I voted "no, never have", even though technically, I'm somewhere between that and "but I used to".
I experiemented a little bit in high school, not because I was ever pressured so much as I was curious. I was a good kid, but like many, I got a thrill out of the occasional act of rebellion, no matter how small it might be. So when my fast-compared-to-me 14 year old best friend would sneak cigarettes, we'd go out for a walk to the park and smoke one and feel oh-so-cool. <g> But we're talking a handful of cigarettes over the course of a year or two. I gave it up when I gave her up -- by age 16, she was doing things that I was decidedly uncomfortable with (stealing, cheating) and I ended the friendship. That was the end of that.
In college, I became a "social smoker" for a while. Again, no pressure from anyone, it just seemed a fitting past-time when you were out drinking and dancing. I never bought them myself -- I'd just accept them from friends if they were offered. If I was with smokers, I'd do it, too ... if not, I wouldn't. That activity ended when my boyfriend (now my husband) started grad school at my university and we moved in together. I stopped socializing with that particular crowd, and since I never wanted to be a *smoker*, I just stopped doing it.
I do find it interesting, though ... getting a faint wiff of someone else's smoke (say at an outdoor event) doesn't really bother me that much, but I absolutely *hate* the smell of it in my clothing and hair afterwards. I've always said I could never really be a smoker for that reason -- it just turns my stomach! And having someone sit down next to me with that smell on them is a nightmare.
Interesting poll, Y!
Kathy
