Verified answer

I don't smoke cigarettes, but I do smoke a pipe. I smoke because I like collecting briar pipes. I like the aroma and taste of good pipe tobacco, I like the fact I can sit down for a couple of hours to relax and smoke a pipe, or smoke a pipe while out riding one of my horses. Pipe tobacco is in my opinion the best tobacco as its not laced with the chemical bath that cigarette tobacco is, its all natural with food based casings that give it the flavor and aroma. Plus my wife thinks I am sexy when I am smoking my pipe with my smoking jacket on.

I smoke because I truly like the taste of a good cigarette and the nicotine kick. It's similar to why I drink coffee every day--I like the taste and the caffeine kick.

I started smoking when I first went out on my own so peer pressure and "looking cool" wasn't an issue. I simply liked the taste. I still do--28 years later.

I have the hobby of rolling my own filtered cigarettes. I love the taste of a good halfzware in the evenings. I like the dark, fire-cured taste. I like a good, smooth Virginia blend in the mornings. The Virginia blend that I smoke has a buttery smooth taste. Both of them have a nice nicotine kick.

I just love the taste of a premium tobacco. Even if it wasn't cheaper to roll my own (about $1.70 a pack), I would still do it for the taste.

I don't smoke, but studies have found that people smoke for stress relief.

However, this "relief" from stress is hardly effective. See, when you smoke for the first time, nicotine reactors in your head activate, and they pulse a constant need to nicotine through you, stressed you out, constantly. When you smoke, however, the reactors are satisfied for the time being for their need of nicotine. This returns you to your normal stress rate. So that "stress relief" is actually just going back to your norm. The only way for a nicotine addicted person to be at their normal stress level is to be smoking *all the time*, 24/7. Studies have also found that people that quit smoking struggled with cravings for week, but when that stopped, they returned to their normal stress levels. Also, they do not feel like they're under stress, because that's become the norm for them.

Many teens, upon questioning, say that they *started* smoking to be cool, but the became addicted and couldn't stop. Some people say they could stop at any time, but that's a classic symptom of addiction: denial. No matter what someone says, they're addicted.

So, in short, your answer is: many times, they start to be cool, but continue due to an addiction.

And since you seem to be aware of the horrible effects, I'll hold off on bashing you.

i used to smoke because it tasted good