Both parents smoked cigarettes when I was little, but my mother went cold turkey in the early 1960s when the initial cancer reports came out (partially for her, partially because she worried what impact smoke would have on my sister and me inside the house). My father switched to a pipe, but gave it up when he went through an unemployed period — because of the expense (said he) and the smell of pipe smoke didn’t set well in a job interview (said my mother).

My sister took up smoking in high school because the cool boys hung out in the smoking area. 🙄 She was off and on for years, but how many I can’t say.

When my niece was a teenager, I did casually ask if her mom still smoked:
NIECE: My mother has never smoked. (sees the look on my face) What? NO!! MOM USED TO SMOKE?! I WAS TOLD I WAS NEVER ALLOWED TO SMOKE! When did she start?
ME: Um, high school.
NIECE: SHE DID NOT! OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD! SHE SAID I WAS GROUNDED FOR LIFE IF I SMOKED!
(her brother enters the room)
NIECE: Did you know Mom smoked? In high school?!
NEPHEW: No. (totally calm; our nephew is never one for drama)
NIECE: Oh, she is SO BUSTED!
ME: Maybe if you could leave my part out of this…?