[PallMalllover]

Thought I would ask all of you who came from a non-smoking family growing up what made you start and how old were you? I never gave smoking much thought, since I seldom saw people smoke and nobody in my extended family smoked. I was in fourth grade, so about 10 years old and I went with a friend to a drag race and in front of us was a very beautiful girl smoking. I was fascinated and from that day on, I wanted to be a smoker. I would sneak smokes when I could, which was difficult living outside of town and way too young to drive. Even in high school, I played sports year round and it was difficult to find time to sneak a smoke. Not until college could I settle in to becoming a regular smoker. Looking back, I wonder if my parents knew and never approached me about it. I did some crazy things to get smokes when I was young. Picking partially smoked cigarettes out of ashtrays and taking them home and smoking in our barns. Desperate times for a beginning smoker.

[Late starter]

I had an aunt who smoker but except for that nobody in my family was smoking. I remember I had a dream in which I was smoking when I was 13 or so. At high school I had no smokers in my class except for a girl but she was considered strange. So smoking did not really occur to me as a thing I wanted to do, but when I was 16 I did have some wet dreams in which I was smoking and the idea of becoming addicted did turn me on. At university suddenly many were smoking and I was more or less a social smoker, but I was very careful not to get addicted and not to smoke too much. Until I was about 28 and went on holidays to Morocco when I travelled with a smoker and was encouraged to let go for a while. I told myself it was just for the holiday, but towards the end of the holiday I was smoking a pack a day and completely addicted.

[ThatGuyJason]

I come from a relatively small family where mostly everyone is a non-smoker. In fact, there's really only 3 smokers. Me, my brother and recently my cousin, who I helped get started.

My dad's bummed an occasional cig whenever he's with me and my brother, since we both smoke but yeah. For the most part, non smokers. I'm sure my mom wasn't exactly thrilled both her sons are smokers but she's accepted it.

[Dajohns11]

Originally Posted by ThatGuyJason I come from a relatively small family where mostly everyone is a non-smoker. In fact, there's really only 3 smokers. Me, my brother and recently my cousin, who I helped get started. My dad's bummed an occasional cig whenever he's with me and my brother, since we both smoke but yeah. For the most part, non smokers. I'm sure my mom wasn't exactly thrilled both her sons are smokers but she's accepted it.

Interesting that your dad has bummed a few from you - guess he must be curious especially since both of his sons smoke?

[ThatGuyJason]

Originally Posted by Dajohns11 Interesting that your dad has bummed a few from you - guess he must be curious especially since both of his sons smoke?

Well thing is, he used to smoke but quit before he met my mom. I guess whenever he does bum a cig off us, it's more of a nostalgic thing than anything.

[Jim88]

I come from a non-smoking family and am the only smoker. My grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and siblings are all non-smokers. I have a grand father, an uncle, several cousins and a twin brother who dip though.

[marlbororob89]

My grandparents smoked, but, they passed away before I was born and I only found about it when I looked through old family photos, but, my parents don't smoke and I've never bothered asking my parents about it.

Starting after college, there were the stresses of telling my parents that I had started smoking, but, trying to hide that from them would have only led to more questions and possibly about other things I might have been hiding from them, but, I was upfront and honest with them about it and despite all the reservations I had about telling them, they accepted it and it hasn't been a problem and other than one time last month, by accident, I still won't smoke in front of them and I always step away.