SMOKING CIGARETTES

Smoking Cigarettes: Why People Do It Ryan Freemantle WRT 1020 Professor Agee Madonna University

SMOKING CIGARETTES Abstract

Eating, drinking, and smoking seem to go hand in hand. It is a habit that crosses social and economic lifestyles. Smoking is hazardous to the smoker and those around them, and as such the reasons why a person would choose to partake in this nasty habit should be addressed. Many say that stress plays a key role in their decision to smoke, even though it has been proven that lighting up does not reduce stress, but in fact increase it. Smoking is becoming more prevalent amongst the younger generation primarily due to peer pressure and the feeling to conform to the group. Although many people smoke, it is becoming less socially acceptable. People are beginning to look down upon smokers, but the health effects and negative stereotypes still do not deter people from smoking. Once you start it is a very difficult habit to break, and some of that can be contributed to your genes. There are people that claim they only smoke when they go out or they have a drink. This is called being a social smoker and there are those that say this is a cause. No matter why or how people smoke, it is highly addictive and dangerous to not only the smoker but everyone around it. Smoking is an expensive, nasty habit and addressing the causes of this addiction is a necessity so generations to come see the dangers to their health and society.

SMOKING CIGARETTES Smoking Cigarettes: Why People Do It

Today, it is a normal occurrence to see someone with a cigarette in their hand. Smoking has become a part of everyday life. People smoke for a many different reasons, and it doesnt matter how or why they started, once the habit takes hold, it is very difficult to break. In the United States alone, tobacco use is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths. Smoking cigarettes and tobacco use are acquired behaviors, therefore, they are activities that people choose to do. For this reason smoking is the most preventable cause of death in our society. (American Cancer Society, 2013.) Smoking is hazardous to the smoker and those around them, and as such the reasons why a person would choose to partake in this nasty habit should be addressed.

Stress and smoking seem to go hand in hand. Many people say they started smoking due to increased stress levels in their lives. The effects of stress manifest themselves differently in everyone, and as a part of everyday life, people all experience stress. There are those that turn to smoking as a way to deal with stress. They feel that stepping outside, lighting up a cigarette and taking a puff makes them feel better. The feeling that they get as the smoke fills their lungs and they exhale that big cloud makes them forget their worries for a while, and this is good enough for some people. Although stress is not good for anyone, neither are cigarettes. It often seems that stress is an excuse for smoking, not a cause, but for some, excessive stress leads them to smoke. Stress is a part of life, so an important part of quitting smoking would be to reduce stress levels and find alternate ways to cope with the ups and downs of life. An article from the New York Times titled The Claim: Smoking Relieves Stress written by Anahad OConnor states that studies have found that in reality, lighting up does not really decrease stress, but rather it has the

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opposite effect, causing long term stress levels to rise, not fall. For all those people dependent on smoking, the only stress it relieves is the withdrawal between cigarettes. The article also says that other studies have found similar results, and that they claim smokers experience higher levels of stress and tension between cigarettes compared to lower levels overall when they quit (OConnor, 2010). Never starting is the best way to quit, but understanding that long term smoking leads to long term stress would be a good deterrent for the younger generation.

At some point in most teenagers lives, they will be faced with the question, do you want to smoke? Whether it was a friend or a group of people asking this question, there was always a feeling of pressure. Peer pressure can be defined as social pressure by the members of ones peer group to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order to be accepted according to dictionary.com. When a friend or classmate applies pressure to do something against your better judgement, that is peer pressure. This kind of pressure causes many kids to start smoking. As an example, if a popular kid offers up a cigarette, it is often thought by accepting the smoke popularity will follow. In a similar situation, if a good friend starts smoking, the worry that the friendship may be lost if the offer of a cigarette is refused is a real concern to many teens. There are many ways to handle peer pressure, and everyone reacts differently to the situations they are faced with. Lighting up a cigarette makes many teens feel acceptance in their peer group as well as a way to connect with and maintain friends. In todays judgmental society, most of us worry about what others will think of us and the ability to fit in. The worry that friends will be lost because of peer pressure situations is very real. Although a true friend would respect your decisions no matter what they are, the fear of being alone is greater for many teens than the dangers associated with smoking.

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Smoking is less socially acceptable today. With anti-smoking laws and stringent rules on tobacco sales, people often look down on smokers, especially those that smoke around children and when pregnant. In 1990, almost 45% of pregnant women smoked. Over the next 15 years, that number reduced to 10.7% (American Lung Association, 2011). Society realizes the effects of smoking on the unborn fetus, as well as the effects of second hand smoke. Even with the knowledge of the negative effects of smoking, many people choose to light up. Often kids follow the lead of their parents and other influential adults. If parents smoke, a child is two to three times more likely to smoke themselves (American Lung Association, 2011). Parents model behaviors, and as such, if children are exposed at an early age and into their teens to smoking, the likelihood they will light up themselves greatly increases. Preteens and teens are very impressionable, and parents have a responsibility to teach their kids the dangers of smoking, and if they smoke themselves, share with them the difficulty in quitting this extremely additive habit. Among adult smokers, about 70% started smoking before they were 18, and many were addicted by the time they turned 14 (American Lung Association, 2011). Although smoking is frowned upon today, kids see it as a way of rebelling and showing independence. Puberty is a time of change and exploration, and many teens feel they must exert their own ideas and follow their own paths. Choosing to smoke is one way in which teens exert their independence, and show themselves, their parents and their peer group they can make their own decisions. Television and movies still show smoking in a positive light, and advertising is still targeted towards teenagers. It shows smokers as cool, living on the edge, independent and fun. These images are attractive to teens, and are factors and a huge cause of teenage smoking. If you talk to teens about smoking, they believe they can quit whenever they want. Statistics show that after 8 years,

SMOKING CIGARETTES 75% of those that smoke will still be using some type of tobacco product. Once you start, it can be very difficult to stop.

A difficult habit to break, smoking is often thought to be related to genetics. Although genetics does not play a part in whether or not a person will smoke, it can determine how the body reacts to nicotine, and how quickly a person may become addicted. There are people that try smoking, or smoke socially, and do not become addicted. There are others that start smoking, and quickly become addicted, smoking a pack or more a day. It is unclear how genetics plays a part in tobacco consumption, but studies have shown the brain reacts differently in some individuals, causing nicotine dependence, and making quitting very difficult. In a study at Duke University, it was stated that adolescence is indeed a period of high risk for nicotine addiction, said Denis Dandel, a professor of social medical sciences in psychiatry at Columbia University, who was not involved in this study. The results illustrate why adolescence is of crucial importance for the development and targeting of prevention and intervention efforts. How this genetic risk affects brain functions, which in turn affect reactions to nicotine, remains to be determined (Seaman, 2013). Smoking is hazardous to teens and their peers, therefore, the possibility that one could be genetically predisposed to nicotine addiction is yet another reason never to light up.

There are those people who claim to be social smokers. These are the people that say the only smoke when they drink or when they go out, yet they end up going out 4 or 5 times a week. Social situations and alcohol go hand in hand. As a person becomes intoxicated, their better judgement is affected. A drunk person may be more likely to accept a cigarette as they are

SMOKING CIGARETTES not thinking straight, and would accept the offer of a smoke more freely. Saying you are a social smoker is a terrible excuses to try and justify smoking, but it is in fact a cause. We are greatly affected by our environment and our desire to fit in and be accepted. People want to act in accordance to prevailing attitudes of society or to the group they are associating with. I think it is sad that that some people feel the need to smoke in social situations. As young adults, we should be taking care of ourselves, and not allow our environment to affect our decisions.

Smoking cigarettes can lead to addiction. Consequently this leads to an increased risk of developing numerous serious health concerns, especially cancer. Smokers die earlier than nonsmokers: 14.5 years for women, and 13.2 years for men (American Lung Association, 2011). For those people who are considering smoking, you need to know that cigarette smoke contains over 4,800 chemicals, and 69 of those are known to cause cancer. Did you know that approximately 90% of lung cancer deaths can be attributed to smoking, and 80% of emphysema and chronic bronchitis deaths. Smoking kills! The choices you make not only affect yourself but also your friends and family. The people that care about you do not want to watch you suffer.

The best way to quit smoking is to never start. There are countless stories of heavy smokers who were caught in a circle of peer pressure from an early age, and now finds it extremely difficult to quit. Although most would say they are not addicted, smoking is as much a part of their daily routine as eating. It is the first thing they do in the morning, and they are never without a pack of cigarettes in their pocket. The smell of cigarette smoke permeates their clothes, their cars, their lives, and has negative effects on their health. Smoking is an expensive,

SMOKING CIGARETTES nasty habit and addressing the causes of this addiction is a necessity so generations to come see the dangers to their health and society.

SMOKING CIGARETTES Work Cited

Agaku, I., King, B., Dube, S.R., Ofce on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic ! ! Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2012, November). Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults - Unite States, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/ preview/mmwrhtml/mm6144a2.htm

American Cancer Society. (2013). Cigarette smoking. Retrieved from http:// www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/tobaccocancer/cigarettesmoking/cigarettesmoking-who-and-how-affects-health

American Lung Association. (2011). General smoking facts. Retrieved from http:// www.lung.org/stop-smoking/about-smoking/facts-figures/general-smoking-facts.html

Bates, K. L. (2013, March). Genetics might determine which smokers get hooked. Duke Today. http://today.duke.edu/2013/03/smokegenes

Dictionary.com. (2014). peer pressure. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ peer+pressure?s=t

OConnor, A. (2010, August). The claim: smoking relives stress. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/health/10real.html?_r=0

SMOKING CIGARETTES Seaman, A. M. (2013, August). Parental smoking tied to kids risk of lighting up. Reuters. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/05/us-parental-smokingidUSBRE9740YD20130805

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