Nature/nurture

[Vortigan]

I remember many years ago,long before I took up cigarette smoking at around age 14,that my mother used to get a Christmas catalogue in the post every year,I'm guessing sometime around Sept/Oct.Amongst all the Christmas puddings and tinsel etc there were always boxes of cigars in there and looking back I remember that,even then as a kid,there was something that I found fascinating and attractive about them.My dad used to smoke these small machine made cigars called "Manikin",they're no longer around.I remember once finding one in a pack that he'd left at the bottom of the stairs and I was so excited by it.I took it out of the house and out to a little den that we had at the bottom of the garden where I took it apart.I don't think I was aware of what I was feeling at the time but I guess I just wanted to see what was inside it,how it worked almost,if you will.My dad realised it was missing of course and he was not best pleased with me,to say the least.It wasn't the first time that I'd deconstructed something to see how it worked!! Well anyway I guess what I'm trying to say is that somehow I think my weakness for tobacco is an inherent thing that has been a part of me probably always and not just something that I became addicted to because others around me smoked.I never,ever took to alcohol in any sort of quantity,even when I was young and very stupid and a lot of my friends were drinking large amounts.I never liked the being drunk feeling.But show me a box of cigars or tell me that there's some fruity flavoured,dark coloured new rolling tobacco in the local store and you have my interest big time.Like a lot us maybe,I can and do sit for hours sometimes looking through various cigar sites,reading the reviews and planning my next purchases and I love every minute of it.And I make little displays out of all my old dress boxes too! Yep,tobacco and particularly cigars are my weakness alright!!!

[Colt45]

Well anyway I guess what I'm trying to say is that somehow I think my weakness for tobacco is an inherent thing that has been a part of me probably always and not just something that I became addicted to because others around me smoked.I never,ever took to alcohol in any sort of quantity,even when I was young and very stupid and a lot of my friends were drinking large amounts.I never liked the being drunk feeling.But show me a box of cigars or tell me that there's some fruity flavoured,dark coloured new rolling tobacco in the local store and you have my interest big time.Like a lot us maybe,I can and do sit for hours sometimes looking through various cigar sites,reading the reviews and planning my next purchases and I love every minute of it.And I make little displays out of all my old dress boxes too! Yep,tobacco and particularly cigars are my weakness alright!!!

A very interesting perspective. I enjoy cigars very much, but I guess I'd have to stop short of saying I love them. I don't consider smoking them a weakness,

and I'm definitely not addicted - they're here to serve me, not the other way around When I really think about it, with me, cigars are very personal and

not something I talk about too much about outside of with the members here. For me they are just a little bit of spice on the meatloaf of life - they make my

life just a touch more tasty, but they are not life sustaining, if that makes any sense.

[Vortigan]

Yeah absolutely,it makes perfect sense I hope I didn't come over as saying that I felt my enjoyment of cigars has a negative,addiction driven element to it.It's rather the latest and best chapter in the development of my enjoyment of tobacco in general