How many people in your personal circle still smoke?

[Baconator]

I was listening to a Sam Harris podcast and he talked about how limited his social circles are. He made a joke that Christopher Hitchens was the last person he knew who smoked regularly.

Made me think...

I'm an Army guy and I don't know one officer who smokes regularly and maybe 1 or 2 above specialist who still smoke ...

(Copenhagen doesn't count)

Is your experience similar? Some? Many? none?

Is your social circle diverse or limited?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. I can't think of anybody.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

2. Does vaping count? If so, two.

And it STINKS and gives me a sore throat as soon as I breathe in the vape. Even cigarettes, foul as they smell, didn't do that.

[lunasun]

6. Yeah I know cig smokers but that vaping is a real irritant . I'm glad no one close to me does that

I feel for ya

[phylny]

32. I had one client who would sit and vape while I worked with his kids (early intervention speech

therapy) and he'd blow that damned vapor and it would engulf me. Disgusting.

Anyway, very few of my good friends smoke. We are rarely around it.

[tymorial]

33. Whenever I see vaping in public I am always reminded

Of the F-Word South Park episode with the annoying bikers. I don't really have a problem with the people who are using the E-cigarettes because they don't create a billow. It is the people who have those devices that create a cumulus nimbus that drive me nuts.

[phylny]

35. You gave me a good belly laugh! "Cumulus nimbus" indeed!

All I can think is, "That crap was in your LUNGS and now it's engulfing ME!"

[Baconator]

52. Probably not in the way I'm not counting Copenhagen...

[unc70]

3. Only one woman in her late 70s

She is the only one in my circle. I know a few others who still smoke, but I see them rarely — maybe every year or two.

My circle is relatively diverse, but highly educated.

[lunasun]

4. Too many, about half , and that's just the cigarettes

Me ? I quit in my twenties and was successful

[Doreen]

5. My brother smoked for a short spell when he was about 20.

I smoked for 6 months when I was about 20 also. I have a friend who smokes but I hardly ever see him. Everybody else does not or has never smoked.

[ghostsinthemachine]

7. Far too many. Odd too, cuz most are hippies!

My social circle is full of smokers. They are jam band hippie types too. My best friend smokes. College educated, family guy who's got everything to live for. My friend on the farm smokes cigs too.

I hate the things, but I'd rather have friends than complain.

[Rollo]

8. A couple three of my coworkers smoke tobacco...

... you can see them take smoke breaks outside during the day, as smoking is not allowed in the workplace. However, they do it on the sidewalk outside the building and often I have to walk by them on the way to the parking lot and have to hold my breath.

Other co-workers smoke pot, but do it in their homes. I suspect one vapes in his RV which he parks at work. He's mentally unstable and I try to avoid him as much as possible.

[SunSeeker]

9. 2: my brother and a friend's wife.

Now pot smokers is another matter...dozens.

[Stinky The Clown]

10. I can't think of even one, either my social circle or my professional circle. Nope. Not one.

[tavernier]

11. Everyone in Indiana where I've been

staying this summer, both tobacco and weed.

No one in Florida where I live.

Two different worlds.

Mixed group of professional and blue collar in both states.

[TDale313]

13. My brother-in-law

Also, quite a few coworkers (and several at my previous job as well)

[DFW]

14. I guess that depends on the size of my personal circle

My wife and daughters: never
Our family and friends here in Germany: the few smokers have died of lung cancer (yes, really).
Our family in the States: none alive that smoke
Our best friends in the States: none of them smoke

This includes people from various countries in Europe (Germany, Russia, Hungary, Croatia, France, Switzerland, Holland, Austria), Americans and one, my sister-in-law, from Japan. Many in Eastern Europe, France and Germany still smoke, but the ones in our circle of family and friends do not.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

15. Cigarettes? All 3 of my sisters. My brother quit about 15 years ago. Still does Nicorette.

Some of my RW cousins. (One cousin's husband got mouth cancer from chew.) A friend of my husband who he's known since grade school. That's about it.

I quit at least 20 years ago. I still miss it sometimes.

[WinkyDink]

16. Of 6, including me, one does. Age 62.

[area51]

17. Some of my co-workers do.

It's ironic as one of them, now a former smoker, is currently undergoing treatment for lung cancer.

[C Moon]

18. It surprises me when I meet someone who smokes cigarettes, because I see it less and less.

I live in California, so maybe it's less popular out here?
Unfortunately, both of my neighbors smoke a lot—I've noticed that they both have "smokers' laugh."—one guy is only in his mid 40's.

[hunter]

65. It might very well be a California thing.

Many workplaces here are smoke-free, even the parking lots.

At lunch I see people parked on public streets smoking alone in their cars.

It's one hell of an addiction, and expensive too.

I smell cannabis smoke drifting through our neighborhood much more often than I smell tobacco.

All the smokers I knew are dead. Smoking killed my grandma. I've known people who passed away in their eighties who claimed smoking never harmed them, but then their non-smoking relatives lived into their hundreds in good cheer until the end.

[Midnight Writer]

19. Lots and lots. I didn't quit myself til I was 60.

[Duppers]

20. Only 3.

My RW brother! Lives 450 miles away, see him once or twice a year.

Even my pot smoking/vaping friend in Florida is just eating "enriched" cookies now. Finally.

Oh, there's my hub's 74yo, blues singing, cig and weed smoking friend in Memphis. But we've not seen him in last 35 yrs! We communicate and catch his youtube songs. He looks like Keith Richards on a good day - death-on-a-cracker. About as opposite of my hubs as possible but they were best friends in h.s.

Then there's my sneak-smoking, ADHD neighbor who has more energy then a pack of mice on treadmills. Love her tho. Her spotless house doesn't reek of smoke. She's embarrassed by her smoking.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

21. Out of five direct family, none smoke now.

For many years, four of the five smoked (me, the worst at 50 years). The wife and I were raised in tobacco country in the 50s and 60s, where probably 80% of the men smoked. If women did, they hid it.

We all quit around five years ago using e-cigs, and still enjoy them. We all use the original-style small e-cigs and keep any disturbance or visibility to others to an absolute minimum. E-cigs saved our lives, IMO.

[Raine]

22. None, no one in the family and no acquaintances

thank goodness..

[Not Ruth]

23. I know at least 6 teenage girls (15-16 years old) that smoke cigarettes, and of course pot

[Willie Pep]

58. I am surprised to see a lot of young people smoking.

Whenever I go to the local bars in my area I always see people smoking and they are usually younger people in their 20s and 30s, both men and women. I still see some older people smoking but fewer than the young. I know it is just anecdotal but I wonder why this is. My guess is that when you are younger you think you are indestructible but as you age you realize that you won't be strong and healthy forever so maybe there is more pressure to quit.

[octoberlib]

24. I have one co-worker who smokes but

none of my friends outside of work smoke.

[Voltaire2]

25. zero or maybe one

I think I have one nephew who might sometimes smoke.

[Dale Neiburg]

26. In my fairly diverse social circle, none.

One co-worker is a heavy cigarette smoker.

[Decoy of Fenris]

27. Almost all of my coworkers. It's easier to count the nonsmokers than the smokers. n/t

[ileus]

48. EMS?

[Decoy of Fenris]

66. Casino dealer.

The running joke is "Everyone in here's a smoker. It's just a matter of degree."

[NNadir]

28. I don't regularly see anyone who smokes, which on reflection is kind of weird, because...

...when I was young many, though hardly all, of my friends smoked.

My father smoked like a chimney, two packs a day. It killed him.

Several of my closest friends who were smokers are also dead.

Since my father's death, I can't stand to be around smokers at all, so there's a filter there.

[madaboutharry]

29. Not a single person.

Several are former smokers, a long time ago. But not one person now.

My dad never quit smoking. It killed him.

[Freddie]

30. My son

He is a recovering addict (now almost 2 years clean) and honestly, if cigarettes help him stay off drugs, puff away.

He'll quit eventually after seeing what cigarettes have done to other relatives. His uncle (my BIL) died of a massive heart attack a year ago age 55, heavy smoker. His aunt (BIL's widow) quit smoking a few years ago, has COPD and is tethered to an oxygen tank.

[Lee-Lee]

31. More than I like

Not many at work anymore just because they have made it so hard. But a few. Since the company out a new policy that you can't smoke anywhere on company grounds and to leave the secured area means you have to click out and then come back through security it means you if you smoke 3 times a day on breaks you are losing an hour or so of paid time, as opposed to inside the property breaks that are on the clock- that got most people to stop or at least switch to smokeless.

My neighbor does to the point I can't stand even stepping foot in her house it smells so strongly of smoke.

When I went to my last high school reunion I was amazed at how many people I saw constant rushing outside to smoke.

I suspect my dad still does sometimes when he is out at the AMVETS or Legion with his buddies, but he says he doesn't . At least he isn't like he used to and going through a pack or two a day.

[Vinca]

34. None. Everyone I know thinks it's disgusting.

[Mendocino]

36. No one.

My good friend died in his mid 50's from heavy smoking and excessive drink.

[Demsrule86]

37. One friend and two family members

[haveahart]

38. No one in my circle smokes anymore, including me. I used to be a chain smoker 40 years ago.

[ecstatic]

39. I know someone who uses cigars regularly, all the while

claiming that he doesn't inhale. He really thinks it's safe and refuses to believe otherwise. I've seen him put down at least one large cigar per day. Even if he's not inhaling the smoke, what about the second hand smoke? It's really frustrating.

[Iggo]

42. So it's not going in his lungs. It's still going in his mouth.

[Iggo]

40. None of my friends. Two of my coworkers.

I can't think of the last time I saw any of my extended family smoking.

Seriously, it's not a thing in my life anymore.

[AJT]

41. Sadly, both my daughters. I never smoked.

They are 35 and 40.

[Delmette2.0]

43. I am the lone smoker but,

I started on Chantrix today thanks to Medicare. I got a check up and I have Bronchitis. Way past time to stop.

[Tanuki]

53. Good luck! I am so glad to hear that Medicare is covering your Chantrix!

That certainly makes sense. Your long term health prognosis will be much better now, and that will save them a lot of money.

[GoCubsGo]

44. Assuming you are talking about tobacco, none.

I only know one person of my age group who smokes, and she regularly tries to quit due to circulatory issues, most likely caused by smoking.

[Codeine]

45. Not a single friend smokes.

I think I'd find it difficult to be close with a smoker; it's so fucking nasty and weird.

A few people I know at work smoke, but the nature of our job means I might see them once every two or three weeks for a couple of minutes, and in an environment where they aren't allowed to smoke.

[L. Coyote]

46. Zero. One backslider still has a cig once in a while.

It is really depressing to see people smoking when I go to the city. I tell them, "It is easy to quit smoking, I did it 88 times."

Link to tweet

[ileus]

47. Zero

In fact other than my Brother (who quit 25 years ago) and my Mom who died 12 years ago, I've been pretty selective on smokers, drinkers, and illegal drug users.

[Greybnk48]

49. Our son still smokes, and a niece vapes.

The rest of us quit.

My sister quit 20 years ago with the beginnings of COPD (2-3 pks a day).

My husband and I quit 10 years ago last March. He was 1 pk a day for 40 years, I smoked 2 pks a day for the better part of 45 years. I got uterine cancer, and we both freaked out and quit, me with the help of 5 days of morphine. I'm 10 years cancer free now too!

[crazycatlady]

50. A few of my friends do

IN addition, in my line of work (political campaigns), I'm one of the few staffers who does not smoke.

[femmedem]

51. Just one: my husband. He doesn't smoke around me, and he's cut way back.

He doesn't even smoke outside the house anymore. He has tried to quit multiple times. He's gone from smoking at least a pack a day to maybe three cigarettes a day when he's at work. (He's self-employed.)

Pot, though, that's a different story.

[obamanut2012]

54. None -- several vape MMJ

[Bayard]

55. My husband

Its a work thing when he gets stressed out. Never on weekends (only time he's home now), and not around me (asthma and chronic bronchitis. Current respiratory infection). Same old story, tried to quit numerous times. He had a momentary wake up call last year when I had to take him to the emergency room because he couldn't breathe. Doctor told him he was headed for emphysema if he didn't quit. I've thrown out all ash trays, and he spends a small fortune on lighters, because I throw away every one I find.

It is rare to see anyone here in Tobacco Land, KY that doesn't smoke. It is particularly distressing to have people come to your property and light up without a thought. Its just assumed to be okay.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

56. Smoking is a huge class marker.

The town I live near is small and working class; I know several people who smoke regularly.

[Willie Pep]

57. None anymore.

I used to know a lot of people who did but they all quit as far as I know. I still see a lot of people smoking when I go to my local bars though, and many of them are young which surprises me.

[Luciferous]

59. My mom smokes. My brother had quit but took it back up when his wife died. Not sure if

he's still smoking or if he quit again. I quit 10 years ago, and my husband quit a few years ago but was doing the vaping thing for a while. He still does it but is down to nicotine free liquid and is hoping to give that up during his holiday break.

[csziggy]

60. Most of the people who I knew that smoked tobacco are dead

And most of them died horribly from cancer or COPD. I couldn't be around them much before their deaths - if they smoked around me I would start wheezing so that cut down on the social time we had together. I couldn't visit their houses because the nicotine impregnating ever surface made me wheeze. They got pissed since I would not let them smoke inside my house so they stopped visiting me. Pretty much the few that I kept touch with were horse people that I only hung around with outside where I could move upwind of their poisonous emissions.

So, yeah my social circle is limited.

[Danmel]

61. No one in our social circle still smokes

And it's a very diverse group.
However, my office is in a strip mall with a hair salon, beauty supply store and nail salon and many of the young women who work in those businesses smoke. They are outside all the time. We can't open our door to let fresh air in because there is none, it's all tobacco smoke.
It makes me sad to see these young women smoking and it makes me angry too because they are targeted by big tobacco and are afraid of being fat so they smoke. I work for the county Legislature and we have very good smoking cessation programs and I am often tempted to give them the info but I know it really isn't my business.

[LanternWaste]

62. 6 of 7 of us began in 1984

Five of my six closest friends (still current), plus myself began smoking in 1984.

I'm the only one still doing it. One quit two years later in 1986, the others simply and quietly quit with little fanfare, leaving me the last one holding a butt. Well, almost... one never smokes unless I'm around, and then proceeds to bum half a pack during the vening as he chastises me for never quitting. Yeah-- we're pretty diverse with occupations ranging from full-time Renaissance Faire actor to a high-ranking player in Oracle Systems.


Comprehensive smoke-free laws, higher prices for tobacco products, high-impact mass media campaigns and barrier-free access to quitting illustrate that when we collectively recognize a national health concern, we can effectively re-frame it, reduce its usage and impact, and change our habits.

That result gives me with hope a day may come when we perceive another high-risk behavior which results in tens of thousands of deaths and injuries annually to be a national health concern and follow a concomitant path.

[shanti]

63. My brother does

He's 58. I've begged him to quit, but he says he's going to die from something, so...Also, one son, 35, smokes continually. He's got mental issues, so it's hopeless. His father smoked, now dips. I've never smoked.

[Baconator]

68. I smoked for a few years in my 20s and don't miss it...

I dipped for 20+ years and still miss it...

[mvd]

64. One

I sure am glad I never started. Not healthy and expensive to boot.

[VOX]

67. None. Although I still smoke one of my pipes once every two months or so...

And even then, I do it outside (so as not to expose my wife or our cats to any second-hand smoke), and I rinse my mouth with cold bottled water as I go (and you NEVER inhale pipe smoke). I still enjoy fiddling with my pipe collection -- cleaning, repairing, polishing, and just admiring the wood grains of the hand-turned art. I have some vintage Dunhill pipes that are nearly 100 years old (they're date stamped). When I read or watch TV, I'll take a clean pipe and just go through the motions of smoking; it works, as I get enough of the effect to satisfy without actually packing it and lighting up.