I started in probably the same time. For the same reasons. Being the same stupid teen.
Of course I loved it. Being cool that is, not the process itself. It tasted like ass, I ruined a lot of carpets and keyboards and…being cool was literally the only thing.
But that was kinda my point. (Young) people do dumb things. But then you grow up or get wiser. And I’ve heard people smoking for 60yrs saying how they “love it”. And upon being questioned what it is they actually love about, it kinda comes down to how smoking calms the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
And how could an adult, in today’s times, NOT know what smoking is, does, or how it affects us, or what coping is etc.
I’d bet my left nut, that those, who “love” it, deep down know they’re fucked, but convinced themselves otherwise to feel better and move on with life, not feeling like a slave to Marlboro.
Arguably that would even be the better path if you absolutely know you couldn’t stop. No reason to also hate yourself for it.
I think you’re overestimating the ability of adults to assert the consequences of their actions. I smoked into adulthood, and I honestly thought that “pros” of smoking outweigh the cons, and “I fucking enjoy the process” was one of the pros.
I couldn’t be more wrong, of course, but unfortunately, I didn’t stop because my intellect told me so, I was given the initial push by the circumstances making the habit less convenient.
But even if you failed to assert the consequences of your actions, you’d surely run across someone close that told ya “why do you smoke? STOP! I like you being around longer!” or so? Wouldn’t that at least trigger some “hmm?”
Besides, my opinion surely is based on anecdotal knowledge of the past 3 decades and many talks with smokers. My “field-study” surely saw a correlation between general intellect and the usual self-lies about why “i love it sooo much”. Obviously not everybody able to lie to themselves to such an extent, is also dumb as a doornail.
Most of my friends were also smoking, most of the colleagues I regularly talked to I’ve met on smoking breaks, my dad gifted me our family heirloom cigarette case when I turned 18. You might underestimate how normal was smoking back then. Until we moved out of our small-ish village when I was around 7, I didn’t know or seen any non-smoking adult.
I didn’t underestimate how normal it was back then. I started too back then. Everyone smoked. Everywhere. All the time. Restaurants, supermarkets, trains, cars, AIRPLANES. Those were horribly shitty times (in that regard).
What i meant is that lying to yourself “i love this!” until you actually think you do. THIS is the dumb thing. Deciding that you’re never going to stop, so you can just start “loving” it instead. So you at least hate yourself a lil less. Or more precise: Stuff that feeling way deeper down, so you might forget it’s there.
Everyone does stupid things, no matter how “smart” one is. This was not the point.
I started in probably the same time. For the same reasons. Being the same stupid teen. Of course I loved it. Being cool that is, not the process itself. It tasted like ass, I ruined a lot of carpets and keyboards and…being cool was literally the only thing.
But that was kinda my point. (Young) people do dumb things. But then you grow up or get wiser. And I’ve heard people smoking for 60yrs saying how they “love it”. And upon being questioned what it is they actually love about, it kinda comes down to how smoking calms the effects of nicotine withdrawal. And how could an adult, in today’s times, NOT know what smoking is, does, or how it affects us, or what coping is etc.
I’d bet my left nut, that those, who “love” it, deep down know they’re fucked, but convinced themselves otherwise to feel better and move on with life, not feeling like a slave to Marlboro.
Arguably that would even be the better path if you absolutely know you couldn’t stop. No reason to also hate yourself for it.
I think you’re overestimating the ability of adults to assert the consequences of their actions. I smoked into adulthood, and I honestly thought that “pros” of smoking outweigh the cons, and “I fucking enjoy the process” was one of the pros.
I couldn’t be more wrong, of course, but unfortunately, I didn’t stop because my intellect told me so, I was given the initial push by the circumstances making the habit less convenient.
But even if you failed to assert the consequences of your actions, you’d surely run across someone close that told ya “why do you smoke? STOP! I like you being around longer!” or so? Wouldn’t that at least trigger some “hmm?”
Besides, my opinion surely is based on anecdotal knowledge of the past 3 decades and many talks with smokers. My “field-study” surely saw a correlation between general intellect and the usual self-lies about why “i love it sooo much”. Obviously not everybody able to lie to themselves to such an extent, is also dumb as a doornail.
Most of my friends were also smoking, most of the colleagues I regularly talked to I’ve met on smoking breaks, my dad gifted me our family heirloom cigarette case when I turned 18. You might underestimate how normal was smoking back then. Until we moved out of our small-ish village when I was around 7, I didn’t know or seen any non-smoking adult.
I didn’t underestimate how normal it was back then. I started too back then. Everyone smoked. Everywhere. All the time. Restaurants, supermarkets, trains, cars, AIRPLANES. Those were horribly shitty times (in that regard).
What i meant is that lying to yourself “i love this!” until you actually think you do. THIS is the dumb thing. Deciding that you’re never going to stop, so you can just start “loving” it instead. So you at least hate yourself a lil less. Or more precise: Stuff that feeling way deeper down, so you might forget it’s there. Everyone does stupid things, no matter how “smart” one is. This was not the point.