It's weird how the perception of coolness plays a big part in starting up. I smoked for ten years, and teenage coolness was only half of it. The other half was the brief burst of euphoria it would give us every time we lit up, though that did subside after a few months of regular use.

I find the habit disgusting now, and I can't help but judge smokers as being a little trashy now whenever I see it. But I remember what it was like to be dependent on them, and I definitely remember that false sense of rogue-like coolness I felt whenever I was walking down the street taking a drag on one.

I was able to get off of them fairly easy by switching to a low concentration e-liquid/vape for about a year or two, and then going cold turkey from there. I didn't even get cravings. Just found myself reaching for my pocket every time I took a piss for a couple of weeks.

Now I just hope my daughter never starts.