3 ms·
I remember that when I was a teenager, every male around me (both adults and kids of my age and older) smoked. But I never tried, not even once. My reasoning wa
by kozak 6y ago
I remember that when I was a teenager, every male around me (both adults and kids of my age and older) smoked. But I never tried, not even once. My reasoning was the following: if I try it and I don't like it, then I would regret trying (because by definition of "don't like it", it will be unpleasant). But if I try it and I like it (which will mean that I will feel that this is good and pleasant), then I'll just become one of them - one of those who can't live without cigarettes. So thus I never tried.
- throwanem 6y agoGood for you, but I don't think this is necessarily an example that applies in the general case. I was just about the last member of my cohort to start smoking, and nearly unique in not having done so until I was actually old enough to legally buy my own. But I did start.
- zeta0134 6y agoI think growing up I feared the social stigma more than anything else. As I've become older though, and heard accounts from some of my friends who tried harder things... I realized what I don't like is the idea of an artificial high. I gain joy from the simple pleasure of taking a walk through nature, or listening to music with pleasant harmonies. Wouldn't an artificial high, being more powerful, work to make those things less joyous in comparison? Whether it's true or not, my fear of that possibility has steered me clear of the stuff for good. I don't want to depend on some substance to enjoy life, I would rather just enjoy what's already around me.