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Comment by dhosek | Hacker News Reader

I never understood how anyone under the age of 50 could take up smoking. It's been abundantly clear since I was a kid that smoking would kill you slowly and painfully and we had numerous presentations at my grade school in the 70s to that effect. And yet there was a crowd of teenagers at my high school in the designated smoking area in the outside space between D and F halls (the location seems ironic in retrospect).

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Let me help your intuition. Think of all the bad habits you have that other people wish you didn't.

Everyone has a vice. smokers are just easy targets.

Great answer. Based on the sheer ignorance in this thread, of things like what the difference is between nicotine and caffeine, I don't think most of these people are capable of assessing their own bad habits in the way that all smokers are. I never met anyone who smoked who wasn't conscious of their own vices, and slower to demonize or criticize other people's. Reserving judgment and criticizing your own flaws first is apparently no longer considered a good thing. In fact, I think that kind of conversation is one reason the braindead always want to ban smoking. It is and has always been part of open conversation about the risks of living, personal freedom, and nonconformity.

> I never met anyone who smoked who wasn't conscious of their own vices, and slower to demonize or criticize other people's

I sure have. I've met all kinds of people who smoked. From kind to unkind, self-aware to insufferable, big to small, etc. I will say people who smoke are exactly like people.

The "ima be dead by im 30" mentality is common. I've smoked my fair share of cigarettes but never found nicotine addictive. Lots of people just dont care about themselves.

Don’t expect to dead at 30, but don’t expect to be in any position in life where I would care either way.

FWIW I picked up smoking hanging in certain social circles. It was kind of just a thing other people I was hanging out with did.

Do you drink alcohol, regularly? It's also very likely killing you slowly, and leading to a diminished quality of your later years.

People smoke for similar reasons to why people drink: it's social, there's a (pleasing to some) chemical component, it's habitual, and so on. For many, it's the cheapest way to manage to self-source some quick relief in their day.

As a light smoker (1 to 3 cigarettes or mini cigars a day) I looked at the probability of cancer or death based on my consumption and weighed it against the pleasure and utility I derived from it. I decided the risk was worth it.

It's also a cultural signifier. I know I'm more likely to get along with someone who smokes.

Wise. Social smoking is a great experience, and I'm not sure why. Definitely hard to quantify.

Have you tried it? Your first few packs are very enjoyable until you need to smoke to feel normal.

Sounds like you haven't tried it.

First few packs are disgusting, one is not used to nicotine so can get vicious headaches and nausea, the smoke is harsh and irritates your nostrils and your throat. Once you get addicted to nicotine and your tolerance builds up smoking becomes enjoyable since, since the nicotine high kicks in at maximum effect.

> in the outside space between D and F halls (the location seems ironic in retrospect).

Was there an E hall?

I understand why people take up smoking but I don't understand why people expect credit for breaking out of it. Addiction is an ugly thing and seeing a public personality parlay their experience into an excuse to write a blog post is pretty distasteful to me. Just quietly stop; not everything has to be an event in the history of internet culture.

Just quietly ignore it and move on; not everyone needs to hear about what you find distasteful.

I find your perception of this blog post bizarre. Who is asking for credit for quitting? Who is making this an event in the history of internet culture?

I've made a habit of putting myself through nicotine withdrawal (I like the on-edge feeling, yes I'm weird), and smokers who quit deserve a lot of credit. It's hard, and I don't think anyone who hasn't been through it would understand how hard it is.

If you're assuming I haven't gone through nicotine withdrawal myself then that's mistaken.

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