

MrsTruffulaTree@reddit

I smoked for almost 20 years and quit 17 years ago. I still miss it. I give in every now and then and bum one off my sister. There's just something about it. Back then, smoking while sitting in 1+ hour of traffic everyday kept me sane. It made the time pass.
View on Reddit #21740111

countdoofie@reddit

We all grew up around it and I can see why it was easy to start and have a helluva time stopping. The cigarette companies knew what they were doing to make it so cool and addictive, so I may not be a smoker, but I understand.
View on Reddit #21740077

Pure_Literature2028@reddit

I think smoking cigs will become popular with alternative high school kids. The ones who take pride in being different.
View on Reddit #21740058

FauxRealsies@reddit

This thread is making me want a cigarette and I finally quit 9 years ago after smoking for 20 years. Just the mention if it and describing the rituals and reasons around it is enough to trigger the craving. Of course the tobacco companies were quick to agree to the "stop smoking" ads as a punishment.
View on Reddit #21739965

aarontsuru@reddit

As an ex-smoker, it was very very very very very hard to quit.
View on Reddit #21725217

iwery@reddit

But you did it anyway, kudos!
View on Reddit #21739593

aarontsuru@reddit

thanks! It took me getting into a cardio intensive habit (cycling to work) to finally kick it. But even still, something in life would go bad and I'd lean back on them again to finally it went away. WOOF. The worse. regrets!
View on Reddit #21739906

iwery@reddit

I lived in Germany for about a year, and everybody there smokes. I mean, everybody - young people, old people, men, women, and it's everywhere - parks, restaurants, kids playground. Often you can see someone smoking while driving a bike lol. What stuck me as odd is that they seem to do just fine health and life span wise. So maybe smoking isn't that bad after all?
View on Reddit #21738835

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

By region, the highest lung cancer mortality rates (per 100,000) in 2012 were in Central and Eastern Europe (47.6) and Eastern Asia (44.8) among males and in Northern America (23.5) and Northern Europe (19.1) among females; the lowest rates were in sub-Saharan Africa in both males (4.4) and females (2.2).
View on Reddit #21739131

iwery@reddit

That's an interesting fact, thank you, I didn't know that. Sounds plausible. Smoking isn't that popular among females where I live (Eastern Europe), although males (especially older ones) smoke a lot.
View on Reddit #21739442

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Your English is impeccable lol.
View on Reddit #21739763

iwery@reddit

Thank you!
View on Reddit #21739780

liddyloushysteria@reddit

I used to vape, now I smoke 0 nic vapes and have a cig every once in a while. Addiction that’s why.
View on Reddit #21730518

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Have you tried Zins? Is that what they are called?
View on Reddit #21730679

liddyloushysteria@reddit

Ive heard of them. My best friend takes those (I’m not entirely sure what they are or how u take it) but I like the smoke, like the feeling of the smoke entering my lungs then blowing it out and seeing the smoke. I know it’s so bad and I need to quit for my health, but it’s so hard.
View on Reddit #21731197

kimbersill@reddit

They are little pouches you stick in your mouth, in your cheek or under your tongue, like chew pouches. They contain nicotine but no tobacco. So, no smelly smoke, but you get your nicotine fix. People like them while at work.
View on Reddit #21739521

sharpbehind2@reddit

I worked in restaurants for a long time. Now I'm kinda homebound, it's like the last thing. I'm going to switch to vape and hopefully taper down...I have patches and gum. It's fucking hard
View on Reddit #21736854

Prudent-Theory-2822@reddit

I’m currently vaping to get away from the smell but I’m not sure how effective it is for quitting nicotine. These things are just as bad. I still love my Marlboros but I’ve just gotten self conscious about the smell at work. The vapes aren’t bad and I stick with the more tobacco flavored products because I hate smoking grape flavored Big League Chew…
View on Reddit #21737488

sharpbehind2@reddit

Hahaha! That's the thing I hate..the smell. Cancer too It's just so difficult, I wish I never did it. Every adult I knew growing up smoked. I was doomed.
View on Reddit #21737971

Prudent-Theory-2822@reddit

Ahh, gotta die of something
View on Reddit #21739455

MonoBlancoATX@reddit

Do you not understand how addiction works? I struggled for years to quit smoking and drinking. It's not easy, so maybe have a little empathy?
View on Reddit #21739366

BuzzBabe69@reddit

Sorry, but this 55 year old, who has been smoking since I was 12, and has no wrinkles, "black don't crack, " loves cigarettes!
View on Reddit #21739193

Twin_spark@reddit

Sorry sunshine, not everyone has the luxury of being able to afford vacations and need something that makes them happy, even if they are aware it will kill them.
View on Reddit #21731612

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

But they can afford 6 dollars a pack for cigarettes?
View on Reddit #21732083

Twin_spark@reddit

Let me know what sort of vacations you can take for 6 usd
View on Reddit #21739018

noquarter1000@reddit

If you have never been addicted its easy to say ‘just stop’ because you have no context. I smoked for 20 years (5 years smoke free and would never go back). I stupidly started because i girl I liked in high school smoked and i didn’t want to seem like a square lol. Pretty stupid when I think about how bad it probably destroyed my body. But I can tell you the nicotine addiction is every bit as intense if not more than harder drugs
View on Reddit #21739011

workdistraction4me@reddit

I am a professional quitter. Every time I have started, it was a social decision. I would smoke if I went to hair shows. Think it's only for 3 days. I'll get one pack and then quit when I get home. I learned more standing outside in the smokers circle than in the classes. When I had a certain job, it seemed like only the smokers got breaks. If you were on "break" but not smoking they would come grab you early to help a customer. I started smoking that time, just so I could talk to my friends and actually get my breaks. If I was going to go out for a night and drink. You can't drink and not smoke, so one pack, for just tonight and I will quit tomorrow. But it was never just one pack.
View on Reddit #21728410

kimbersill@reddit

Hairstylists are notorious smokers. I'll just sneak out while my perm/color is sitting. It's where all the best conversations happen.
View on Reddit #21738964

defmacro-jam@reddit

I did quit smoking -- multiple times -- but it didn't take.
View on Reddit #21738606

TestUser254@reddit

Killing yourself slowly is bad ass.
View on Reddit #21726306

kimbersill@reddit

Isn't everything, essentially slowly killing us though? Brace yourself, nobody makes it out alive.
View on Reddit #21738510

vivsom@reddit

I quit smoking in 2011 and have only sympathy for those who are still smoking. It's a really hard addiction to kick. I feel pride in quitting but I'm not judging others for still smoking. It's brutal.
View on Reddit #21738122

CautiousConch789@reddit

Hear me out: sometimes, every once in awhile, a few puffs of a cig can feel so nice and relaxing. You just can’t do it more than like 6x/yr. I love bumming a cig off my brother in law once in awhile.
View on Reddit #21738121

imalloverthemap@reddit

I spent December in Germany and wow it was shocking to see how many people smoke over there. Never smoked, don’t get it.
View on Reddit #21738024

Wonder_Jen@reddit

Wow, judge much?
View on Reddit #21738016

ComprehensiveEbb8261@reddit

I stopped 2 years ago. After sooooo many attempts. I also did it on a whim, and didn't want to quit. I used and app called QuitSure and I have not had a cigarette in over 2 years. It takes 6 days and if you follow the instructions it works. It's cheap, and it's affective.
View on Reddit #21738005

tracebusta@reddit

Physical, habitual, mental addiction. I was finally able to give it up 13 years ago because I was just ready to be done with it. The times I tried quitting before then didn't work, because I didn't feel done. I loved it.
View on Reddit #21737993

Hattkake@reddit

Why not? What's it too you? Tobacco is a nice drug. And it shortens lifespan. You really want to get older? Seriously? Have you seen the state of "elderly care"? Fuck that. I am going out the way I came into this world; a problem. I don't understand why you don't smoke. Do you think you get any kind of reward? You know all you are getting is a few more years of elderly hell, right? Those shit years at the end where you long for death but are too feeble to do anything. That is what not smoking gets you. The diaper years, the forgotten and stowed away years. The confused and frightened years. If you don't know what I am talking about then go visit an old folks home. That is your reward for not smoking and drinking and living while you had the chance.
View on Reddit #21734081

BionicgalZ@reddit

If smoking is a high point of your life, dude that’s sad. And lots of people age reasonably well and relatively healthfully and die in one, fell swoop— unlike my mom who smoked herself to death and died basically suffocating herself to death. It was a horrible death, and hell yes I’d rather live 10 years longer and be in better shape before I go. And not traumatize my family. I think of most dedicated smokers, were exposed to what it’s like to die from a smoking related illness, it might prevent attitudes like yours. I know it’s harder than fuck to quit, though.
View on Reddit #21737855

D33m0n533d@reddit

> **People who still smoke cigarettes, wtf?** People who can't mind their own damn business, WTF? Seriously, why do you put yourself in a position to fuck around and find out?
View on Reddit #21734733

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Why so aggressive? It's interesting how smokers are like completely defensive when someone asks them why. Do you feel inferior or weak? You have to know you shouldn't smoke and a reminder causes a visceral reaction? The attacks from smokers are really off-putting in their aggression. Like, folks we know it ain't good for us.
View on Reddit #21735298

D33m0n533d@reddit

>Why so aggressive? People can't mind their own business. >It's interesting how smokers are like completely defensive when someone asks them why. Again, mind your own damn business? >Do you feel inferior or weak? Strong enough to know you probably wouldn't come up to me in public, not minding your own damn business... asking this BS. >You have to know you shouldn't smoke and a reminder causes a visceral reaction? Because people should mind their damn business... >The attacks from smokers are really off-putting in their aggression. Like, folks we know it ain't good for us. It's not good for some gatekeeping douche to walk up to a stranger and tell them they shouldn't do something... Like... mind your own damn business! Seeing a slight pattern here? Minding your own business is good for your health, much better than smoking is... why do you not mind your own business? Get it yet?
View on Reddit #21736902

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

![gif](giphy|13Ev2RtSAxKsTu|downsized)
View on Reddit #21737587

D33m0n533d@reddit

![gif](giphy|D0skOCiKlS46q4iszq|downsized) OP's thought process...
View on Reddit #21737847

BionicgalZ@reddit

I actually think it’s an interesting question. If I were looking for a nicotine delivery system, I’d probably go with vaping because it’s less messy, you can sneak and do it more places, and it’s just basically less socially unacceptable . So I do think in this day and age it’s an interesting question why people would smoke actual cigarettes. Not to mention all the secondhand smoke, you expose other people too.
View on Reddit #21737445

chikinpants@reddit

I smoke cigars in the summer time. 2-3 times a week if I can, but sometimes it’s only 1 a week or less. I need to be able to dedicate a good 45 minutes in the backyard for a smoke session.
View on Reddit #21737790

Lobotomist@reddit

I stopped smoking some 20 years ago. I still regret that decision every day There is no question that cigarettes are bad for you. But you know whats even worse ? Stress. Stress kills, causes mental health problems, and makes people miserable. Its well known and proven that smoking reduces stress. So its just a question what you want to die from?
View on Reddit #21730835

GroupCurious5679@reddit

Can confirm. My ex husband quit when he was 27,but he was the most stressed person I've ever known. He died at 51.
View on Reddit #21737536

lirio2u@reddit

If it didnt cause cancer, I probably would smoke like a dragon. I have a kid now, so a most, it’s a random cigarette or 2 per year. The cigarette in my head always tastes better than a real cigarette.
View on Reddit #21734338

BionicgalZ@reddit

That’s profound!
View on Reddit #21737513

pertangamcfeet@reddit

My ex smoked like a chimney. She stopped last year and she puts the money she spent on fags (English term for a cig) into a savings account. She's off on a nice holiday this year.
View on Reddit #21737474

RetroBerner@reddit

I just like smoking. People who still drink alcohol, wtf?
View on Reddit #21737437

Reasonable_Smell_854@reddit

Hey I stopped smoking cigarettes, isn’t that something? I’m onto cigars now. I’m on a five year plan. I eliminated cigarettes, then I go to cigars, then I go to pipes, then I go to chewing tobacco, than I’m onto that nicotine gum. John Candy aside, I quit smoking cigarettes when my time with the Navy ended in 1995 but I still smoke a few (3-5) good cigars a week.
View on Reddit #21737430

Marsupialize@reddit

I quit over a decade ago, my wife will never quit it’s just part of her DNA along with coffee
View on Reddit #21737341

Administrative-Flan9@reddit

For me, it's several things. It's the only thing that relaxes me without drugs that impair your ability to go about your day, and it's the only time I don't take short, shallow breaths. It's also a habit and a way to break up the day that just feels nice and familiar. I've tried gum, patches, cold turkey, vapes etc but just can't do it. When I don't smoke, it's all I think about all the time, for weeks and months it just doesn't go away. I need the anxiety relief, the break, the routine, and those deep breaths to get through my day. It sucks, and I hate it, but I've resigned myself to accepting that I need to fix my emotional issues before I can quit smoking. Unfortunately, I'm a couple of years into therapy, and even with my three different mental health meds, I'm just not making progress.
View on Reddit #21736397

BionicgalZ@reddit

Stopping smoking would likely contribute positively to your mental health. It’s the addiction telling you otherwise.
View on Reddit #21737131

happyunicorn77@reddit

I have smoked since I was 16..my parents smoked..I hate every cigarette I light and every day or week I want to quit..I'm so addicted to these damn things..the patches do help when I try but apparently not enough..I love hate these damn cigarettes
View on Reddit #21737005

abbablahblah@reddit

Oh please… this post reeks of pearl clutching. You might as well ask people why the still drink or do drugs. GTFO if here with your nonsense.
View on Reddit #21736943

TropicFreez@reddit

Because we enjoy it?
View on Reddit #21736835

kalitarios@reddit

my ex wife's mother before she died was on full oxygen because she couldn't breathe... and still would hang out the door WITH THE OXYGEN STILL GOING and smoke to try and hide it from everyone. Insanity
View on Reddit #21736805

melatonia@reddit

I've quit a LOT of vices and cigarettes were by far the hardest. It wasn't like I enjoyed having it hurt when I breathed.
View on Reddit #21724030

LudovicoSpecs@reddit

Knew a guy who quit heroin. He said quitting cigarettes was harder.
View on Reddit #21736768

Lightningstruckagain@reddit

I had a much older relative who stopped drinking and smoking cigs around the same time. Said she never once craved another drink but wanted a cig everyday the rest of her life.
View on Reddit #21724982

agent_tater_twat@reddit

I feel so fortunate on this front. I was a smoking fiend for years. But when my daughter was born, I quit cold turkey and haven't felt the urge to smoke once in ten years. I still don't get it.
View on Reddit #21732849

realzoidberg@reddit

I quit for the final time about 12 years ago. I'm happy I no longer smell like smoke and that I don't have to spend $10 a pack. All this being said, there are days where, as an ex smoker, I REALLY feel like I need a cigarette, but I ignore it because of things I mentioned above. For someone who smoked for many years, I didn't think that the "I really want a cigarette" feeling ever really goes away.
View on Reddit #21736717

bourahioro77@reddit

Well... I'd say it's none of your business.
View on Reddit #21726282

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Is Cake Day my business?
View on Reddit #21726484

bourahioro77@reddit

It could be! Is cake day the day we join Reddit? Or bday? Because my bday is in July.
View on Reddit #21736661

BrandX77@reddit

Happy 🎂 day!
View on Reddit #21729238

Lilredh4iredgrl@reddit

I mean, have you LOOKED at the world?
View on Reddit #21736258

sundry_banana@reddit

Have you ever smoked? I did, many years. It is difficult to quit
View on Reddit #21736243

Neat-Composer4619@reddit

I moved to Europe and the number of people who smoke here is sad. Even young people are still starting. The vaporizers too. A new generation of addicts. So sad.
View on Reddit #21736231

xmo113@reddit

6 packs left in my carton then I can call myself a nonsmoker!
View on Reddit #21736091

BuckyD1000@reddit

It's the hardest addiction to kick.
View on Reddit #21735726

Complete_Hold_6575@reddit

I had a colleague who was an addict in recovery and he said that quitting smoking was more difficult for him than quitting heroin. He had said that the withdrawals from smoking lasted a lot longer, were fairly severe, and required far more extensive mental retraining. I had another colleague who quit smoking in the 80s. I worked with him in the early 2000s and he had an open pack of cigarettes in his desk drawer from like 1983. When I saw them I said I didn't know he smoked. That's when he told me the story of quitting in the early 80s and that he was fine with being a nonsmoker so long as he knew that open pack was still in his desk drawer. I'm glad that I cannot relate to either of them.
View on Reddit #21735513

motorik@reddit

I tried unsuccessfully to quit many times. What really pisses me off is that the only thing that worked for me (I haven't smoked in almost 15 years,) vaping, is constantly getting new taxes and restrictions applied and is generally under attack from cigarette companies, the smoking "cessation" industry, and their pet politicians. I was happy to vape nicotine instead of smoking cigarettes for several years, but eventually quit by gradually decreasing my nicotine level to zero because I wanted to quit on my own terms instead of surprise-quit because of some new legislation. One thing I learned from quitting is that smoking is two addictions, the physical addiction to nicotine and the psychological addiction to the behaviors, both of which are exceedingly difficult to quit (at least if you're prone to addiction in-general.)
View on Reddit #21735161

Victor3000@reddit

I knew someone that told me that smoking cigarettes was the only thing they wanted to do in life.
View on Reddit #21735030

Wonderful_Pain1776@reddit

Why are a majority of people obese and eat like a human trash can. I’m sure we all have vices that are not healthy and if they don’t, I’m sure that’s their whole personality.
View on Reddit #21734759

HeftySchedule8631@reddit

Almost 40 years of on/off smoking..had 4 years off at the start of the pandemic and picked up again in 22 I think..I frickin hate them but they keep coming back!!
View on Reddit #21734721

ChristinaWSalemOR@reddit

If it wasn't detrimental to my health, I'd be smoking it up. I miss smoking more than drinking.
View on Reddit #21734557

Inner-Management-110@reddit

I'm 55 and quit 10yrs ago. I am currently watching my dad who smoked for 60yrs die of COPD. He is slowly suffocating to death. It's a slow terrible death.
View on Reddit #21726429

Artichokeydokey8@reddit

I watched my mom die from lung cancer. Worst time of my life. I was 17 :(
View on Reddit #21726930

bibdrums@reddit

My father died from heart disease. He had his first heart attack at 42 and first stroke a few years later. He had a few more heart attacks and strokes until one finally took him at 54. Then a heart attack took my mother 14 years later after she lived with heart disease for a decade. Both were heavy drinkers and smokers. I’m so happy I never got into either.
View on Reddit #21734461

Inner-Management-110@reddit

☹️
View on Reddit #21727132

LeatherDude@reddit

My grandma lived to 92, and fought for every breath she took for the last 15 years of her life. Grandpa wasn't as "lucky", lung cancer -> brain cancer in his early 70s. My mom quit in her 40s and she's 81 now and going strong. I only smoked for like 10-12 years and my lungs still feel a little weird even though ive been off them for 15 years now. But I do smoke weed so maybe that's it
View on Reddit #21727437

Inner-Management-110@reddit

I still toke a bit of herb but definitely feel much better not smoking cigarettes.
View on Reddit #21727603

LeatherDude@reddit

Same. I used to get winded going up a flight of stairs. I'm pretty healthy and active now at 49, moreso than I ever was in my 20s and early 30s as a smoker.
View on Reddit #21727778

Inner-Management-110@reddit

Good deal.
View on Reddit #21728278

N-shittified@reddit

My dad's COPD (also from smoking) wasn't terrible, but he did have to use an inhaler on a daily basis. Passed in his sleep after 10 years of Chronic Heart Failure - which I suppose was also caused by smoking.
View on Reddit #21727831

Inner-Management-110@reddit

Probably. My dad struggles with every breath. Sits in his recliner all day.. everyday. Definitely not the way to spend your retirement. I will say he never complains. He knows he brought it on himself. Still sucks though.
View on Reddit #21728230

Ok-Banana-7777@reddit

Last guy I dated went back & forth between vaping & smoking and it was awful. Sure he would smoke outside but saw no issues vaping in front of me or his young children because he thought blowing smoke in the opposite direction was enough. It got to the point where I held my breath every time he exhaled. That relationship didn't last long.
View on Reddit #21734404

godsim42@reddit

You've obviously never been to flavor country. It's a fantastic place, extremely calming and you look super cool. But also addiction... I switched to vaping and honestly regret it. Trying to quit, but it's much harder because you get soo much more nicotine per hit and your tolerance goes through the roof. Cold turkey off cigs was pretty easy when I did it the first time. Tried with vape and holy shit the wd are freaking horrible. I'm currently tapering with lower nic content and it's still extremely difficult.
View on Reddit #21734362

CatW804@reddit

Anyone else scared/grossed out of smoking from that scene in Dead Again where the dude smokes out of the trach hole in his neck?
View on Reddit #21734285

BIGepidural@reddit

Why do you eat bacon or other process meats? Why do you drink alcohol? Why do diabetics still eat sugary foods? Why do those with high cholesterol still eat red meat and shellfish? People want to live their life in a way which works best for their comfort and enjoyment sometimes. After an entire pandemic full of antivaxxers and antimaskers and all kids of other selfish stupidity that should be crystal clear by now.
View on Reddit #21734270

90sGuyKev@reddit

Most I'm sure it's our smoking cuz they thought it was cool and then they just came addicted and addiction is not easy to kick
View on Reddit #21734268

sgw79@reddit

I like smoking
View on Reddit #21734140

nonameforyou1234@reddit

Who cares? I quit over a decade ago. Leave people alone.
View on Reddit #21734082

brooklynbotz@reddit

Yeah we know it's bad but it's a really hard addiction for some to break.
View on Reddit #21733914

govnah06@reddit

Tobacco is enjoyable. I haven’t smoked in ~8 years, and was never a heavy smoker, but I enjoyed tobacco.
View on Reddit #21733893

ImaBird-Fish@reddit

Just throwing this out there for all the smokers who want to quit but can't. I could NOT quit for anything, or for anyone. Could. Not. Quit. Until I tried vaping. I only tried a vape so I could still get nicotine in places where I couldn't smoke, since smoking has been outlawed everywhere. But the second I got the hang of the vape, I immediately realized I actually liked it better than cigarettes and could finally give quitting a real chance. And quitting vaping is way Fucking easier than quitting cigarettes filled with all the chemicals that make them a million times more addictive than nicotine alone.
View on Reddit #21733326

elijuicyjones@reddit

This. Vaping saves lives.
View on Reddit #21733838

_Sasquatchy@reddit

please fuck off. i don't even smoke and i find you unbearably annoying. at least the username is accurate. this post was a mistake.
View on Reddit #21733824

Accomplished_Role977@reddit

I only smoke when I‘m a bit drunk, so 2-4 times a month
View on Reddit #21733696

texasslapshot@reddit

I enjoy them and I prefer to enjoy things.
View on Reddit #21733660

HowToNotMakeMoney@reddit

Well, I smoke organic American spirits and use targuard filters. It’s as close to non-destructive as I can get and still enjoy the hand-to-mouth feel.
View on Reddit #21733451

Flaxscript42@reddit

I smoked for 20 years and quitting was the hardest thing I've ever done, and it sucked the whole time, and I still want to smoke from time to time. I guess my question is, WTF is your problem?
View on Reddit #21733430

bennicholas216@reddit

Because they go together with beer like peanut butter and jelly.
View on Reddit #21733404

Narrow-Fortune-7905@reddit

nothing better than a few beers and smokes, besides you want to live forever
View on Reddit #21733389

acab415@reddit

11 months, get Wellbutrin. It fucking works.
View on Reddit #21733222

BrokeDownPalac3@reddit

I quit cigarettes 8 years ago, but honestly it's none of your business, why do you care?
View on Reddit #21733120

Suspicious-Stay-6474@reddit

Because it feels nice Besides, I still look sexy as fuck and younger then I am because I don't allow stress and negativity in my life.
View on Reddit #21733078

keldration@reddit

Seriously. So proud to have quit. Quit in 2020 and don’t even think about it now. My bestie also quit, so that’s helpful. We’re like, Oh, smoking?! So 20th century, omg. Real dramatic. Although if it weren’t for my worsening sinuses—I don’t think I could have quit. Talk about a handy aversive stimulus 🤧😵🤢
View on Reddit #21732697

tempo1139@reddit

when did this sub become a bunch of judgemental gatekeepers? or put another way.... lighten up Francis!
View on Reddit #21732628

MephistoPhoenix@reddit

People who think vape and pot is better than smoking tobacco, wtf? 😂
View on Reddit #21732447

HJHmn@reddit

My husband and I smoke occasionally, on vacation and on some summer nights. It makes me feel relaxed. We maybe buy 2 packs a year.
View on Reddit #21729293

BourbonInGinger@reddit

My daughter and her husband are millennials and this is what they do. They enjoy a cigarette with their beer out on their back porch in the summer/fall.
View on Reddit #21732412

Whitworth@reddit

I'm addicted to sugar. I know it's bad for me.
View on Reddit #21732223

aging_genxer@reddit

I was finally able to quit ten years ago after almost 20 years of failed attempts. The only thing harder for me is losing the weight I gained after quitting the cigs. Still struggling with that.
View on Reddit #21732205

BourbonInGinger@reddit

It’s so gross.
View on Reddit #21732053

TheRateBeerian@reddit

I'm weird when it comes to smoking. I've never really been a smoker despite having been around it my whole life. My grandparents smoked (not my parents though). My 2 best friends in high school smoked. College roommate did. I've had girlfriends who did. My wife (together 24 years) does. And yet I never really picked up the habit despite occasionally bumming one. Once when I started grad school I decided to start smoking just as something to do to handle the stress. I smoked off and on for a year and then just quit, lost interest. This past year I had a lot of stress and started bumming more off of my wife, but even still, I only smoke 3-4 cigarettes a week. When doctors ask me if I'm a smoker, I don't know what to say. I might say "a few per week" and they say "packs?" and I'm "no just a few cigs, 1 per day at most, often I'll skip a day". I don't even think they have a category for that.
View on Reddit #21732027

flashlightbugs@reddit

Smoking killed both of my parents. My mom never smoked. I really hate cigarettes and am so glad I never even tried smoking.
View on Reddit #21731965

Angrykittie13@reddit

I grew up in a smoking household. My mom, dad and grandmother smoked around me and I’m talking like more than a pack a day. How could I not get addicted? I have quit multiple times in my life, and even tried vaping. It’s like heroin. I’m in a smoking cessation program now and the little quit pens and lozenges don’t work. I’m hoping to try one of these new fangled options where there are no chemicals and it’s just like a pacifier. I eat healthy and exercise and walk all my steps. I’m tired of being judged. I think some compassion and non judgement goes a long way. My grandmother smoked 5 packs a day until she was 86 and passed. They picked her up in an ambulance to take her to hospice and the EMT said, do you smoke? She said, no. He said, when did you quit? She said, just now. 🤦🏻‍♀️
View on Reddit #21731931

McPorkums@reddit

quit 4 weeks ago, beat your post, muahahahaha
View on Reddit #21731905

LeoMarius@reddit

I had to ask 3 guys who were smoking in front of the door to our office building today to move out of the way. They were blocking the door and smoking. There’s a covered designate smoking area 30’ away. The one guy snidely replied , “thanks, bro!” So I told the guard to move them.
View on Reddit #21731895

Dhampri0@reddit

I smoke about a pack a day. Last week some douch yelled with a maga phone " smoking's bad for your health" my response " pissing me off is bad for your health" he shut his window & drove off. If I didn't have to deal with stupid everyday I probably wouldn't be smoking anymore.
View on Reddit #21731872

daphuqijusee@reddit

As an introvert, it gives me an excuse to latibulate for a little while when in social settings.
View on Reddit #21724923

katecrime@reddit

Haha. Thanks for the new word. Honestly, this is one of the things I miss - going outside at the party to smoke with the gaggle 😁
View on Reddit #21731718

TraditionalYard5146@reddit

I learned a new word.
View on Reddit #21726520

katecrime@reddit

Me too!
View on Reddit #21731667

BrandX77@reddit

Me too!
View on Reddit #21729142

Exotic_Zucchini@reddit

I also learned a new word and will start using it because it's one of those words that kinda sounds dirty when it's not, like uvula.
View on Reddit #21730230

cbatta2025@reddit

I started at 13 and quit by vaping at 50. I still vape though and crave cigarettes. I was in Las Vegas last year and noticed people smoking in the casinos. I bought a pack and indulged for the few days I was there. Back to vaping.
View on Reddit #21731651

Zeeker12@reddit

What are you, on school paper. Mind your fucking business.
View on Reddit #21727391

katecrime@reddit

Got a light? 😆
View on Reddit #21731609

earinsound@reddit

then scroll on by….you don’t have to reply
View on Reddit #21731454

Jwheat71@reddit

I quit chewing almost 18 months ago and I still have horrible cravings at times. I've quit harder substances with less issues than nicotine. That is not to mention the number of times I've tried to quit and failed throughout my life.
View on Reddit #21731494

BigMoFuggah@reddit

I quit smoking about 18 months ago or so because I went through a lengthy hospitalization. I would be lying if I denied that I'm tempted to start again nearly every day and I'm pretty sure it's just a matter of time before I buy a pack of cigarettes
View on Reddit #21731118

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Don't do it. Can't you just vape or try those nicotine pouches?
View on Reddit #21731244

Ohigetjokes@reddit

I have no idea how I managed to quit.
View on Reddit #21724768

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

Idk either. It was cold Turkey & during Covid. Lost my first loved one and that’s just sparked me to stop. Wasn’t even 30 & she died from a PE / asthma attack. Devastating. Almost exactly 4 years ago.
View on Reddit #21728929

Ohigetjokes@reddit

Jesus dude. Sorry for your loss.
View on Reddit #21730206

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

She is missed dearly. Always in my memories & heart. There are days I do “things” just bc she can’t. (They can’t, I’ve lost a lot of loved ones to addiction) I have bad depression and when I don’t want to do anything, I think of them. And I get my ass moving. So they are here w me even though they are gone.
View on Reddit #21731028

da_london_09@reddit

Quit in 99.... friends 'kidnapped' me for a long weekend w/o any access to money or cigarettes. Haven't touched one since. Can't stand the smell, and won't go into any establishment that still allows it.
View on Reddit #21730785

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

I actually think it's kinda cool when a bar will allow folks to smoke inside since it is outlawed lol. But, I was never a big smoker, so I don't bear the scars.
View on Reddit #21730872

da_london_09@reddit

I always hate coming home smelling of smoke from places like that.
View on Reddit #21730959

dragonfliesloveme@reddit

Not much of a “whatever” attitude, OP. You failed Gen X 101
View on Reddit #21730666

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Oh no! Will I ever recover?
View on Reddit #21730801

BizBerg@reddit

You really felt the need to come on social media and post this? wtf?
View on Reddit #21730601

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

My addiction on days off is communicating. Are you judging me for using the same format you are using? Interesting. Do you have a podcast?
View on Reddit #21730737

Padwanna68@reddit

My wife had an uncle that died from lung cancer. He came home from hospital after having half a lung removed and opened a pack of Marlborough. The addiction was so strong he couldn't break it. He died in hospice not long after that.
View on Reddit #21730674

BlueDotty@reddit

How they afford it, is what amazes me
View on Reddit #21725180

Moveyourbloominass@reddit

Says the person who goes out to eat consistently. Pack of cigarettes is cheaper than any fast food drive through. Which is horrendous on your arteries as well. Or perhaps you're the type who pounds sodas all day. Again, very expensive & unhealthy habit.
View on Reddit #21726344

BlueDotty@reddit

I'm in Australia. Cigarettes cost a shit load. Massive tax on them here. A carton of cigs is hundreds of dollars. No, I don't eat out all time or drink fizzy.
View on Reddit #21726607

Exotic_Zucchini@reddit

Damn. That makes it seem ripe for starting a black market for them.
View on Reddit #21730653

DrGoManGo@reddit

Some people buy coffee daily. How do they afford that?
View on Reddit #21726471

BlueDotty@reddit

Coffee on average is 5.50. A packet of cigarettes is 20.00 to 40.00 But sure, not everyone can afford 35.00 a week on coffee either
View on Reddit #21726814

Exotic_Zucchini@reddit

$20 - $40? Yikes. Last I checked here, it was *only* $10. lol Still high, but damn that's a lot of money.
View on Reddit #21730539

olblll1975@reddit

I spend $4.50 for a pack of Montego in the blue box 100s. People who role there own probably even out at $3.00 a pack.
View on Reddit #21728852

DrGoManGo@reddit

I pay $8 every 3 days for a pack of tobacco. So about $20 a week. Idk where you are for it to be that much, Australia?
View on Reddit #21727147

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

I get 120 Kroger pods for 30 bucks. I do admit to being a coffee addict. I've cut back before, but I do enjoy it and it seems harmless. Caffiene doesn't have near the grip on people that nicotine does, which is weird because as far as I know, nicotine is completely harmless, it's the delivery method that kills people.
View on Reddit #21727115

DrGoManGo@reddit

No. Tobacco is not harmless. Look at the people who pick it. https://www.osha.gov/green-tobacco-sickness#:~:text=What%20is%20Green%20Tobacco%20Sickness,symptoms%20including%20nausea%20and%20vomiting. I was referring to the people who purchase coffee at coffee shops, not those who buy in bulk and drink at home.
View on Reddit #21727460

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Tobacco is the delivery system through which we get nicotine. What I meant was nicotine is harmless, tobacco smoke is not.
View on Reddit #21727728

DrGoManGo@reddit

Nicotine exposure from handling tobacco leaves may cause nicotine poisoning, also called Green Tobacco Sickness (GTS), with symptoms including nausea and vomiting This is from the article I linked. Maybe I'm misunderstanding you but the nicotine in the tobacco causes sickness. Chewing tobacco to get the nicotine is also not harmless. It's more that just the smoke.
View on Reddit #21727997

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

*Read in Christopher Walken's voice
View on Reddit #21725460

Tensionheadache11@reddit

Hubs and I quit in 2017, I had no problem, he got addicted to nicotine gum, now he’s smoking again so he chews less gum - I don’t get his logic
View on Reddit #21730286

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Good job! Him, not so much. I don't have an addictive personality, so I don't get addicted to much, maybe just communicating with other people is my addiction.
View on Reddit #21730413

Gamagatsu74@reddit

Was recently at a poker party in a friend’s garage. Probably about 15 guys with at least 5-6(maybe more) of them chain smoking the whole time. I quit smoking 6 years ago, one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! But, when I walked in and saw the cloud of smoke I headed to the back of the garage where I thought it was a little better. I took one breath and it was like I took a drag from a cigarette and was totally disgusted. I then breathed shallowly for the rest of the night taking a few breaks from the garage. They had a window open with a fan but, it was not enough. When I left, I smelled like the disgusting ashtrays I used to fill up in my old vehicles. I immediately washed all of my clothes and my vehicle smelled for a few days afterwards. Worst drive home, as it was 20 degrees and had my windows down driving on the highway home. But, it was nice to get out and see old friends and actually socialize…at an expense.
View on Reddit #21730400

SATXS5@reddit

Both my parents smoke(d) mom died of lung cancer nearly 20 years ago. Dad still smokes and coughs like crazy when he does so. They are the reason I never started smoking. It’s nasty and I always hated the smell.
View on Reddit #21730380

-jdtx-@reddit

I've never understood why anybody who grew up after the 60s would have started in the first place, as it's been well understood since then the problems it causes. My grandparents smoked, and died younger than they could have because of it. My dad smoked up until I was a kid. He quit after grandpa lost one of his lungs to cancer and grandma got emphysema and spent the last years of her life hooked up to an oxygen tank. So for me coming up in the 80s, it was pretty well understood that smoking was a harmful thing you don't want to get started on. It was more understandable for the boomers and their parents, but for the past half-century, it can't really be claimed that we didn't know better. Being addicted is one thing, but the real question is why GET addicted in the first place?
View on Reddit #21730266

smurfsm00@reddit

Self harm?
View on Reddit #21730201

neveroddoreven415@reddit

I don’t smoke but I know folks that are down to die at 65 from lung cancer instead of being in a nursing home till they’re 90. Just what I’ve heard.
View on Reddit #21729838

keepcalmdude@reddit

It’s an addiction you dumbfuck
View on Reddit #21729763

katemu8@reddit

This question could be applied to literally anything that's emotionally, mentally, or physically unhealthy. That's a lot of things.
View on Reddit #21729538

cityfireguy@reddit

Feeling better now? Anyone else you'd like to look down on to improve your little day?
View on Reddit #21729526

yangstyle@reddit

I started smoking at around 12 and quit at 46 even though I had gone through periods of quitting and restarting in that time. My father smoked until he died of esophageal cancer back in 2008. I have not had a tobacco product in 12 years. I don't expect to ever smoke again.
View on Reddit #21729478

AXLPendergast@reddit

Cigars are the way ..
View on Reddit #21729460

accidental-like@reddit

I smoked cigs for over 20 years. Crack would likely have been the same amount of difficulty to quit. Nobody is like “I sure wish I could keep doing this stinky habit for life until my lungs turn black and then I get cancer and die.” So whenever anyone is like “why?” It seems super obvious why lol. I finally quit using Chantix. It gave me insane hallucinations and dreams, but on the upside…trying to smoke makes me violently ill now, where I have to lay down and cannot move for like 20-30 minutes due to feeling horrific. So whatever black magic Chantix leaves in the brain receptors actually works, even if it’s not pretty!
View on Reddit #21729350

Craig1974@reddit

Why do people drink?
View on Reddit #21729099

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

To take the pain away? It seems folks can quit drinking (for short periods of time at least) much more readily than they can quit smoking. I get the addiction thing, but we have tools now to help with it, and the social stigma attached to smoking dwarfs any stigma (if there even is one) attached to drinking. In fact, we are encouraged to drink, if anything.
View on Reddit #21729325

unobitchesbetripping@reddit

Um… Duh… it’s a fucking drug addiction that’s normalized. As if
View on Reddit #21729295

RektFreak@reddit

Why do we care what others do?
View on Reddit #21726759

N-shittified@reddit

As a very intermittent smoker, I get really pissed off about habitual smokers who: - smoke where they're not supposed to smoke, and spread their reek. - dispose of butts out the window of their car, (and this is an Arizona thing) in the fucking desert during fire-season. (yeah, and fire-insurance companies are dumb for even doing business here).
View on Reddit #21727701

RektFreak@reddit

Agreed, but that wasn't the original question. Littering and breaking laws/rules are bad. If someone follows them all, do we still care? I use to smoke, but did it with no one around and disposed of them properly.
View on Reddit #21729130

CertainFitness@reddit

Because it reeks to the point of nausea
View on Reddit #21728396

RektFreak@reddit

Sure does and then I leave the area if needed.
View on Reddit #21729017

Eriaus@reddit

I smoked off and on until I was about 40 and wasn't able to quit until it was banned in bars. The two things that kept me smoking were that everyone around me was still doing it, and I used it as a social anxiety crutch. it didn't occur it to me how much it helped with social anxiety until long after I quit. Our generation will be the last ones to have a large percentage who smoked cigarettes thankfully. When I think of all the money I spent on cigarettes over my lifetime 🤯🤯
View on Reddit #21729119

Simone812@reddit

I miss smoking very intensely at times. Mostly I miss the ceremonial aspect of smoking, but occasionally I’ll pass by somebody smoking a cigarette, and then I’ll follow them like a stalker, trying to get a whiff of their second hand smoke. Hahaha.
View on Reddit #21726642

Exotic_Zucchini@reddit

I did that for a long time. The smell was so nice. It doesn't give me that feeling anymore, but I definitely remember feeling exactly the same as you're describing. I used to joke with people and tell them that I wish Yankee Candle would come up with a cigarette scent. lol
View on Reddit #21728952

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

Ha! The stalking image is hilarious. I think smokers do have one thing going for them, that is the ceremony, you are spot-on. I asked my son why he chooses to smoke weed instead of taking edibles and he was like, "It's something to do." I get that, it does give you a community of like-minded people doing something together.
View on Reddit #21727365

SmooveTits@reddit

How do you still even afford it?
View on Reddit #21724896

Ok-Vast167@reddit

Simple in Canada. Know someone who sells native smokes. Smokes made on native reserves that are not legal to sell to us as they do, but happens all the time. TONS of people buy these. There's tons of different brands. &#x200B; Regular pack of smokes in gas station = $18-20 Pack of native smokes = $4 &#x200B; The ones I get actually taste BETTER than government approved smokes.
View on Reddit #21726915

SmooveTits@reddit

Great. How do the other 99.9% of smokers still even afford it?
View on Reddit #21728816

Empty-Back-207@reddit

I quit smoking regular cigarettes 20 years ago and started rolling my own. It took a few years, but I no longer crave a cigarette, I enjoy an occasional cigarette. I probably smoke about 4 a day. There is a rare occasion that I smoke a prerolled one, and I can't hardly finish it. They're nasty, and they stink
View on Reddit #21728803

stirred-and-shaken@reddit

I like my whore’s breakfast far too much. The coffee and the cigarette will both have to go. I’m going to buy the Allen Carr book this week.
View on Reddit #21725333

RunningPirate@reddit

Man nothing gets things moving like caffeine and nicotine.
View on Reddit #21725589

LiquoredUpLahey@reddit

Throw in an adderal and you’re really shaking!
View on Reddit #21728797

stirred-and-shaken@reddit

Unleash the beast.
View on Reddit #21726724

WinterBourne25@reddit

I get people still smoke because of addiction or habit, but why did you start in the first place?
View on Reddit #21728599

vitalsguy@reddit

Let them go
View on Reddit #21728548

Icy-Read6024@reddit

I'm a closet smoker who only smokes after a certain amount of alcohol.  So hardly ever...only like 3 to 4 nights a week.
View on Reddit #21724646

olblll1975@reddit

Nice.
View on Reddit #21728542

emmiblakk@reddit

Because I enjoy it. Nothing goes better with a cup of coffee, or a glass of red wine.
View on Reddit #21728450

danceswithsockson@reddit

I don’t get it either. I smoked and stopped. My mom smoked and stopped a few times in her life. My aunt smokes like a chimney. She has multiple diseases that leave her disabled, one probably caused by smoking and the other made worse for it- she just cries about the diseases, but will not stop smoking. She had a heart scare last year and slowed down the smoking. As soon as she was cleared, she doubled up. It just seems like a total lack of effort to us.
View on Reddit #21728267

MiasmAgain@reddit

Fuck those things. They had me for 30 years, the only addiction I’ve had. It came down to a choice between HRT and smokes. Goodbye, smokes. It was so hard and one of the hardest and best things I ever did.
View on Reddit #21728264

Jeebusmanwhore@reddit

Who wants to live forever? Not me.
View on Reddit #21723781

SausageSmuggler21@reddit

The Highlander does.
View on Reddit #21724324

pear_ciderr@reddit

Yes, but in the end there can be only one.
View on Reddit #21728121

KurtAZ_7576@reddit

But...there can be only One.
View on Reddit #21727987

Swimming-Fan7973@reddit

I'm not here for a long time, I'm here for a good time...
View on Reddit #21726289

meekonesfade@reddit

Can I be forever young?
View on Reddit #21724774

aunt_cranky@reddit

I quit “combustion” (cigs) about 15 years ago. Continued using vapes until about a year ago when I switched to using nicotine pouches. I’m almost nicotine free. IMHO it’s been incredibly difficult to give up nicotine entirely because it helps with my ADHD. Getting a rx for ADHD meds has been excruciatingly difficult.
View on Reddit #21728009

covenkitchens@reddit

Addiction is hard! I quit a couple of years ago. It was fucking hard.  I wouldnt wish those kind of feelings  on most people. 
View on Reddit #21727971

7Aimee@reddit

> Nicotine acts through nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) to alter firing rate of neurons throughout the brain, leading to addiction-related behaviors.
View on Reddit #21727969

BrandX77@reddit

I just came inside from puffing down 2 super satisfying, delicious menthols. Seriously, tho I'm not at all ready to quit & won't even attempt it until I am because I'll just be setting myself up for failure. I've quit numerous other things that were horrible for me, so I'm sure one day I'll be able to quit cigs too, but today is not that day.
View on Reddit #21727757

Azanskippedtown@reddit

This is my experience: I am a sober alcoholic of about 19 years. Quitting smoking was much more difficult for me than quitting drinking. (Not that it was easy, but I did it.) The cigarette/nicotine addiction is real. I don't miss smoking at all. (Or drinking either)
View on Reddit #21727692

The68Guns@reddit

The people I know: A very nice co-worker that does and sounds like she's about to collapse from walking to her car to the office. My Father in law: Destroyed esophagus from years of smoking and booze. He's not even supposed to drink OJ, Coffee or Soda. Still smokes. Sister: Fuck her. I home her lungs explode in slow motion.
View on Reddit #21727561

GuitarEvening8674@reddit

I quit, but when I was smoking I’d rather smoke than eat food. That’s how bad the addiction is
View on Reddit #21727537

JakkSplatt@reddit

Just THC. I don't even drink anymore.
View on Reddit #21727518

olblll1975@reddit

I have been smoking since was ten yrs old. I turned 49 this January. Still have the lungs of an 80 year old.
View on Reddit #21727490

biskino@reddit

Maybe it helps folks keep their minds on their own good damned business?
View on Reddit #21727433

rcook55@reddit

I quit close to 20 years ago now. While I don't miss smoking I do miss reading physical books. I would very often sit on my deck and read books while smoking, literally would do this for hours at a time. Unfortunately it's now quite difficult to just read a book because it was so complimentary to smoking. Thankfully audiobooks don't have the same issue so I can still 'read'.
View on Reddit #21727222

amprok@reddit

People who -still- smoke I can understand on some level. Addiction is a helluva thing. Those who start smoking, in 2024…. I’ll never understand
View on Reddit #21726996

Uunbeliever72@reddit

Compared to what I used to smoke/sniff/drink... it's much better.
View on Reddit #21726871

caryn1477@reddit

I know. What's even worse is when I see young people smoke, like WTF.
View on Reddit #21726513

MyTeaWhy@reddit

i will take a few drags... a whole cig is too much for me though.. it's like an herb. it does brain stuff never really cared for them... nicotine seems to be real good when I am strung out tho... then they are good.
View on Reddit #21726390

fuzzydaemon@reddit

People who are still smug in middle age, wtf?
View on Reddit #21724113

illegalt3nder@reddit

Not smug. Genuinely perplexed. The answers here have been helpful.
View on Reddit #21726365

kokomundo@reddit

Seriously. Sanctimonious much?
View on Reddit #21725063

Dynamo_Ham@reddit

I keep a pack in a drawer for special occasions - like when I'm up late with buddies on a weekend listening to music. I like cigarettes. I'm not addicted and never have been. My wife and I both quit when we started trying for children - which was 20 years ago. Now I smoke maybe 1 pack per year in total (if that) on special occasions, or just when the spirit strikes me. It's enjoyable. I agree that addiction is a problem, but reducing all the reasons why billions of people around the world smoke to a single issue - addiction - is drastically simplistic. I get that for a never-smoker it seems ridiculous - they're smelly awful death sticks, why would anyone do that to themselves? I'm not encouraging anyone to pick up the habit - surely you are better off without it. But for a former smoker, you don't need an addiction to enjoy an occasional stroll down memory lane.
View on Reddit #21725609

RunningPirate@reddit

It’s an addiction, literally.
View on Reddit #21725549

Jairlyn@reddit

Imagine living for decades and not knowing what addiction is. Seriously wtf.
View on Reddit #21725412

Parabola2112@reddit

Smoking is making a comeback big time. Partially this is because of the stupid anti-vaping laws. I’m sorry but vaping is much much much less dangerous than smoking (see the actual data). Now the kids are going to cigarettes again. Oy!
View on Reddit #21725001

AmplifiedClyde@reddit

The scary thing is, it’s starting to become a thing with the young kids now. HS and college kids, old school cigarettes, not just the vaping.
View on Reddit #21723627

Blovesmusic@reddit

I saw a disturbing amount of cigarette smoking at a music festival a year or two before covid hit. There I was a 40 year old hitting a weed vape on the dancefloor while a bunch of 20 somethings preferred cigarettes. So weird.
View on Reddit #21724732

bigmistaketoday@reddit (OP)

I work with smokers. I can barely stand to be within ten feet of them. These aren’t young people, these folks have cigarette smoke in their bones, it’s part of their being. I actually think the scent of *fresh* smoke isn’t bad, however the scent of 50 years of smoking and questionable hygiene? Yikes.
View on Reddit #21724061

No_Adhesiveness_8207@reddit

It’s so gross
View on Reddit #21724373

Bob-Dolemite@reddit

because i want to? what the fuck, man?
View on Reddit #21724264

fridayimatwork@reddit

Whatever
View on Reddit #21724014

Tokogogoloshe@reddit

My MIL still smokes. She’s almost 80. Her dad was a tobacco farmer and smoked his whole life. Good luck trying to get her to quit.
View on Reddit #21723803