Smoking - do you, and if so, why?

[Earlybird]

I have just finished reading an article that states the number of French women who smoke is increasing. Most say they fear weight gain if they stopped, so plan to continue with the habit in spite of the health risks.

Tell us why you smoke, and how you feel about the habit.

I have a friend who smokes one or two cigarettes a week and I am SO envious of her. When I was smoking and I used to go to their house for dinner a lot, she would get dinner, on, pour wine, sit in the garden with me and have a fag at about 7pm. And then that would be it! . Me and her dh would smoke about another 10 each over the course of the evening .

yes. it makes me feel rebelious because i know i shouldn't.
and i like it.
and it makes me look cool.

Oh I'm afraid it really doesn't make you look cool. I assume you are joking?

it might make me look cool but i wouldn't know because i do it in secret. alone. and enjoy it.

try working on a respiratory ward as an incentive to give up! Watching a ward full of patients gasping for air certainly helped me kick the habit!!

No doubt cronic, persistents smoking will cause breathing problems and worse, but one or two a day or a few a week probably won't.

I used to bloody love my cigarettes. Nothing better than a cup of tea and a marlboro light. Then I became pregnant and had always said "Oh I'll give up when I see the two blue lines on the stick". It took me till I was 11 weeks pregnant and standing on the back doorstep retching while I was drawing on my fag. I remember thinking "why am I doing this because this is not my idea of fun!" that was 4 years and 1 dress size ago. When DD was born I was so paranoid about cot death that it was enough to keep me off them. I do have the occassional nostalgia for one..the initial drag as you light one up after a meal or with a drink...lovely. Don't miss the smell though

3Breasts if you enjoy it, why do you do it in secret? Are you ashamed? or do you feel proud of yourself? is it something you would show off about? It doesn't make anybody look cool, just undignified and dirty. The 'cool' thing is society brainwashing you, it's not your fault that you smoke.

I look at smokers in the same way I would look at someone if they told me they didn't brush their teeth, dirty, disgusting, and very silly. Except smoking is much worse than not brushing your teeth. Much, much worse.

What would you think if a respectable, hardworking, intelligent, mother and wife and friend, told you she didn't wash? and said "i know i should, it's silly, i just really enjoy not washing"? wouldn't you think she was disgusting and see her in a whole different light?

I still can't believe this day in age people still do it. Once we didn't have seatbelts in cars. But we're educated now, and the people who are aware of the risk and still smoke (or don't wear a seatbelt) are just stupid. One of the many motives for me giving up, was the embarrassment of being stupid, I felt immature as if I should know better.

abouteve when you say you hope to become a social smoker,did you have that same thought when you tried your first cigarette? Did you think "I really want to be addicted to poisonous chemicals, and damage my health in an unimaginable way" wow what a dream. If you knew then what you know now, would have started?

Bibbity are you really envious of your friend who smokes less? She's in the same boat as you, an addict. Would you be envious of her if you were a non smoker?

I know you all hate me for ranting

Remember it's not your fault you smoke, and it's easy to give up if you change the way you think about it, and the way you think about yourself.

LaRagga, gawd someone really did a great brain washing job on you likening smoking to not washing, don't remember Alan Carr going that far.

I would have preferred to only smoke on social occasions from the off rather than developing a 20 a day habit which became a 10 a day habit in the past few years. I would also prefer that cigarettes were not as expensive then I might stick to a 5 a day habit, which I think is possible despite what we are led to believe.

lol! yes I have seeeeeen the light! I know you would have preferred that I just meant if you think of it differently it helps to change the way you feel when you are actually smoking.
If they were free would you be on 60 a day by choice? i don't think so.
Anyway smoking is sssssoooooooooooooo much worse than not washing, please, think about it. Every single one damages you. Unfortunaetly it's just more socially acceptable...

I'm a part-time smoker..1 in the morning 2 at night...better than i used to be..I hope to give up at some point have in the past when I was pregannt smoking made me sick...but I really dont like the way people think they can abuse smokers..behave

Laragga, is it OK if I don't have a wash once a week?

OK I'm battling with this atm. Grrrr! Not had a cig since Sat and only smoked 23 in last 4 weeks, but don't want to do the NOPE I love em too much.

I AM a non-smoker. Please read the thread properly before you start ranting at people!

why are you envious of her then, because it hasn't left you? do you still want one?
People who don't actually smoke but still want one are addicts, aren't they?
sorry for ranting...

anyway by non-smoker i kind of meant if you were a person who had never started in the first place..

mumcentre! LOL at part time smoker!!! sweetie, thats a smoker, sorry, says one to another ...

I think havings kids does make you cut down

It does annoy me that being a smoker in the UK is almost like being a killer, yes I know its bad but still.....

far more relaxed in Europe. I like

yes but far more ignorance in europe and not so much education on the subject or horrible (but effective) anti-smoking tv adverts. And, not saying you're a killer but it does kill, and passive smoking kills too. It's like suicide, kinda.

larag, bless you but I dont think you are going tp sway and of the smokers on here!!!!

I know, this thread's tiring me, basta, mi siddia!

Can I ask something? Why do people put on weight when they stop? Is is because they replace the cigs with chocolate or whatever or does smoking dampen your appetite or....

I loved smoking and did so for 20 years until my mum got diagnosed with COPD. We both read alan carr, I stopped straight away and it was easy.

It took my mum a few years of cutting down, stopping for a week then cracking and smoking again. She ended up in hospital a couple of times and in pulmonary rehab. She gave up eventually but its too late, she is on oxygen 15hrs a day and now under pallative care

I do not miss it in any way and when I see people smoking it just seems crazy now..

Smoking is an appetite suppressant so most smokers eat less particularly fattening snacks. Nicotine also speeds up the metabolism so even if you eat the same when you quit you may still put on weight.

All this talk about smokers committing suicide and being killer is just stupid and hugely exaggerated. I really do wish the anti smokers would use there brains rather than suck up every bit of clap trap spouted around about the health risks and passive smoking. No doubt chuffing 50 a day is very risky to health, just as downing a bottle of vodka a day, or stuffing ones face with cream cakes and lying on the sofa all day would be.

Laraggaze - you sound like a reformed smoker rather than a non smoker.

I note you post on the Italian thread - how do hope not to let your los not come into contact with smoke in Italy?

I've smoked - I've given up and been happy for others to smoke - I smoke again now(hard to give up this time when nightmare mil around - but I'll try again) but in Italy - bloody hell - many ils smoke and it's up to me to take ds out of the environment - whilst leaving their kids in there.

I want to be a non smoker rather than a reformed one. It's not a religion to me.