I am addicted to cigarettes, but it had nothing to do with peer pressure. I have major depressive disorder, and I felt, and continue to often feel so shitty that I don't care what I do to myself, and I even admit that I once told myself that I wanted to smoke cigarettes so that I could just die sooner.
I regret my careless decision. I find myself asking friends who smoke why they began smoking when they knew what the consequences were too, and generally they haven't analyzed their decisions the way I have, and so the consensus is basically a unanimous 'i dunno.'
I hope you won't continue to judge smokers so harshly. Everybody hates smokers these days, and we're just people who made a mistake. Personally whenever I smoke I try to find a place where my second hand smoke won't hit anyone, and I'm very conscious of the direction of the wind when I do this. I know I'm not the only smoker to take these things into consideration. I hope you can see that people are only human, and that there are absolutely other reasons besides age or stupidity that can contribute to the decision to start smoking. For me it is that I make careless, stupid decisions because I have a mental disorder that impedes on my ability to make good decisions sometimes.
Besides, isn't our imminent suffering from cancer enough punishment?
It's really a shame that smoking cigarettes is such an awful thing to do to your body, because there is something so comforting about sitting in nature, or driving your car, while smoking a cigarette and listening to music that fits your mood. I feel so at peace. Then again, there is nothing shittier than having just bought a pack of cigarettes, and then going out drinking only to get so drunk that you light up an entire carton in one night before you even realize it...
