Grew up in a house with 3 smokers. I breathed second hand smoke for more than 30 years. (Total, not consecutive)

I won’t ever smoke cigarettes, smoke cigars occasionally, (been more than 4 years, but I still have a bunch in my humidor.

I will say that after I finally left that environment, it took about 6 months to realize what cigarettes actual smell like on clothes from the perspective of someone who isn’t noseblind to the smell.

Good damn I didn’t know how I just have smelled to other people, doing smoke around other people who don’t want to be around it please, that caused me more problems than I ever knew

Elder millennial. I think we were the last gen where cigarettes, booze, and drugs were seen as “cool”. Younger people seemed to have figured it out early how much of a fucking waste of time and money all three are.

Millennial here. Never smoked, never tempted to either. Don’t like the taste of alcohol unless it’s in deserts, so no temptation there. Tried weed once, also that is not for me. Heck, I even avoid caffeine most days so I don’t build up a tolerance for days when I actually need it.

I drink beer cuz look around.

I stopped smoking. I drink beer and whiskey.

Millennial here. I like not being a public nuisance and having functional lungs, a liver, and what little of my mental faculties I haven’t lost to mental illness, so no I don’t partake

I’m on the Gen Z/Millennial border for reference.

I’ve done a few puffs of cigars at big celebrations with friends/family, but I’ve never smoked a whole cigar or used any other tobacco. Never really cared much for the idea, and the little bit I did try didn’t make me want to do more.

I’ll drink when I’m at a social gathering, but it’s rarely ever enough to get drunk. I don’t like beer, which is frequently the only alcohol offered, so there are quite a few times where I don’t drink anything. I never really drank outside of social situations before, but I’ve recently started to appreciate the taste of good bourbon, so I’ll occasionally pour some at home.

I no longer willingly consume cancer-causing substances.

Health is something you only need to lose once, and you’re life is forever changed for the worse.

And neither alcohol or tobacco products bring even an ounce of benefits that could outweigh their risks.

Plus, tobacco products cause you to smell like absolute shit, and alcohol turns people into idiots or lunatics.

And I also couldn’t imagine pissing away money on something so unnecessary.

FWIW, I was a pack-a-day smoker and drank alcohol, so I know both sides. I regret it in hindsight, but teens so stupid things, and that was my stupid thing.

Nope. In both cases it’s expensive and bad for you, and it can be hard to stop once you start.

Smoking makes you gross to everyone on top of it, and school was pretty good at explaining all this at length. When I see or hear about someone in our generation who’s a smoker I wonder WTF their reasoning was.

Quit self-medication years ago because it’s lethal, killed my whole family, and right now we should all be hoarding money to keep it out of the hands of the oligarchs and tyrants trying to seize our land.

I like to get a little intoxicated and find the different headspaces the drugs provides to be very relaxing and fun. That said, I get a really good calming buzz from a cup of coffee and some particular candy (vespebol) these days.

I used to drink a lot, mostly because it was fun and relaxing to start, then it became habitual. I drink way less now, I like the buzz and mindset I get from a few beers, but I no longer need the escape that drunkenness provides and I’ve grown to really dislike it. Stopped drinking for a little while, then eased back into it and experimented with it for a few years. I found that for me the cost of drinking increases exponentially per unit and the benefits flattens and become costs after a few units now.

I only have tobacco when someone has rolled a joint with it. Had my first while cigarette at 29, I got a really good nicotine shock from it, which I loved, but my lungs hurt for days afterwards so I’m staying away from tobacco, never tried snus either even though it’s pretty huge around here.

Don’t really smoke much weed either, but I’ll have a puff if someone is offering. I like the buz and calmness it brings.

I don’t because I like money, and I don’t think my life would get any better from smoking and drinking.

You loose a lot of money and a lot of life expectancy for very little fun and you smell bad after.

Also, you annoy people around you and eventually poison them too

Not worth it.

Yes, in short, because I like them.

For better or worse, booze is a big part of British socialising culture, so it’s unusual if someone my age (mid thirties millennial) has never drank, but a couple of my mates have gone tee total in recent years.

Why do I still do it? Beers with your mates whilst enjoying a beer garden or watching the footie is a pretty enjoyable way to pass the time. I’m also a bit of a nerd with it all so I love trying new beers, there’s been a huge renaissance around beer variety over the past decade-ish, so there’s always something new to try. I’ve gotten more into wine and cocktails in recent years too, and there’s a rich well of variety in there to experience too.

Smoking tobacco I generally avoid now, it’s nice to have the odd one with a beer but I’ll probably only have a few a year now. I regularly smoked last in my 20s. I occasionally have ended up with a vape in my pocket after a big night out, but I don’t really like them much flavour wise.

Weed is something I still enjoy, it helps me clear my head, relax, and kinda be more present with whatever activity I’m engaging in, if I’m smoking with mates it can often be a pretty hilarious time. However, it’s easy for me to slip into habitual use with it especially though, I don’t really seem to get much in the way of acute negative effects beyond tolerance, so I try to be mindful to keep it in check these days. I’ll probably try and relegate it to a treat for when I visit somewhere like Amsterdam in the coming years given the downsides of smoking (I’ve got a vape, but I basically never choose it).

FWIW I’ve heard that Gen Z is differing their consumption habits significantly from previous generations. Less drinking alcohol in general, preferring non-smokeable forms of tobacco/weed.

I use vapes because it’s how I quit smoking and there’s still something comforting/de-stressing about the ritual. I use pretty strong juice but I don’t get nic fits if I go a while without it like I did when I smoked, which leads me to believe nicotine isn’t the only addictive thing the latter.

I drink alcohol because caffeinated programmer needs to stop going brrr at some point, not the healthiest life decision but who the hell cares it’s not like I’m ever going to have enough money to retire