About a month back, I went out with a bunch of friends for my best friend's 20th birthday. We had drinks, sang karaoke and generally all had a great time of fun banter and hi jinks. I've been drinking since I first turned legal. I was never one for bushing (drinking underage in fields and the like) so unlike most of my group of friends, when I got completely hammered for the first time I was over 18. I'll be turning 20 myself come the very end of this year, and I am of the opinion that I am fairly capable of holding my drink, like the majority of cliched Irish people.
Throughout the aforementioned birthday night I was indeed supping away at vodka and doing a shot or five here and there. I wasn't really approaching the dreaded vomit limit, (There's nothing that shames me and upsets me more than being sick from drink) however at about the stroke of midnight I did feel my tummy tumbling quite a bit. This was really strange, as I am usually fairly good a gauging how drunk I'm getting, I know when to slow down and take a break so as not to end up gawking everywhere. Then it dawned on me, it was all the freaking cigarette smoke making me feel sick.
I'm not going to bitch and moan about how bad smoking is for a person, because if you do smoke, you know you're killing yourself so don't try to deny it. I'm taking note of the fact that a lot of people my age smoke. I was under the impression that less people were smoking these days due to all the new greener healthy living and the insane price of cigarettes here in Ireland. Yet last night out of the entire group of birthday party people I was the only person who didn't smoke. The only one.
Are so many young people trying to look cool or are they still trying to rebel against the system? I'm a bit appalled at the thought that these are the reasons why teens and twenties are completely addicted to suckling down the nicotine.
I can recall attending a friend's birthday party during primary school and the topic of smoking somehow managed to arise. Immediately shouts of disgust and horror ripped through the attendees while we munched on Pringles and sipped on fizzy drinks. A lot of the group probably had parents who smoked, and if they're parents discouraged them or if they simply did not like them smoking, the conclusion was that when they grew up, they wouldn't be so silly.
Once you hit secondary (high) shcool, all these lovely ideals were thrown out the window. Now, the rebel in most teens drove them to take up smoking and if you didn't smoke yourself, you usually wouldn't discourage your mates if they choose to. Everyone was free to be and do what they wanted to do. Every other day I was asked if I could spare a cigarette or if I could loan someone some money so they could buy cigarettes. I usually declined politely to both requests and restrained myself from spitting, "No, I'm not into suicide!" at them.
I am now a college man, and as mentioned above I am part of seemingly yet another minority; the non-smoker. When hearing back from friends of their escapades on nights out, I find most of the fun and action takes place inside the jam packed smoking rooms and smoking areas. This may be just because people are able to talk and hear better in the rooms and outside or it could be because everyone is on a relaxed nicotine buzz. Regardless, they are often more packed than the club or pub itself.
Yes, I have tried a few cigarettes in my time, often when I am blasphemed with the drink. I usually end up vomiting within about 5 minutes of taking a nice drag of a Marlboro Light, so I am extremely sure is not made for me. Plus do you know what those things do to your skin? I'm far too vain and self-centred for smoking. The cool factor is undeniable though, but I only like it in the classy Holly Golightly way, not the stumbling along the street trying to light the wrong end kind of way.
Original source: http://zaniac.wordpress.com/?p=183
