15 Oct 20
Somebody opened a Coke can and I realised I was really enjoying the smell. Reminded me of always buying a bottle of Coke after five-a-side football on a Friday night as a kid.
I was surprised to find myself enjoying second hand cigarette smoke in cold outdoor air. Realised it was memories of queuing at turnstiles. Any other situation I would hate the smell.
Do people here get distant memories from smells?
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15 Oct 20
@petewxyz saidThe smell of Old Spice aftershave reminds me of my father...and I smile.
Somebody opened a Coke can and I realised I was really enjoying the smell. Reminded me of always buying a bottle of Coke after five-a-side football on a Friday night as a kid.
I was surprised to find myself enjoying second hand cigarette smoke in cold outdoor air. Realised it was memories of queuing at turnstiles. Any other situation I would hate the smell.
Do people here get distant memories from smells?
15 Oct 20
@petewxyz saidI use to be a long time smoker now the smell makes me nauseous but not to the point where I vomit. I find that quite ironic where I had smoked for so many years.
Somebody opened a Coke can and I realised I was really enjoying the smell. Reminded me of always buying a bottle of Coke after five-a-side football on a Friday night as a kid.
I was surprised to find myself enjoying second hand cigarette smoke in cold outdoor air. Realised it was memories of queuing at turnstiles. Any other situation I would hate the smell.
Do people here get distant memories from smells?
-VR
15 Oct 20
@very-rusty saidI think that is often the case with people who quit smoking.
I use to be a long time smoker now the smell makes me nauseous but not to the point where I vomit. I find that quite ironic where I had smoked for so many years.
-VR
15 Oct 20
@torunn saidI also know people who have quit who love the smell of the second hand smoke. I tell them may as well have one rather than get the second hand smoke which many consider to be as bad for you.
I think that is often the case with people who quit smoking.
-VR
15 Oct 20
1 edit
@very-rusty saidWell, I think the difficult thing about smoking isn't always about the need for nicotine but rather the habit of smoking, the relaxation of the habit itself. Smokers who start the day with a cigarette have a harder time quitting than others who wait a while. It's my theory only though. But I used to like smoke from a pipe.
I also know people who have quit who love the smell of the second hand smoke. I tell them may as well have one rather than get the second hand smoke which many consider to be as bad for you.
-VR
15 Oct 20
@torunn saidHow long did you smoke?
Well, I think the difficult thing about smoking isn't always about the need for nicotine but rather the habit of smoking, the relaxation of the habit itself.
-VR
15 Oct 20
1 edit
@very-rusty saidI started very early, at 14 something, and stopped at 49 - made stops during pregnancies.
How long did you smoke?
-VR
15 Oct 20
1 edit
@torunn saidI smoked for over 30 years no stops for pregnancies 😉.....LOL.... I believe it is the nicotine we become addicted to. If you could stop during your 9 months you should have been able to quit for good.
I started very early, at 14 something, and stopped at 49 - made stops during pregnancies.
It took me 3 months and about 10 packages of dentyne gum a day to quit also you couldn't look at me as I was very irritable. I found the smoking harder to quit than I did the drinking back in March 22, 1992.
Obviously I am a very stubborn person....LOL...does it show? 😉
-VR
15 Oct 20
@very-rusty saidI didn't want to stop earlier than I did - when I wanted to quit smoking, I did. No drama, just boredom.
I smoked for over 30 years no stops for pregnancies 😉.....LOL.... I believe it is the nicotine we become addicted to. If you could stop during your 9 months you should have been able to quit for good.
It took me 3 months and about 10 packages of dentyne gum a day to quit also you couldn't look at me as I was very irritable. I found the smoking harder to quit than I did ...[text shortened]... g back in March 22, 1992.
Obviously I am a very stubborn person....LOL...does it show? 😉
-VR
15 Oct 20
@torunn saidI started at a similar age, possibly 15. I carried on smoking as a student and even as a junior doctor, but not for too long. Meeting a guy who was holding his cigarette with his one remaining limb helped.
I started very early, at 14 something, and stopped at 49 - made stops during pregnancies.
As a junior doctor you change job every six months in the UK. So I introduced myself as a non-smoker at the start of a new job. Weird thing is that if you look interested when cigarettes are passed around in the break, people would say that they could never be guilty of giving a cigarette to a non-smoker. In the previous job where I was trying to give up people would wave them in my face and tell me that I knew I really wanted them. Seems it's something to do with who you are thought to be?!
15 Oct 20
@petewxyz saidThen you must have saw many x-rays of long term smokers lungs, one would think that would be enough to scare you! It is an addiction though. I took a cig out of my fathers package at 12 years old, so was very young when I started. I can't imagine the damage I've done to my lungs over 30 years.
I started at a similar age, possibly 15. I carried on smoking as a student and even as a junior doctor, but not for too long. Meeting a guy who was holding his cigarette with his one remaining limb helped.
As a junior doctor you change job every six months in the UK. So I introduced myself as a non-smoker at the start of a new job. Weird thing is that if you look interest ...[text shortened]... ell me that I knew I really wanted them. Seems it's something to do with who you are thought to be?!
-VR
15 Oct 20
@petewxyz saidInteresting topic.
Somebody opened a Coke can and I realised I was really enjoying the smell. Reminded me of always buying a bottle of Coke after five-a-side football on a Friday night as a kid.
I was surprised to find myself enjoying second hand cigarette smoke in cold outdoor air. Realised it was memories of queuing at turnstiles. Any other situation I would hate the smell.
Do people here get distant memories from smells?
Not sure if you are aware of this but the olfactory sense is the sense most closely linked to memory and subsequently nostalgic memories.
For me I find the smell of cut grass (not all cut grass strangely) evocative of summer days and cricket matches.
A certain perfume.
The smell of creosote brings back a powerful childhood memory of my father assembling and staining our garden shed.
The morning smell of the bakery in a supermarket takes me back to my days working in one.
It’s so peculiar how smell does this even more than sight and hearing.