Do you smoke?

[It'sJaz]

I don't smoke, I've never liked the smell of it anyway. Mostly I'm worried about the cost and potential health problems if I ever start, after hearing of people getting addicted and being unable to live without it. I'm in an environment where lots of people smoke around me, but it's never made me try it. Actually thinking about it now, I'm glad I worried too much about it to get involved in it.

 

[Panic57]

I don't smoke because I have asthma but my sister does. The moment before she can light up is probably the most anxious I've ever seen her. I think any addictions just add list of problems you have to deal with daily. I did realize that when I worked retail, that all the smokers got extra breaks to smoke and they came back more relieved and calmer. But I don't know if that was actually from smoking or the fact they got a break every hour from work instead of just one per eight hours.

 

[MissTea]

I am an ex-smoker and I still get cravings every few months. I don't think they will ever fully go away, but I know that ever since I stopped smoking, my life has improved magnificently. My sense of smell has improved dramatically, food tastes so much better and I can go up stairs now without almost passing out from the exercise. I feel ten years younger ever since I quit and I am never going back. I can also say that my anxiety lessened after I quit.

 

[DDNatureLover]

I began smoking at a young age, since many people around me smoked, and it seemed the thing that adults did to relax. I'm sure I used it to manage my anxiety over the years, but as you mentioned, the anxiety about running out of cigarettes, or being in a place (the number of which increased dramatically over the years) where smoking wasn't allowed, was quite bad. I had always planned to quit at some point, and I did quite a few times over the years, but finally quit for good several years back. I think people who have anxiety have a more difficult time quitting, because it becomes our crutch. It's helpful to have a plan for quitting, and I believe a multi-pronged approach is best.

 

[Laneorexorcist]

I used to smoke a lot for a couple of years and after rambling a lot when it comes to leave it or not, I decided that the best choice for me was to just leave it, it's a really really bad habit that I don't want to have anymore. And I would be lying to you if I told you that I don't struggle while leaving it... It was a big part of my social life and it was a way to cope with anxiety too, but it's just not for me, I guess.

 

[Quirah]

I do not smoke and never have before. I hear that smoking makes some people's anxiety better, but it just isn't for me. I've also heard from various people that smoking makes them more anxious. I think it depends on the person. I personally just don't smoke for health purposes and because I can't stand smoke from cigarettes or any other substances.

 

[misszerable]

I don't smoke but I have friends and officemates who do. They say that smoking relieves their stress but I notice that they get stressed when they can't smoke. We know how smoking can endanger our health and those of others around us but many still do it. Smoking e-cigarettes won't make things better because it doesn't kick the habit. A smoker has to make that conscious decision to stop smoking. It's easy to tell them to try walking instead of smoking when they are stressed out but many smokers have had to face life changing situations before they realize it's time to get rid of this habit. My father was a chain smoker who used to smoke 3 packs of cigarettes a day. When he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he took a 360 degree turn in his diet and stopped smoking. It was strange that his lungs wasn't affected at all when the cancer metastasized but then it could have been only a matter of time before it did.

 

[Zeesi]

I don't smoke. I haven't in about 2 years. I decidd to quit because the owner where I live does not allow smoking on his property. He has a rule that if you want to smoke, you have to go across the street. I used to do that when I first moved here, but it became such a hassle that I decided to quit.


Other people who live in this apartment complex smoke here without going across the street. I suppose that I could get away with it too if I really wanted to, but I don't want to do it. I like being able to look the owner in the eye knowing that I have nothing to hide, or that I'm not trying to pull the wool over his eyes.


Plus, it seems to me that people who smoke can never smell the smoke as strongly as other people around them do; that being the case, I would be concerned that when the owner comes around he would be able to smell smoke on my clothes or in my house or something.


I used to feel anxious if I didn't have a cigarette, would travel distances to get a pack if it was 2 or 3 in the morning and there were no stores close by. Have paid a dollar for 2 cigarettes (which would be $10.00 a pack), because I didn't have enough to buy a pack in a store, so I paid a dollar for just 2. My cravings were intense. Thank goodness I stopped smoking.

 

[DDNatureLover]

When I began smoking, it was a common behavior. Over the years, though, the number of people who smoked (at least here in the United States) decreased, and the habit was somewhat demonized. That didn't stop me from smoking, but it did make it more difficult to maintain the habit. Although I had quit a few times over the years, it wasn't that difficult to do so. What surprised me was after I had started smoking again on a regular basis, it seemed as if something had changed dramatically, and it was much more difficult to quit. Looking back on that time, I can certainly liken my compulsion to smoke as an addiction, although I didn't like to hear that at the time.

 

[kelden]

I have never been into smoking cigarettes, but I do certainly vape sometimes, when I have the juice of course. I only vape when I'm on the right mood and fill motivated to setup all the stuff in order to get it right into my preference's point, otherwise I don't vape so often, probably once or twice every six months.

 

[Countryhalli]

I smoke more often then I probably should, I smoke usually 2-3 cigarettes a day. I normally smoke while I'm at work, when I am most stressed. I don't think it is a social thing so just because I see a friend or colleague light one up doesn't mean I am going to smoke along with them.

 

[HappyKoi]

I don't see how smoking can help, really. At best, it's an expensive band-aid solution that causes a lot of other health problems. At worst, it drains your pocketbook and your time, makes you sicker, and gives you more things to be anxious about. I think any "benefits" are greatly outweighed by the negatives. Plus, quitting is extremely difficult. There is an entire industry built around quitting, and it is very profitable. If it was possible to quit easily, or if smoking was somehow good for you, this industry wouldn't exist. I saw my mother quit when I was a kid, and watching her go through that made me decide that it wasn't worth it to start. Over time it is quite an expensive and inconvenient addiction, and it's a shame that so many people, especially lower income people, are told that it can help them deal with life.

 

[Laneorexorcist]

I'm actually trying to stop smoking, I have been doing it since five years now and I don't smoke that much as I used to but there is still something, and just as you, I only do it when I'm not feeling well, it's a way to release anxiety when it comes to me... But at the end of the day I can't stop feeling guilty about it.

 

[Humphrey247]

I don't smoke or drink. I'm not judging people who do, I realize we all like different things. The reason I try to avoid this is because I see a lot of people trying to quit once they start and I figure that the negative side must be pretty huge. I also enjoy feeling 100% in control of my actions and the mental clarity. I've never tried it so I don't how I'd feel but I don't feel any urge to so I don't think I will in the foreseeable future.

 

[iCapybara]

I've never really smoked consistently, I only smoked when I was upset about something. I recently had to take my dog to the emergency vet and he had to go get surgery, and after the nurse had asked me the questions like "If your dog's heart stops while he's under, how far do you want us to take measures to save him," I had to immediately go down the street and buy a pack. We had to leave him there overnight for the surgery and I probably chainsmoked four or five right outside the vet office. However, I haven't had any since then and it's been about... a month now? Maybe a little longer. I agree that smoking is like my anxiety getaway, but maybe it's just something I do for comfort sake, I'm not really sure, honestly.

 

[17emilyhalko]

I don't smoke very often, but I'll very occasionally pick up a cigarette. The reason that I don't smoke often isn't so much because I don't like the taste and feel of smoking, but because it's expensive, and no matter how many times I smoke, I never get addicted to it. Don't misconstrue me; I'm not trying to get addicted to smoking. However, I don't see much point in smoking every day if I don't psychically need to, and it's silly to try to achieve that. For me, smoking is a very social thing, so I'll never do it alone, but occasionally with friends. It's very relaxing for me and I can see why people get enjoyment from smoking every day, though I'd never recommend it as the optimal way to become relaxed.

 

[Zzyli]

I've never smoked myself and never been interested in smoking. None of my family members are smokers (my maternal grandfather apparently smoked when he was younger but gave it up when he found out about the negative health effects), and none of my close friends smoke, so I never saw it as something to do, plus the government in Australia where I live have spent quite a lot of money on public health campaigns and heavily tax cigarettes.


I was surprised when I was hospitalised for my anxiety a few years ago how many of the other patients in the mental health unit smoked! Nearly everybody there either was a smoker (and used to try and sneak off the unit or have sneaky cigarettes in the courtyard as the hospital had a very strict no-smoking policy) or used to smoke. Thinking about it and having talked to some of them, I think that smoking in some ways actually applies the relaxation/mindfulness techniques which are often talked about in therapy. You take 5 or so minutes out of your day removed from a situation which is bothering you, and you take some deep breaths, and focus just on the cigarette. Obviously it's both expensive and can have negative health effects, but I can now see the appeal for people who are under a lot of stress.

 

[DylanRowan]

Well, if we count passive smoking as smoking, then yes. Smokers are found in all of my family excluding those that are minor age. Also, I visit one of my grandmothers who smokes everyday, and I have to inhale it everyday because she smokes inside the house. Well, at least she opens the windows and sometimes goes outside. But as in actual smoking, I used an electronic like once a week for around 4 months then I dropped it. I never got the necessity to keep smoking. I just lost it for around a month, and I never felt the urge to buy another one or find a replacement. I guess I am lucky that I never felt desperate about smoking.

 

[x0xLikeMex0x]

In the past 6 months I've been smoking every day, before that I would only smoke when I had had some alcohol.


There really aren't benefits there, as in health benefits, but you will have the most interesting conversations in the smoking area. You'll often meet new people there. It's like a moment you take to yourself when you are stressed. Some people get amazing ideas there.


Nobody likes the taste of cigarettes at first, therefore every smoker has had some kind of influence by their friends or co-workers. Nobody starts smoking alone. It's a social bad habit to start.

 

[sidney]

I used to smoke when I was younger, but now not anymore. I never noticed anything different when I was smoking though with regards to my anxiety. I googled a bit though, and it seems that quitting it can relieve you of your anxiety, so you should really make that choice for your own good.