Thankfully no one in my immediately family smokes. I have a great-grandmother who died of emphysema, though. Smoking became less fashionable in my family since then.
I've never been a smoker. I don't think I'd ever feel a desire to be one either no matter what the circumstance. Even so, I am still thankful none of my immediate family ever lit up when I was young and impressionable. I developed enough bad habits as it is.
My dad always told me about how he started smoking when he was young to be cool, but it didn't last very long. He decided to stop when he went into the Navy and never picked one up again. He's got will power like you wouldn't believe. So do I. Or perhaps its stubborn determination. That seems more accurate.
My grandparents on my Mother's side were smokers though. The tar in my Granny's lungs is the only thing holding that old broad together. If she stopped smoking she'd die. They came from a time when smoking was "healthy" and good for calming your nerves and of course it wouldn't kill you. LOL! Little did they know.
As a matter of fact for some reason I feel the need to tell this story. Everyone in my family loves to rag on my grandmother around the holiday season. Ya see, she would collect points all year long from the purchase of her boxes of cigarettes and near the end of the year she received a tacky little catalog in the mail from the company that makes Merit Menthol Cigs. She was able to cash in her rewards and select a free gift. Inevitably someone in the family was going to end up being the proud recipient of such lavish finery. like yeah, whatever. It was always random whom she picked and we never knew who it was gonna be. We would often lay bets behind the scene on whom she would likely bestow the gift of "Merit". Sometimes referred to as the "Merit" award. That was some funny sh!t. She meant well though and in the interest of full disclosure I did carry a hunter green tote bag around in the back of my car with emergency supplies in it that had the word " M E R I T " emblazoned upon the side. I was soooo extra. LOL!
Oh well, I've rattled on enough. That's my story. No, I've never been a smoker. The Surgeon General determined I'm just to fabulous to inhale.
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at September 14, 2019 8:59 PM MDT
My step mother. usted smoke. My mom, my MIL and stepMIL smoke.
My daughter when she was little told me she did not want to smoke when becomes a Gma. I asked what she meant. All of her Gmas smoke. I did not even think about it before. And explained it was not a requirement to be a Gma. And that all of her GreatGma do not smoke (she had 4 Gr Gmas living at the time) It was a relief to her. Lol
Sadly, she did take up smoking when she got older. I did smoke for a short time in high school...but was too cheap to continue. My sister also smoked before she also quit.
My mother began smoking when she was 17, which was also the year of her first pregnancy. I was pregnancy number three for her, she was 21 at the time. She has never stopped smoking.
Very few of my other family members smoke. My wife and I are nonsmokers.
WelbyQuentin 