There's some subjective aspect to this as well. I smoked off and on for over 10 years. I quit several years ago and don't want for money. But still, to be 100% honest, I've yet to find anything as enjoyable as a cigarette. Its like a tiny espresso that gives an instant rush that I can revisit as often as I'd like. It fits into my 5 minute break mindset. It gives me a reason to (briefly) talk to people I don't know. I could go on, but overall I wasn't just addicted to them. I honestly enjoyed many things about them. If they weren't so unhealthy, I would be happily smoking today. And I would gladly trade a great majority of the other pleasures in my life for them. I say this because there's two themes so far in these comments, but I didn't notice this one. For many people, smoking is a legitimately enjoyable, cheap experience, on top of being insanely addictive. Its not surprising that they are so hard to be rid of.

>There's some subjective aspect to this as well.

I don't smoke cigarettes. I've probably smoked less than 100. I've smoked less than 40 cigars. I've spent maybe $100 on pipe tobacco total in my life, and most of it has gone stale. I've used a Hookah 5 times, just to round out my experience.

I'm not a smoker, but something about tobacco smoke just smells good to me, cigars and pipes mostly, but there are some good smelling brands of cigarettes.

>I've yet to find anything as enjoyable as a cigarette.

I've yet to find anything as a better trigger for happy, emotional memories of my departed grand mother as cigarettes that smell like her brand.

I don't know where I'm going with this, I guess I'm just saying there can be some appreciation of tobacco even if I don't think people should be smoking regularly at all, and that I possibly have very mixed up signals from 2nd hand exposure to nicotine as a child.

I don't smoke, but certain cigarettes smell good. A Winston smells good. Cloves and menthols are nasty. Pipe smoke is awesome. I'll probably smoke a pipe when I'm older. Smoking cigars on long road trips with the windows down is good.

> Unless you're already addicted, nearly anything under $5 is more luxurious than a cigarette.

Completely subjective. I'm not sure the purpose of your post. Are you telling everyone what is more luxurious to them or just giving your singular opinion for yourself? Assuming the latter, it appears to add little to the discussion.

I'm offering a reasoned analysis of what the actual effects of smoking a cigarette are and whether those things are widely considered luxurious. If you're addicted, sure, smoking offers a great luxury in taking the money off your back for a while. If you're not addicted and don't have some other physical need (e.g. untreated mental illness), it offers a pretty mild buzz and a lot of negatives.

But regardless, wouldn't this be more appropriate as a reply to the parent, who made the initial claim that cigarettes are luxurious and didn't present any reasons for it?

The assertion which GP responded to -- that cigarettes are luxurious -- is completely subjective as well.

As an ex-smoker, I can say that smoking was one of the most pleasurable experiences I enjoyed. It might be hard to explain to non-smokers, but smoking is indeed luxury that could be enjoyed both, alone and socially. I love sugar. But even the fanciest desserts cannot touch joy of first cigarette & coffee in the morning or smoking in freezing weather outside your dorm at 2AM. Everyone else thinks that smokers are suffering outside in below freezing weather but most smokers I know loved it. And I loved it too.

It sounds like I miss smoking. Just to make it clear, it is enjoyable but it is horrible habit not much different from meth & other illegal drugs.

I quit because I was finally getting addicted and it started to control me. I would be thinking about my next cigarette break at work or pausing a movie to take a smoke break while my wife waited for me inside. I thought I would never get addicted but it happens slowly but surely.

As a non-smoker who has indulged in the odd cigar, I disagree.

The buzz, alone, is intense and very pleasurable (though probably less so for regular smokers). There's a reason cigarettes and coffee (or alcohol) go so well together.

Which is why I can never casually indulge... I like it too much.

> I just ate an orange that cost 50¢ and it was more luxurious than any cigarette I've ever smoked.

Given $5 for a pack, that's double the price. Expenses add up.

An orange includes 10–20 slices, so you could just as well say it's 1/10 the price. Trying to make a 1:1 comparison between oranges and cigarettes is a pretty weird idea in the first place.

That was definitely a hyperbole from the OP. $5 of alcohol would yield much more satisfaction