Smoking

My attittude towards smoking had always been somewhat niave. I had tried smoking when I was in Year 8, with two of my more rebelious friend. Not truly understanding the concept of addiction I recall asking one "if I try to grab the cigarette for a second drag because I'm addicted, then hold me back". When I didnt feel the urge to immediately smoke again after the first drag, I came to the conclusion that people who did must be weak minded.

It wasnt until college when I met people who had been smokers for a long time, for a variety of reasons, I started to realise that maybe there was more to it than just wanting to put a smoky stick in your mouth. Smoking does appear to be on the way out though, especially with the pub smoking ban, but then again, I know people who have taken up smoking just so they have an excuse to start to talking to other smokers so they can chat them up outside.

I'm pretty sure most smokers now understand the health risks ( http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/smokehealth.htm ), but I think for them it goes beyond that fact that smoking increases your risk of cancer, and all the other problems asscociated with it. I would suggest that smoking is tool to help you feel as if you belong to a certain group, and so you feel you have something immediately in common with someone else just because of the white stick you put in your mouth.