Did All Four Beatles Smoke Cigarettes?
John was the only Beatle who didn’t live long enough to quit smoking.
Much has been made of Bob Dylan introducing the Beatles to the wonders of marijuana on August 28, 1964. After experiencing the mind-opening effects of THC, Paul said that he was “thinking for the first time, really thinking.”
Some say that after the Beatles got high for the first time, music changed forever.
While it’s interesting to consider the effect that mind-expanding drugs had on the Beatles and their music, a different sort of substance played a much more consistent and long-term role in their lives: nicotine.
All four Beatles were heavy smokers.
Cigarette addiction is unique in that it doesn’t completely take over a person’s life. You can carry on with your work and lifestyle, take up and quit other substances, and keep smoking all the while. So it was for the Beatles.
Smoking may be a manageable habit, but the grip of the addiction is brutally strong. Most smokers won’t truly quit until they make a massive personal commitment to change. Even after quitting, the mental and physical effects of cigarettes may continue to form a haunting presence.
