Smoking, am i ok?

Question

i am 14 and a year ago i smoked a cig a week on sundays, and then i smoked 2 a week then before i needed 3 a week. i woke up and just didnt feel like smoking. it was the wierdest thing evr. now i have started smoking one a week and i already feel like smoking one a day. I already know that addiction varies from person to person so does anyone think i'll be able to quit when i want to.
p.s when i feel like smoking i dont feel like i need to, i just want to and i can stop myslef.

before anyone else answers, another reason i smoke is cuz my dad does and i can sneak whole packs at a time which last about a year for me.
ty evry1 for ur input.

o, and i play football, i've taken classes at Princeton and have been nominated to be accepted into mensa.
i'm not stupid.

Answer 1

Stop now, while you are NOT addicted. Smoking is dangerous, disgusting and anti-social.

Answer 2

The thing with cigarettes is that the majority of the addiction is a metal based addiction built up over time. In many ways, cigarettes bare a striking resemblance to cocaine. Ironically nicotine has been shown in studies to be equally addictive.

When I was your age, I was smoking half a pack a day and quick for 6 months just to prove I could. I had that idea in my head though and before I knew it, I'd been smoking 7 years, over a pack a day, and had a hell of a time quitting.

Most likely, the addictive effects physically have yet to effect you because you're young and are taking in a very very little amount. The mental addiction probably isn't fully there, though you do say you already feel like you want one a day.

Almost guarenteeably, within a couple of years at this rate you won't just be able to quit. I would say now it's upto you to decide whether you're going to live as a smoker or knock it off now. Only 3% of regular smokers that quit stay quit. Even now, for me, who quit years ago, I still want them. Choose wisely kiddo :)

Answer 3

Sorry to disagree but you ARE stupid if you think smoking has any benefits. You don't really look "cool" now even if you think you do. Even if you did think you looked cool now you have the immediate prospect of impairing your ability to do sports due to diminished lung capacity. Add to that the expense (someday you won't be able to steal enough from you dad without his noticing). Finally add to it the well documented long term health effects and you see many many reasons NOT to smoke.

If you're smart enough to be in Mensa you should be smart enough to sit down and make two lists - one is the benefits to smoking and the other one is the downside to smoking. You'll see the only "benefit" is a fake emotional one whereas all downsides are real and documented.

Funny you mention Mensa. I have been a member since I was about 20. At your age I did actually smoke for about 3 months though for some reason never developed an addiction. It was "thinking" about it at the end of that time that let me know how stupid it was of me to smoke and I simply gave it up. Now, near 50, I know many people that have smoked all those years and see the major health effects they have and how hard it is for them to give up smoking even when they want to do so.

Answer 4

After being an smoker, I know we are the worse, if you are 14 and smoking occasionally, just quit.

not only is this habit not good for your health, it is 30 times more addicting than heroin.
I know about the parent smoking issue, both of my parents and their friends smoked. All of them have sever lung and medical conditions or have died at a young age. Do your peers think that smoking is a cool thing? realistically not. If you want to have a social life and be able to do the things that you want to do, stop playing with cigarettes, It is not as glamorous as you think it is.

Answer 5

The standard definition of addiction comes from the American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization, which list nine criteria for determining addiction. The two groups, which prefer the term drug dependence, base their definition on research done since the 1960's, which has determined that multiple traits must be considered in determining whether a substance is addictive.

These are the criteria:

Taking the drug more often or in larger amounts than intended.

Unsuccessful attempts to quit; persistent desire, craving.

Excessive time spent in drug seeking.

Feeling intoxicated at inappropriate times, or feeling withdrawal symptoms from a drug at such times.

Giving up other things for it.

Continued use, despite knowledge of harm to oneself and others.

Marked tolerance in which the amount needed to satisfy increases at first before leveling off.

Characteristic withdrawal symptoms for particular drugs.

Taking the drug to relieve or avoid withdrawal.

So until you fit into one of these categories I guess you are alright. Smoking is bad regardless, but your body can repair the damage if you stop before its too late.

Answer 6

I started smoking when I was 13 (I'm now 20) and I always thought that it wasn't a big deal. I'd only smoke now and then. As time went on I needed more and more cigarettes. If I couldn't afford them I'd beg them off of someone. My advice is to stop now, while it's easy. The more you smoke the harder it is to give up. It may not feel like you need it, but the fact that you want one and you can't stop yourself from having one shows that your body needs it. I won't babble on here about the effects of nicotine, but I would advise you to check out this site:

http://teens.drugabuse.gov/mom/mom_nic1.asp

It explains what's actually happening when you smoke. It's not a nice thought what actually happens to your body. I hope you do stop, because it will just get harder and harder.

Amy x

Answer 7

too late ur addicted! If you cut it out now and don't smoke none at all you'll be able to quit all together! I thought the same thing when i started messing with cigs.....started out just smoking when i drank alcohol but now its a everyday thing and its a pain in the behind to pay 5 dollars a pack! Quit Now and for good!

Answer 8

Stop now dude. Smoking is lame and it will kill you (if you don't die from cancer, you'll suffer from other problems when you're older).

I started smoking when I was your age and am now 31 years old. I've had lots of problems with smoking - quitting and starting back again.

Nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs on this planet. People who have been addicted to the "hardcore" drugs and quit doing those have had problems ending their addiction to nicotine.

Stop now, it's not worth it. You'll save money, be healthier, and still be cool.

Answer 9

If you're saying only 1 cig and not a pack, you're OK. Even a pack a week isn't going to addict you to nicotine. But you're too young to be smoking. You're body is still growing and I wouldn't want to jeopardize that and maybe permanently hamper things like your nervous system reaching it's maximum strength. Your body is the only one you have, and surviving to the max is what you want to do.

Answer 10

Hey..=] let me start off by telling you that yes addiction does vary from person to person. Im 16 and I just started up about 4 months ago. I began with like 1 every other day. i got them from my best friend who knew a guy that could get them. well about a month later i had one about every day after school. Her and I went after school behind an old building. I began to like the feeling i got after i had a few hits. and I felt cool, because i had never tried it before and it just seemed to me like it was normal. Well 3 months later about end of september beggining of October i noticed that I was getting really short of breath in volleyball. I of course knew why I was, but my coaches became a little bit hesitant as to asking me why i was breathing a little weird. I had told them that i wasnt sure what was wrong. even though i knew it was because i was smoking like 2 cigs a day. well i ended up quiting volleyball and i just didnt feel like playing anymore. Cigs changed who i was, and to this day i crave them BAD> but i have told my self taht i dont really need them, and im going to be honest i have become addicted. I can smoke a pack with 2 of my friends in like less than a day. here recently i have cut back. for health purposes and mainly my dad. Hes smoked all of his life, and I know it hurt him when he found out. what Im basically trying to tell you is, that it is completely normal to WANT a cig, but its totally different when you NEED one. IF you tell yourself..NO I DONT NEED THIS. then you dont but if you WANT it..thats a total complete different story. i feel for ya. lol. and speaking of cigs..i need one..whoo

Answer 11

Try for a FEW days and see? If you can't stop, it'll be tough! One day, does NOT mean you'll just be able to quit! If you can make it a week! You'll be okay! By the way, my Grandmother died from smoking! She got lung cancer, and this cancerous tumor grew in her lungs. Soon it filled up her entire Lungs, and she suffocated! Chemo wouldn't treat it and neither did radiation! Be careful! Smoking is kinda dumb, no offense to you! No wait . . . it is SUPER dumb! Haven't you seen the people who have to get their throats opperated on? they have a hole in their neck, and they have to put a cork/plug thing through it! or you could get mouth cancer, and have to get a part of your mouth hacked out! STOP NOW!!!!!