Why do people smoke?

Loveangel

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Why do people smoke when it is so bad for them?
That is a question that everybody will most likely ask themselves. There is no definite answer, but there are some leads.
People smoke because of the way cigarettes are advertised and where they are shown.
People also smoke because they believe smoking will make them act, look, and/or feel different.

Definition of cigarette
A cigarette is a euphemism for a cleverly crafted product that delivers just the right amount of nicotine to keep its user addicted for life before killing the person. The cigarette is made of tobacco that contains nicotine. Nicotine is as addictive like cocaine and heroin. Nicotine can make people feel alert and energetic and it can also make a person feel relaxed. Nicotine works by attacking the brain, but the brain gets used to it after a while and then one has to smoke more to feel the effects of the nicotine. That’s why people who have been smoking a long time feel the urge to smoke a cigarette one after another. Some smokers smoke continuously, which is especially harmful to their health. Their poor lungs never get any clean air!

Who smokes?
High school graduates, blue-collar workers and men in low income brackets are more likely to smoke than men in higher income brackets, white collar workers and people with college educations. Women who work are more likely to smoke than housewives. Women in households with a low family income also tend to smoke. In addition, children from households where the parents and siblings smoke may learn the habit more frequently than children in smoke free homes.

Advertisements that lure
Advertising techniques are one of the main reasons that people begin to smoke. Cigarette companies claim not to target young kids, but that is very untrue. Have you ever seen a billboard with normal, middle aged person smoking? Do they show people with stained teeth, wrinkled faces and a large cloud of smoke hovering over their heads - the direct results of smoking. No. Advertisements directed to teens and young adults send out mixed messages for us to misinterpret. They send out the message, ‘If you smoke, you will be popular and desirable’ without coming out and saying it. They also show people having fun with a large group, which makes you think if you smoke that brand, you too can have that much fun. People shown in the advertisements are normally active, but when you smoke, your lungs get so damaged, it is hard to run and play sports. Cigarette advertisements targeted towards women always promote slimness. Six years after Virgina Slims were introduced, twice as many women were smoking. The cigarette advertisement makes you think that by smoking, you can become thin and healthy. All smoking advertisements are set in places with clean, wholesome settings, never showing the cloud of smoke that comes out of the cigarette. Advertisers know exactly how to target different groups of people!

Why do teenagers smoke?
When you teach teenagers the dangers of smoking, it has a limited effect. They already know it is bad for them. Peer influence seems to play an important role in smoking. Teenagers who have close friends who smoke are more likely to take to smoking. Smoking may be viewed as a forbidden adult behaviour, or even an act of defiance to those in authority. Poor grades in school and having parents who smoke are associated with teenage smoking. For males, not going to college is also associated with higher rates of smoking. This is not true for females. Parental approval or disapproval does not seem to have any conclusive effect on a teenager’s decision about smoking. Smoking helps you make friends and supposedly makes you more desirable too.

Passive smoking at workplace
Even passive smoking at workplace is injurious to health. It might not be so at offices that maintain hygienic air conditions but particular attention should be drawn to the occupational problems existing in night bars, restaurants and discotheques. The exposure to concentrated (and most important) individual constituents of smoke, carbon monoxide, nicotine and aldehyde is a cause for concern.

Cigarette smoking is injurious to teeth
Smokers are up to six times more likely to develop gum disease than non-smokers. Chronic gum disease, which is characterised by inflamed gums that increasingly recede from the teeth. In its advanced stages it can even lead to tooth loss if preventive action is not taken. It is thought that smoking depresses the ability of the immune system to fight infection. Smokers who quit smoking habits are less likely to lose their teeth early than those who do not kick the habit. Molecular byproducts of smoking interfere with mechanisms that normally contain growth of damaging bacteria in the mouth. In this way, smoking can promote early development of periodontal lesions. Cigar and pipe smoking have similar adverse effects on periodontal health and tooth loss as cigarette smoking. Smoking cessation efforts should be considered as a means of improving gum health and reducing tooth loss in heavy smokers of cigarettes, cigars and pipes with gum diseases.

Try quitting
When a person tries to quit smoking, the amount of nicotine in their brain drops and they feel sick. That is why smoking is so tough to quit. For days, weeks, or even months, the person feels like he/she needs a cigarette. Perhaps this feeling is why nearly seven out of ten smokers who quit go back to smoking before three months have passed. It is very tough to quit smoking. That is why you should never start the habit in the first place!

Pass on the good word
If you know some people who smoke, you should encourage them to quit, even though it is tough. It is never too late to quit smoking and the sooner they quit, the healthier they will be! Younger generations are smarter about smoking than older generations, because more is known now about how harmful it is to our bodies. Nothing is more important than being alive and healthy; smoking can take that away from you.
 
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