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Cigarettes and the Smoking of Them
16 years ago
General
MOST RECENT STORY: Going Home: Final Chapter: The Departure
IN PROGRESS: Family Matters
CURRENT DISTRACTION: Pokemon LeafGreen
Okay, I know some of you are going to read the next sentence and either stop reading, bite my head off, or both.
Today, I tried my first cigarette.
If you got past that sentence, congratulations. You've got the sanity and maturity required to read the rest of this journal.
Yes, I'm aware that smoking is terrible for me. Yes, I have asthma and I was aware that the first puff could potentially have killed me. Yes, I am aware that it was a very stupid thing to do.
However, NO, I do not plan to ever do it again.
I suppose the motive behind this was to see what all the hype was about. I have a few friends who smoke, none of them more than two or three cigarettes a day, and I just wanted to try it. My grandfathers on both sides and my grandmother on my mother's side smoked nearly their entire lives (my dad's dad died of lung cancer, and my mom's parents quit when I was in elementary school). My mother smoked when she was young (quit before she met my dad), as did my aunt (quit) and my uncle (God rest his soul...no, he died in a car crash, not from smoking). I guess you could say that smoking is in my blood, but then again my parents and grandparents grew up in the days where smoking was a lot more common and the cigarette companies hadn't yet been forced to be honest about the health risks associated with smoking.
So, anyways, this evening I walked from my dorm to a convenience store on Hillsborough Street and purchased a pack of Camel No. 9 Menthe cigarettes, for about six bucks (quick note here: for about that much, I could have purchased a filling meal at the Chinese restaurant a few blocks down the street). Yes, I am aware those cigarettes are for girls. All I did was say "can I get a pack of Camels", and those were the first thing the nice lady behind the counter pointed to, so I said "yeah, those".
I walked back to my dorm room, and then I opened the pack. I smelled the cigarettes and thought it over.
Nice smell...Reminded me of prunes and a hint of candy, with just a touch of mint.
Packaging was pretty cool, too. Black box, outlined in mint green, and the lettering was pink. The foil lining inside was pink as well.
Price was...Well, for the price I could have gotten a fairly nice cigar at the tobacconists shop on the other end of the street. It would've been a lot more healthy (yes, I am aware it's not a healthy thing to do, but as it's pure tobacco, it's a hell of a lot safer than a cigarette and there are sure a lot of worse things I could do to my body). I guess I can't complain about the price, as it was a learning experience, but now I wish I hadn't paid so much. Anyway...
After mulling it over for a few more minutes, I opened my desk drawer and pulled out a lighter, and then went to my backpack and retrieved my inhaler, just in case something went really, really wrong. So I wouldn't make a complete ass of myself, I walked away from my dorm to a courtyard that's deserted in the evening. I've heard horror stories of people passing out or puking with their first cigarette, and I sure didn't want anyone to see that if it happened, so I was glad to be alone. Then it was time for the moment of truth. I lit up that first cigarette.
The first puff was just to taste the smoke. I'm not gonna lie, it tasted pretty damn good. I guess that's how they hook people initially, is the taste. It really had a minty flavor, which I'm assuming meant it was a menthol cigarette (double bad, yes, I know). Next, I was going to actually inhale the smoke.
I admit, I wimped out on the second and third puff. I was actually pretty scared. What if I died from just one puff of a cigarette? What if I got addicted from my first cigarette? What if a friend suddenly walked up and walked away thinking I was the stupidest goddamn person in the world? (And even I have to admit that they would sort of have a point)
Anyway, on the fourth puff, I inhaled.
Ladies and gentlemen, that was enough to turn me off from smoking. I don't understand how ANYONE can smoke this shit. It was FUCKING HOT. I thought my lungs were on FIRE. My God, they STILL ache, even an hour later! I breathed out almost immediately upon feeling the sensation, that's how bad it was. But I manned up and finished the cigarette, because I was going to go all the way with this experiment. I regret that now, but that's what learning is for.
And don't get me started on this supposed "buzz" that you're supposed to get from smoking. People, I get more of a buzz from a shitty-ass can of Milwaukee's Best Ice after eating a seven-course dinner. For God's sake, I get more of a buzz from a CIGAR, and you don't even inhale those!
As we speak, the remainder of the pack is sitting in the drawer beside my computer desk. I do not plan to smoke any more of them. I'm either going to give them to one of my smoking friends or throw them in a trash can on my way to class tomorrow morning.
People reading this, if you ever get the slightest inkling to smoke a cigarette, don't fucking do it. It's not worth it, in EVERY sense of the phrase. If you want to look cool, buy a pair of nice sunglasses for about $200 (which is about 4% of what the typical smoker spends on cigarettes in a YEAR). If you want to enjoy the taste of tobacco, get a pipe or smoke a cigar once every two weeks, like I do. If you want a buzz, go out drinking with friends every once in a while, which is something I also enjoy (please drink responsibly).
Just don't smoke a cigarette. You're gonna regret it, sooner or later.
Folks who write purty good:
incog 
jewelwriter 
sanuramosi 
thewanderingpikachu 
ysrnty
IN PROGRESS: Family Matters
CURRENT DISTRACTION: Pokemon LeafGreen
Okay, I know some of you are going to read the next sentence and either stop reading, bite my head off, or both.
Today, I tried my first cigarette.
If you got past that sentence, congratulations. You've got the sanity and maturity required to read the rest of this journal.
Yes, I'm aware that smoking is terrible for me. Yes, I have asthma and I was aware that the first puff could potentially have killed me. Yes, I am aware that it was a very stupid thing to do.
However, NO, I do not plan to ever do it again.
I suppose the motive behind this was to see what all the hype was about. I have a few friends who smoke, none of them more than two or three cigarettes a day, and I just wanted to try it. My grandfathers on both sides and my grandmother on my mother's side smoked nearly their entire lives (my dad's dad died of lung cancer, and my mom's parents quit when I was in elementary school). My mother smoked when she was young (quit before she met my dad), as did my aunt (quit) and my uncle (God rest his soul...no, he died in a car crash, not from smoking). I guess you could say that smoking is in my blood, but then again my parents and grandparents grew up in the days where smoking was a lot more common and the cigarette companies hadn't yet been forced to be honest about the health risks associated with smoking.
So, anyways, this evening I walked from my dorm to a convenience store on Hillsborough Street and purchased a pack of Camel No. 9 Menthe cigarettes, for about six bucks (quick note here: for about that much, I could have purchased a filling meal at the Chinese restaurant a few blocks down the street). Yes, I am aware those cigarettes are for girls. All I did was say "can I get a pack of Camels", and those were the first thing the nice lady behind the counter pointed to, so I said "yeah, those".
I walked back to my dorm room, and then I opened the pack. I smelled the cigarettes and thought it over.
Nice smell...Reminded me of prunes and a hint of candy, with just a touch of mint.
Packaging was pretty cool, too. Black box, outlined in mint green, and the lettering was pink. The foil lining inside was pink as well.
Price was...Well, for the price I could have gotten a fairly nice cigar at the tobacconists shop on the other end of the street. It would've been a lot more healthy (yes, I am aware it's not a healthy thing to do, but as it's pure tobacco, it's a hell of a lot safer than a cigarette and there are sure a lot of worse things I could do to my body). I guess I can't complain about the price, as it was a learning experience, but now I wish I hadn't paid so much. Anyway...
After mulling it over for a few more minutes, I opened my desk drawer and pulled out a lighter, and then went to my backpack and retrieved my inhaler, just in case something went really, really wrong. So I wouldn't make a complete ass of myself, I walked away from my dorm to a courtyard that's deserted in the evening. I've heard horror stories of people passing out or puking with their first cigarette, and I sure didn't want anyone to see that if it happened, so I was glad to be alone. Then it was time for the moment of truth. I lit up that first cigarette.
The first puff was just to taste the smoke. I'm not gonna lie, it tasted pretty damn good. I guess that's how they hook people initially, is the taste. It really had a minty flavor, which I'm assuming meant it was a menthol cigarette (double bad, yes, I know). Next, I was going to actually inhale the smoke.
I admit, I wimped out on the second and third puff. I was actually pretty scared. What if I died from just one puff of a cigarette? What if I got addicted from my first cigarette? What if a friend suddenly walked up and walked away thinking I was the stupidest goddamn person in the world? (And even I have to admit that they would sort of have a point)
Anyway, on the fourth puff, I inhaled.
Ladies and gentlemen, that was enough to turn me off from smoking. I don't understand how ANYONE can smoke this shit. It was FUCKING HOT. I thought my lungs were on FIRE. My God, they STILL ache, even an hour later! I breathed out almost immediately upon feeling the sensation, that's how bad it was. But I manned up and finished the cigarette, because I was going to go all the way with this experiment. I regret that now, but that's what learning is for.
And don't get me started on this supposed "buzz" that you're supposed to get from smoking. People, I get more of a buzz from a shitty-ass can of Milwaukee's Best Ice after eating a seven-course dinner. For God's sake, I get more of a buzz from a CIGAR, and you don't even inhale those!
As we speak, the remainder of the pack is sitting in the drawer beside my computer desk. I do not plan to smoke any more of them. I'm either going to give them to one of my smoking friends or throw them in a trash can on my way to class tomorrow morning.
People reading this, if you ever get the slightest inkling to smoke a cigarette, don't fucking do it. It's not worth it, in EVERY sense of the phrase. If you want to look cool, buy a pair of nice sunglasses for about $200 (which is about 4% of what the typical smoker spends on cigarettes in a YEAR). If you want to enjoy the taste of tobacco, get a pipe or smoke a cigar once every two weeks, like I do. If you want a buzz, go out drinking with friends every once in a while, which is something I also enjoy (please drink responsibly).
Just don't smoke a cigarette. You're gonna regret it, sooner or later.
Folks who write purty good:
incog 
jewelwriter 
sanuramosi 
thewanderingpikachu 
ysrnty
I'm 35, way out of shape, and I have had asthma since I was like... 4 or something.
Smoking is Bad, umkay? (I'm glad your not going to do it anymore)
I understand the whole family tree thing though. My family has had a very long history with alcohol. Although nobody has died directly because of it, it actually got the the point where both my brother and I have damaged livers that can't properly process alcohols. (or something like that. It wasn't caused by my mother doing stupid things while we were in the womb though.)
Nevertheless, I won't drink. Maybe curiosity killed (or burned out the lungs of) the cat, but at least you took a good lesson away from it.
I've never smoked one myself (also have asthma), but I just never saw the appeal to inhaling smoke.
Smoking's bad, mmkay?
I've never been tempted by them, myself. I gag whenever I get a whiff of secondhand smoke, so the thought of taking it in directly is a bit of a turn-off, heh.
I'm reminded of a comedian I once saw. He said that a woman smoking after sex was the worst kind of insult to him, because to him, it's like she's trying to say
"You amazing. So good, in fact that I think I'm slowly, going, to kill, myself!"