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Picture of Ironmike57
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I am 60.

Mom and Dad smoked almost 5 packs a day between them.

None of the 9 kids ever smoked - even to this day.

Disgusting habit.
 
Posts: 1972 | Location: Florida | Registered: July 26, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
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62 soon. Both parents chain smoked and I hated it. Lot of pot smoking buddies in HS too.
Never a desire for any of it.
My younger brother took it up. Lung removed in his 50s due to cancer. Cancer returned 18 months later and killed him quick.
Not just a stupid habit, but deadly stupid.


End of Earth: 2 Miles
Upper Peninsula: 4 Miles
 
Posts: 16004 | Location: Marquette MI | Registered: July 08, 2014Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Back, and
to the left
Picture of 83v45magna
posted Hide Post
My Dad told me he never smoked or drank before joining the Marines in 1951.

I'm 54 and my story seems to echo many here. I hated the smoke and later, what I knew it was doing to him. Dad smoked (or at least let burn) 3-4 packs a day. Kools. I had to buy them enough times, I knew exactly which variety of Kools to get. Some store clerks would give me the stinkeye, thinking I was buying them for myself.

As far as I am concerned, I smoked for years as a kid, just secondhand. I remember I used to try and avoid being downstream of the smoke direction when seated at a table with the family. It always seemed the smoke would move to stream right past wherever I was seated. Even following me when I changed seats The car window smoking (referenced above) was an omnipresent thing on any of our frequent road trips. When I read a Reader's Digest article about smoking and lung cancer, I used some of my hard earned dollars (no allowance) to order some reprints of the article which I distributed wherever he would find them. Places like underneath his socks in a dresser drawer. He was finding them for months.

He died in 1991, at 58.

There was just never a question involved as to whether I would ever smoke.
 
Posts: 7230 | Location: Dallas | Registered: August 04, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Did you come from behind
that rock, or from under it?

Picture of Audioholic
posted Hide Post
I'm currently 58. Most of my family were smokers but I'm a non-smoker. Smoking never had any real appeal to me but I had no problem with others smoking as long as they were considerate.

My grandfather smoked until he was in his 60s, my grandmother never did. My mother smokes but didn't start until after I was born, I think she may still have one on occasion but not often. My father smoked regularly until he was diagnosed with emphysema. He quit but by then it was too late. Smoking definitely contributed to his dying prematurely at age 61. My wife still smokes but only one or two a day and never inside or in a car. I'm hoping she'll completely quit soon, she's in good health but even as a light smoker there's going to be a cumulative effect.

As a non-smoker I do, however, have issues with the rabid anti-smoking nazis. Some of those self-righteous, haranguing toads just don't know when to STFU. When we want an anti-smoking lecture we'll signal by peeing on your shoes Wink .




"Every time you think you weaken the nation" Moe Howard
 
Posts: 2048 | Location: Out standing in my field. | Registered: February 07, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Certified Plane Pusher
Picture of Phantom229
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Not anywhere near 50 but I never smoked because I never saw any benefits from it.



Situation awareness is defined as a continuous extraction of environmental information, integration of this information with previous knowledge to form a coherent mental picture in directing further perception and anticipating future events. Simply put, situational awareness mean knowing what is going on around you.
 
Posts: 7895 | Location: Around Lake Tapps, Wa | Registered: September 29, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Not 50 but I'll weigh in. Dad smoked and gave me a cigarette when I asked for one at about 4 years old. I took a drag, coughed up a storm, and never sought to repeat the experience. As I got older I had a suspicion that dad might actually kick my ass if he caught me taking up his bad habit. Knowing the negative health outcomes and witnessing some of them up close confirms I made at least one good decision.
 
Posts: 4273 | Location: Peoples Republic of Berkeley | Registered: June 12, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Get my pies
outta the oven!

Picture of PASig
posted Hide Post
I could never get what the point of it was. Normally you avoid breathing smoke as it's not good for you but PURPOSEFULLY sucking it in all day long every day? No thanks!


 
Posts: 33601 | Location: Pennsylvania | Registered: November 12, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
delicately calloused
Picture of darthfuster
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by redwood25:
My parents both smoked for quite some time when I was young, and I hated it. It stunk. It always stunk. And then it continued stinking. I never wanted that. Sure, I tried a cigarette once with friends, but guess what? It stunk. Never again. Don't get me started on obnoxious cigars....


The only smoke smell I didn't mind was the sweet musky aroma of my uncle's pipe.



You’re a lying dog-faced pony soldier
 
Posts: 29607 | Location: Highland, Ut. | Registered: May 07, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
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I'm 70. Never smoked. I'm a Mormon.


____

I'm filled with gratitude for the blessings I've received.
 
Posts: 707 | Location: So Cal | Registered: September 25, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of Steve in PA
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Nasty, disgusting habit.

Several smokers in my family (parents, brothers & sisters, etc). Never had a desire to smoke in 56 years.


Steve
"The Marines I have seen around the world have, the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps." Eleanor Roosevelt, 1945
 
Posts: 3436 | Location: Northeast PA | Registered: June 05, 2000Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of Ozarkwoods
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I can't say I never smoked but here is the reason....

Setting scene:

Location: Small northern MN farm

Season: mid Summer

Year: late 1960s

Characters:

Grandfather, Grandmother, 11 yr old grandson, bad conscience, good conscience

Act 1
Scene 1

Grandfather: Your grandma and me are going to town to get some groceries, do you want to come along.

Grandson: Naw, Pops I will stay home not much I need in town.

Grandmother: We won't be too long, there's buttermilk in the fridedare if your thirsty.

Grandson: Thanks Grandma!

Grandpa and Grandma leave the farm in their sun faded aqua green 65 Pontiac 4dr Tempest. Grandson watches as the car leaves the 1/8th mile gravel driveway and turns right onto the gravel road that leads to town. Creating a dust/ dirt plume that slowly fades as the gentle southwest winds pushes it onto the leaves and grasses along the roadside.

Grandson sitting in the living room turns on the black and white Zenith 19inch television, the tube warms up and show a current episode of Lassie.

Bad conscience: WTF are you doing watching this crap you are all alone now is your chance to have fun. You have been busting your hump, bailing hay, picking rocks out of the west field, washing cow utters, cleaning barn gutters, get your ass off this couch.....look, look over there, your grandfather's can of Bugler tobacco, and his papers are right on table too. You can do it you have watched him roll his own cigarettes using that cigarette roller many times.

Good conscience: your going to get in trouble boy, your grandfather is going to find out and you will break his trust.

Bad conscience: Shit, you going to listen to that twinkle toes fairy? Grow some ball hairs kid and try a cigarette.....hell if you don't want to roll it out just grab one from that pack of chesterfields.

Grandson grabs the pack of filterless Chesterfields and pulls out one cigarette.

Bad conscience: Awesome...just one? If your Pops saw you grab just one he would laugh at you and ask you, what your balls haven't dropped yet? Take another, hell take 5 pussy!

Good conscience: your stealing from your grandfather don't do it.

Bad conscience: you going to listen to that pansie ass do gooder? You haven't had fun all summer now grab that zippo lighter and let's have fun.

Boy grabs the lighter puts a chesterfield in his mouth and opens the lighter.

Bad conscience: stop dumb ass, you light that cigarette in here and as soon as your grandparents come home walk in they smell cigarettes, go outside. Friggen aye, go out to the pasture!

Scene 1 closes

Opening Scene 2

Boy goes out to the pasture weaving his way through fresh, and older cow patties.

Bad conscience: wow you are teachable kid even what looks like a dried up piece of cow shit can just be a crusted over pile left just two days ago by some grass eating cud chewer. Over there, there is a nice place to lay down look at the clouds and enjoy a smoke.

Boy sits down opens up the lighter, puts a cigarette in his mouth. Flicks the lighter and watches the flame flicker.

Good conscience: I wouldn't do this, you could get burned, start a field fire, or get hooked and spend thousands and thousands of dollars on something that will shorten your life.

Bad conscience: Are you friggen kidding me, get burned? You have watched your parents smoke, grandfather smoke, they light up all the time and not get burned, fire? The pasture is green grass what's going to burn, you can't get hooked from a cigarette or two, thousands of dollars that's funny, you make what? $10 a week, allowance can't spend thousands and thousands when you don't make jack shit, numb nuts.

Bad conscience pushes good conscience into a nearby pile of cow shit. Grandson lights cigarette sucks it into his mouth and blows out.

Bad conscience: See you didn't get burned, the world is still turning, now lay back Let's practice making smoke circles time goes by, one cigarette leads to another.....a light headed ness comes across the boy, three cigarettes into it.

Bad conscience: this feel so good, you have the circles down look how they roll and change shape as they move up. You did it!

The boy keeps smoking until the last of the cigarettes are finished.

Bad conscience: Damn man you did it with only lighting the first cigarette with the lighter. Let get out of this field before your grand parents get back

The boy gets up barely able to stand, makes his way towards the house. Feels a wrenching pain in his stomach like one never before. Empties the contents of his stomach in one violent projectile vomit.

Bad conscience: Wow that went 4ft, bacon grease and tobacco kinda leaves a taste in your mouth.

With that, what little was left in the boy ejected out with the heaving that continued for a half hour. The boy made it under the electric fence with only a short jolt. Into the house where he put the lighter back and went upstairs to his bed.

Good conscience: You ok? I told you you shouldn't, I will stay by you and help you through this.

Boy thought if I ever make it through this I will never smoke again.

Good conscience: I will remind you of this day every time you have that urge to smoke...I will keep a jar of your smoky bacon vomit to open up each time. Oh by the way if you are looking for bad conscience, he is probably showering the bacon vomit off.

THE END

Based on a true accounting of Ozarkwoods


ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
 
Posts: 4810 | Location: SWMO | Registered: October 20, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Freethinker
Picture of sigfreund
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by SapperSteel:
Mormon.


quote:
Originally posted by Wasabibill:
Never smoked. I'm a Mormon.


Just one of several reasons why I usually enjoyed working with members of the LDS church. Smile

And thanks to everyone else who has given me their reasons for never having started smoking (to any significant degree).




6.4/93.6

“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.”
— Plato
 
Posts: 47365 | Location: 10,150 Feet Above Sea Level in Colorado | Registered: April 04, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Good..Bad.. I'm the
guy with the gun.
Picture of SIGMYSTER
posted Hide Post
Both my Parents smoked everywhere- I hated the smell!



Don't count me out till you see the box go in the hole!


 
Posts: 2123 | Location: N.E. OHIO | Registered: July 05, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Irksome Whirling Dervish
Picture of Flashlightboy
posted Hide Post
I've never smoked and I've never been drunk in my life. Just never saw the appeal of any of that.

I do smoke a cigar every now and then and I'm a social drinker but never to the point of being drunk. Beer with Mexican food? Absolutely do enjoy that.

No religion, family or genetic reasons are in play at all. It just has zero appeal to me.
 
Posts: 4069 | Location: "You can't just go to Walmart with a gift card and get a new brother." Janice Serrano | Registered: May 03, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
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I am 49, so just a little shy of the 50 mark.

I grew up in a family of heavy smokers mom, grandparents, cousins, aunts uncles, their friends.... My mom was smoking at least 3 packs a day when she finally stopped, about 7 or 8 years ago (thank you Chantex).

I have never even tried, or tempted to try a cigarette. I can't stand the stink of those things and never could stand the smell of it. That's the main reason I have never tried it.
 
Posts: 2221 | Location: Lawrenceburg, In | Registered: May 20, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
It's not you,
it's me.
Picture of RAMIUS
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I'm not near 50. But growing up, both my parents smoked. I tried to get into it, but never stuck. I was really just to into health and athletics. Still am.

I was never opposed to having a smoke with a drink, especially if it meant I was gonna get laid....you know the saying, "if she smokes, she pokes".

I do enjoy cigars and chewing tobacco.
 
Posts: 7016 | Location: Right outside Philly | Registered: September 08, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
There is a world elsewhere
Picture of Echtermetzger
posted Hide Post
Not quite 50, but my mom smoked, but my dad didn't. He said he didn't care for it, tho, once in a blue moon he would smoke a pipe, but he was sort of an anti-smoker role model.

I am an asthmatic, so smoking for me is suicidally dumb, but it also gave me the perfect excuse to my so-called peers.

And, I was always suspicious of the source of peer pressure. Something that you had to be pressured into doing just seemed like herd mentality.


A well balanced breakfast being necessary to the start of a healthy day, the right of the people to keep and eat food shall not be infringed.
 
Posts: 6685 | Location: The hard land of the Winter | Registered: April 14, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Muzzle flash
aficionado
Picture of flashguy
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by gw3971:
Both of my parents smoked and i hated it.
In spades! I never tried even one! The smell disgusted me and being trapped in a car with the windows up and 2 persons smoking was pure torture. We ate supper together and I learned to eat fast so that I could be excused from the table before they finished and lit up.

BTW, I am 79 going on 80.

flashguy




Texan by choice, not accident of birth
 
Posts: 27902 | Location: Dallas, TX | Registered: May 08, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
I swear I had
something for this
posted Hide Post
I'm not 50, but I never did it because I had enough lung problems as a kid with the addition of overactive sinuses. I would have been on oxygen pace smoking cigarettes and with lungs full of snot.

If I didn't have that problem, I might be smoking cigars or a pipe, but not cigarettes. I am very much a quality over quantity guy and I would never lower myself to the Coors Light of tobacco. Big Grin

But my Grandpa smoked a pipe and it smelled amazing. It's wired in my brain whenever I smell good coffee brewing. Cigarettes just smell like rush hour LA.
 
Posts: 4129 | Location: Kansas City, MO | Registered: May 28, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of ftttu
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I will be 54 next month, and I've never smoked. My mother smoked like a chimney, and that combined with breast cancer did her in at 58.

My uncle, who was more like my dad, also smoked like a chimney. I would almost choke to death while driving on freezing dark mornings to our hunting spot over an hour and a half away - the car thick with smoke and the windows rolled up.

Everyone in my family smoked but me and my grandmother. The ones who did, all died from smoking related illnesses.

I hate cigarette, cigar, pipe and marijuana smoke, I don't like the high costs of smoking, and I HATE how everything stinks of smoke from cars, breath, clothes, furniture, beds, etc.

For those who smoke, that's your personal preference so I won't preach to you, but as for me, I'll breathe a little easier...than you.


Retired Texas Lawman, now active reserve
 
Posts: 1160 | Location: Texas | Registered: March 03, 2016Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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