To Have a "Good Time"

I'm just wondering if someone can explain to me the draw in smoking and drinking. Recent events in my life have caused me to question this. Smoking is just disgusting. I always think of this one sign I saw on the highway when I was little, "Kissing a smoker is like licking an ashtray". Attactive, hmm? My dad smokes a pipe and cigars, so I don't mind the smell of those. Cigarettes smoke, however, just repulses me!! It smells disgusting!!

Drinking is another thing I don't understand. Why is it fun?? Why would you want to drink to the point where you aren't thinking, you can barely walk, you aren't in ANY position to "make good choices"...it just doesn't make sense. What makes it even WORSE to me is when you are so irresponsible that you would go out and DRIVE in that condition. Drinking and driving to me is one of the most selfish, inconsiderate, and horrible things you can do. You not only put your OWN life in danger, but also the lives of everyone around you, people who are totally undeserving of such peril. Nobody else deserves to suffer from your bad decisions.

A friend of mine made a very good point when we were discussing this the other day. She was talking about smoking, but it applies to drinking, too. Chrisitie, my friend, was saying how she just couldn't understand why someone would purposely try to increase his chances of dying, when people like her brother, Doug, who has lukemia and whom I've mentioned more than once, sit in the hospital trying harder than anything to live. It just seems totally unfair. So yeah, if anyone has some insight, it would be appreciated.