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Have you ever smoked? Because I assure you you're wrong about this.
This is definitely false. I used to smoke celebratory cigarettes regularly.
Post-coitus and post-meal cigarettes are very common and in pretty sure those aren’t being smoked to cope with anxiety.
I smoke after sex. So, before we had kids, I was a pack-a-day man
Smoking usually starts socially. Then it becomes a coping mechanism. You're not wrong, some people go straight to it to cope but your post is straight up saying all smokers are plagued by problems and anxiety.
what I'm saying is that there's no path of thought and desire that goes "oh man, I feel so good that I want to celebrate by smoking this thing", when you say that it starts socially, I wonder how much of the need one feels to smoke is derived from social pressure, anxiety at the thought of not fitting in, or fear of missing out, or simple boredom.
Have you ever smoked? You seem to never have, or your reasons for smoking were anxiety related. But you’re casting a very wide and incorrect net.
Social and peer pressure is a big reason why people start for sure. Especially when you get to go outside and have a quick chat during work.
Ex smoker, many times I lit up when I was having a great time with friends
I started smoking to have an excuse to hang out with the theatre kids. It worked.
What about the trope of lighting up after sex?
Or while you're boozing with friends
Or that morning sunrise cigarette on the porch with fresh coffee.
I leave for Paris tomorrow and while I've been planning the trip I had the strangest urge to smoke a cigarette at a streetside cafe sipping some coffee... and I have never smoked in my life. Feels like a real deep cultural meme has gripped me.
Breakfast of champions
Those hobbits were not smoking tobacco
Ah. Now I see why they had so many meals...
They were not.
Isn't the after sex cigarette kind of a trope?
Cigars are often for celebrations, are they not?
Smoke em if you got em
People smoke for different reasons. Like most if not all substances, they can be used to feel slightly better when you aren't feeling good, they can be used to enhance moments where you already feel good, they can even just be habit or addiction. I do agree that if someone feels like they "need" something that in pretty much all cases is detrimental to their health, then there is an underlying issue they aren't addressing.
The burning tobacco creates at least 3 different maoi antidepressants. Nicotine by itself is about as addictive and dangerous as caffeine, it's those uppers that are getting you feeling better temporarily.
I've quit a few months ago and I miss it every day. I will never not want cigarettes. I don't want to die horribly or become more disabled than I already am, but I do miss lighting up a cig. I used to smoke 5 packs a day. No joke. That's about 100 cigs a day. I had to cut down cuz I started coughing up blood. Vaping sucked. No joy in that, no sting to let you know you're alive. I feel like since I've quit, while I may not be an aggressive dick as much as I used to, I am wayyyyy more depressed than ever now that they're not in my life anymore. Except when I smell them on the wind when someone else is smoking. It makes me jealous. I miss smoking. It feels like a breakup.
Be strong. I remember feeling like that. Took a couple years but the memories fad eventually. Nice work getting this far though!
Once addicted, there is nothing more pleasant than coming outside into the sunshine and lighting up that cigarette you've been craving for a few hours.
There are some ex-smokers who claim that they never enjoyed it. Then there are some who go on to claim that nobody ever does. The former, I can believe.
If it weren't for the whole cancer causing thing coupled with reduced lung capacity until the cancer, smoking is great. You have to be a special kind of idiot to ignore those down sides though.
Seconded I would 100% say, very few claims that "nobody ever wants" have any chance of being true, you could say most, you could even say "almost nobody". But give me enough time and a large enough set of people, I'll find someone who actually wants to have their head put on a pike.
I really liked nicotine when I first started. I think it affects my ADHD in a way similar to other stimulants, and the effect is very nice. I understand why people say nicotine helps them think; I don't know if it's actually helpful for any kind of thinking but it certainly felt like I was thinking more quickly and clearly. After using it for a while though, I stopped feeling it.
I’ve known enough people who happily, knowingly, smoked themselves right into the grave to know this just isn’t the case.
Nicotine exacerbates anxiety. It's just an addiction, not a mental health coping method.
Granted you said cigarette not cigar, but Red Arbuch disagrees with you.
Started smoking as an anxiety coping mechanism cause I got traumatised by midterms in school. Then it became pleasurable and an oral fetish.
this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2025
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:
- Both “200” and “160” are 2 minutes in microwave math
- When you’re a kid, you don’t realize you’re also watching your mom and dad grow up.
- More dreams have been destroyed by alarm clocks than anything else
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- A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
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If you made it this far, showerthoughts is accepting new mods. This community is generally tame so its not a lot of work, but having a few more mods would help reports get addressed a little sooner.
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