You're right, some people got addicted back when it was cool. But there aren't a lot of those people around these days. (Most of them have either died from the habit or quit it.) Of those who remain, I do feel sorry for them. But they're not generally the ones I see complaining and trying to be a martyr.
Plus if you're addicted that badly, how about using the patch as a substitute? Or smoke in private. Just because you have an addiction doesn't mean you shouldn't be responsible for satisfying it in a way that doesn't impact other people.
How incredibly naive and/or myopic.
There are PLENTY of people around who both smoke and are old enough that it was still 'cool.'
Smoking is still considered cool among some subgroups. I've seen a lot of 14-16 year olds get addicted to cigarettes this year for that reason. Mostly a subset of the ones that tried vaping, which is being marketed very aggressively even in the US.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25739-ecig-users-are-y...
This thread sure is a gold mine for people jumping on every little mistaken word, huh?
The data[1] makes is obvious that it's a choice, but no one said it's an easy choice. The zeitgeist has been continuing its swing against smoking in the US.
[1] http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/tables/trends/cig...
Addiction might make it uncomfortable if you choose to stop using a substance but it doesn't use the substance for you. All action excepting reflexes are a choice.
