Reasons Why Smokers Smoke Essay

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Smoking is a deadly habit that is known to cause various fatal illnesses such as lung cancer, heart disease and emphysema. Yet today, many people around the world continue to partake in this deadly practice. Various reasons have been given for why these people continue to smoke. There are some basic reasons that include feeling mature, experimenting and addiction, yet at the same time there are other more complex psychological reasons that have been proven. Studies have shown that smokers are risk takers, have poor self-control as well as a bad sense of long-term and short-term goals and also need immediate gratification. Each of these reasons shows why a smoker continues to smoke despite the known consequences that come along with it. Some studies have shown that today, people begin smoking to appear more mature or because they have given in to peer pressure. Some teenagers will take cigarettes from their parents and then pressure their friends to smoke with them. It makes them feel superior and more mature because all their lives the only people who they saw smoking were older than they were. Others have started because they felt the need to experiment and take risks (Kessler, 1995). With this, they feel rebellious because most people today are warned about the dangers of smoking from a very early age and yet they are going against these warnings. However, one thing is for sure, each person continued to smoke because of the high addictive quality that is part of smoking. Once a person has started smoking, it is nearly impossible for them to quit due to the high amount of nicotine that is contained in cigarettes. It becomes a stress reliever for them and after a while they will feel the need to smoke more and more often. During any high pressure situation they will want to smoke to help them relieve their stress and they will feel anxious until they are able to. A survey was conducted by a student to attempt to discover possible reasons for smoking. The person she interviewed has been smoking for over twenty years and has tried to quit multiple times. He has tried various methods of quitting including the nicotine patch and electronic cigarettes but all attempts have been unsuccessful. He began smoking while he was working at a deli, because all of his co-workers would go out to smoke on their break and he felt left out. He stated that this was the biggest mistake of his life and that he wishes that he never started smoking. This matches up with a commonly known reason to start smoking- peer pressure. He also stated that the only reason he still smokes today is because it is so addictive and because it is so hard to quit. According to the interview, he has not yet dealt with any health issues that are related to smoking but he is scared for his future health because he knows all of the potential health risks that come along with smoking. The various reasons given for why this person smokes are very similar to the commonly known reasons for smoking. He began smoking due to peer pressure and because he wanted to fit in with the people around him. It became an addiction for him and this is the reason that he continues to smoke today. Along with these basic reasons for smoking, other reasons have been given for this study. The first reason would be risk taking. This goes along with the experimentation reason but can be explained more in depth. Some studies have shown that people who smoke are more likely to be caught up in risky behavior. Along with smoking, a smoker would be more likely to speed on a highway or not wear their seatbelt than a non-smoker would (Ert & Yechiam, 2013). This may explain why a smoker would start smoking to begin with. It shows that they were daring enough to take the initial risk to have that first cigarette. Most people, who smoke, however, are well aware of the potential health problems that come along with smoking but continue to do so anyway (Ert & Yechiam, 2013). Although the initial risk
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