I don't think smoking is genetic... other than the example parents might set for their children by being smokers.

My mother has never smoked and my father quit smoking his pipe when I was a toddler. My parents were Mormons when I was a child. Smoking is a big no-no in that religion. My parents are also extremely health conscious. They're anti-smoking, but I'm a heavy smoker and so is my younger brother. My sister managed to kick the habit when she got pregnant with her first child.

When I was in high school and in my early 20s, I smoked socially. I used to feel kind of superior to all my friends who were addicted. I thought I just didn't have an addictive personality. I thought I would always be able to smoke just once in a while. I was wrong, though. After years of being a social smoker, I slipped down that slope and became addicted when I was going through a very stressful time in my life. That was 11 years ago and I've been a pack a day smoker since then... except for the 2-1/2 years when I quit. It was hard to quit, but I did it and really believed I would be a non-smoker forever. All it took was one cigarette to get me back into my old habits and before long I was smoking a pack a day again.

If you have never smoked, PLEASE don't start!!! It's SO unhealthy, smelly and expensive. A pack of cigarettes where I live is $12.75. So, it's an expensive daily habit. I pay $12.75 a day for something that makes me feel sick, stains my fingers, makes my hair smell and yellows my teeth... and it has a good chance of killing me. Addiction's no fun and nicotine is addictive.