[Bob434]

Well to be fair to ourselves, we started because it was ‘cool’, because we wanted to fit in, and because we thought ‘tough people smoke and don’t care about the consequences- because, well, we’re tough’

Even though I’m suffering, I made my decision to start, and I’ll live with the consequences- I wish i’d been more secure in my own skin to say “Nope- not falling for hte peer pressure crap’ and never started smoking in the first place, but that was not how my life was destined to go- if it were, I’da been a health nut instead- obviously my life didn’t go in that direction-

While smoking was stupid- it did allow us to ‘fit in’ with the ‘in crowds’ back when- Yeah, it was a lousy way to fit in- - I made many friends in that crowd- and don’t regret that- yeah, i coulda made friends in healthy crowds as well had i gone a different route in life, but life is what it is- and that is that

[Ditter]

My parents and all their friends were WW2 era people were heavy smokers, but I never smoked at home. I married young and my husband joined the USCC. I soon met people there that smoked so I started smoking too because it seemed normal. It didn't take long until it started to make me have health problems like asthma that I had had when I was living at home. I continued to smoke lightly, never more than a half a pack a day for about 10 years. My breathing became more important that the cigs and I quit in the manner that I explained earlier. After quitting I could not, can not, tolerate any kind of smoke, cigarette or BBQ.