I have always wondered why smokers smoke, but since none of the reasons I've gathered so far makes sense to me, I have decided instead to focus on why I will never smoke, and why I think you and your kids shouldn't smoke either, or if you already smoke, why you should quit. I have thought of 100 reasons why you shouldn't smoke, but due to the constraints of time and space, I will discuss only 5 for now, and give you the rest later in a book I am writing about the subject. It is my hope that you will read this article with your kids and encourage them to stay away from smoking. Here are the reasons:
1. Smoking is not "cool"
Ever since I was a kid, I've never found smoking appealing, attractive or "cool". Even as a kid, I found the habit nasty, the smoke stinky and annoying, and I noticed that many smokers had stinky breath, stinky clothes and yellow teeth. But there were billboards and movie scenes with characters that portrayed cigarettes as cool and glamorous, even harmless. These characters were all good-looking, with smiles revealing perfect teeth, and they seemed to be having lots of fun. Oh what good life they seemed to portray! And as in every generation, there were those kids who were lured into the habit, and got hooked after their first cigarette. Some of them lighted up out of curiosity. Others were lured by the seemingly "cool" cigarette advertising such as The Marlboro Man, which featured various cowboys with attractive features; and the Joe Camel campaign, a cartoon mascot created allegedly to attract younger smokers to the Camel brand (a character that looked very much like Mic key Mouse). Those kids who allowed themselves to be seduced to smoke were also urged on by friends who out of ignorance thought they were so cool. So they became addicted and have been smoking ever since.
I wasn't the smartest kid, and I know it doesn't take a smart kid to figure out that smoking is not "cool". Painfully though, I lost some friends to the slavery of smoking. These were kids who stupidly thought it was "cool" to do something dangerous, something grown-ups didn't want them to do. They lighted up their first cigarette and got hooked. I tried to win them back to freedom, freedom from the slavery of smoking, all to no avail. Today, when I look at those friends who started smoking as kids and are still struggling with the addiction; wonderful kids who were much stronger and healthier than I was, had whiter teeth than I had, had pure breath and attractive features than I had, I begin to realize how smart and cool a kid I was for not smoking. Not only do these people have failing health today, they have yellowish teeth, stinky breath, look older than their age, and are always in debt because of the expensive habit. So what is cool about smoking? The yellow teeth? T he stinky breath and stinky clothes? The unattractive looks? Or the poor health? Smoking is not cool, and I was a smart kid. I am a smart adult as well, because I still don't smoke and will never smoke.
As a kid, I faced a lot of pressure from my peers who smoked to try "just one cigarette". I know you're probably also facing similar pressure. But I wouldn't give in to the pressure, because I knew so well even as I still know today, that there is nothing positive or cool about smoking. It is a useless habit that can only ruin your life. Smoking was not cool then, and it still isn't cool. What impressed me most as a kid and still amazes me today is that, I wasn't the only smart kid who knew smoking wasn't cool. There were far more smart kids than stupid kids because only a few kids that I knew lighted up. What I am more amazed at is that there are far more smart kids today than there are stupid kids. And I am glad you are one of the smart ones who wouldn't smoke because smoking is not cool. But even if you've mistakenly tried it for whatever reason, I still believe in you. If you're reading this article, then you're a smart kid and I know you can kick this habit. So don't lose your power of smartness. Quit today because smoking is not cool.
Surprisingly, everyday, we lose some kids to smoking � 4,400 of them; kids between the ages of 12 and 17. But I am happy to say that, everyday; far more kids remain smart and stay away from smoking because they know as we all know today that smoking is not cool.
I don't know how smokers feel about the notion of referring to themselves as smokers, but I know one thing for sure, and it is this, that it is not a cool feeling, because smoking is not cool.
2. Smoking is a choice
Even when I was a kid, in the face of all the pressure from my peers who smoked, and the seduction of the various cigarette adverts (or commercials) I was exposed to, I was, and I am still certain about one thing, that smoking is a choice. Smokers choose the habit. No one forces you to smoke. So why should I smoke? Of course we can blame smoking on tobacco advertising, peer pressure, and what else we can think of, but ultimately, it's our individual choic
However, once you make the mistake of choosing to smoke your first cigarette, you could become addicted. This means your body and mind will become used to the cigarette such that you will need to smoke it just to feel ok. Just to feel normal. And needless to say, when you become addicted to something, it is very difficult to stop doing it, even if you want to. Thus, your ability to choose is taken away by the addiction. The addict cannot make choices, so you become a slave to smoking. You are forced to take a minute off to smoke even when you are in school, at church, at work or in a meeting because your body and mind yearn for it. You have become a slave to smoking. I don't want to be a slave to smoking or anything for that matter, so I'll never smoke. I also know that kids become addicted much quicker than adults, so why play with cigarettes? I would rather run.
A lot of smokers today regret picking up the first cigarette. They don't want to smoke any longer. But they've given up their ability to choose. They are addicted, and it's now more difficult for them to choose not to smoke. But I am lucky. I still have my power to choose, so why give it up? I choose not to smoke. I want to remain a free man.
For those who have given up their power to addiction, there is a chance to quit and get your power back. It is a difficult process, but it takes guts, and it works. It is worth the effort, because the power to choose (or call it freedom) is a great asset to have. I choose never to smoke.
Some smokers today who started smoking as kids regret their first cigarette, and it is indeed painful because when they lighted up as kids, they were probably too young to know about addiction, and only realized it too late when they were already hooked.
Fortunately, kids of today are smarter; they read a lot of books and articles on the subject, like the one you're reading so they can become better informed about cigarettes and smoking. But if after reading this article, you will choose to smoke, then you do so at your own risk. But why choose death at a high price when life is free?
3. Smoking is costly to the individual smoker
Cigarettes and other tobacco products are very expensive. This is partly due to the high excise taxes imposed by many governments in an attempt to reduce tobacco consumption.
I asked one smoker how much money he spends on the habit in a day, a week, and a year. But he couldn't tell me, which is not surprising because a lot of smokers don't keep track of their expenditure on cigarettes. That's why they probably smoke. Well, I helped this gentleman do the math. He smoked two packs of one of the cheapest brands a day at $4 a pack. So in a day he spends $8 on smoking. That adds up to $56 a week and about $3,024 a year. He was surprised at the figure. And he said, "I don't even have this much money in my savings account, and I certainly don't save this much money in an entire year."
Unfortunately, this smoker didn't seem to know that he had a very expensive habit and could save a lot of money if he quit. But he is not the only one in this sad situation. A lot of smokers today smoke because they don't keep track of their expenditure on cigarettes. They don't realize how expensive the habit is and how much money they are wasting. A kid who smokes one pack of cigarette a day at $5 a pack would probably think that is not too expensive; but do the math and you would realize that such a kid spends $1825 a year on the habit. That is a lot of CDs, DVDs, Ipods, and Play Station 3s. That is how costly smoking is. To this kid, a year of smoking is like buying a brand new 52-inch widescreen TV. Wouldn't you rather get that?
The cost of smoking to the smoker extends beyond the money spent directly on buying tobacco products. On the average, smokers pay higher premiums than non-smokers on medical and life insurance, and lose money on the resale value of their cars and homes.
Due to their stinky clothes, smokers spend extra on dry cleaning since they have to clean their clothes more often. Their yellow teeth from smoking also translate to extra spending on teeth cleaning.
In the long run, smokers also earn less in pension and social security benefits. In recent times, smokers have been facing discrimination when seeking employment, and can even get fired because of the habit. Weyco Inc., a medical benefits administrator in Okemos, Michigan, after making public it would no longer employ smokers, fired four employees who refused to submit to a breath test. Imagine losing your job because of smoking! That certainly affects the pocket.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), National Workrights Institute estimates that more than 6000 companies refuse to employ smokers. For example, Union Pacific doesn't hire smokers. Alaska Airlines in Washington State also requires a nicotine test before hiring people. Now imagine being qualified for a job, and yet not getting hired because you smoke! Not a good thing.
4. Smoking is costly to society
Smoking is not only expensive to the individual smoker. Everybody, including non-smokers, bears some of the cost of smoking. In other words, because of that nasty, expensive habit you have cultivated, everybody in the society is suffering financially. Why? In countries where there is public health system, the medical care of those who become ill as a result of the habit is paid for by society through increased taxes. Smokers get chronic illnesses at a younger age and at a higher rate than the general population, and thus increase the health care burden. For instance, Albertans paid 1.8 billion dollars in 2002 for tobacco use cost, including $470.6 million in direct health care costs. Believe it? That's the truth! In the same year, smoking cost Canada and the Canadian businesses about 17 billion dollars, including $4.4 billion in direct health care costs, and the remaining 12.6 billion in fire damage, extra sick days, time lost to smoke breaks, higher life insurance premium s, and special smoking areas for smokers. The global economy loses $200 billion (US) each year in tobacco use costs.
If nobody smoked, that money could be available to help the 24,000 children who die each day due to poverty, or provide support for the 33.4 million HIV AIDS patients in the world. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in 2002 that each pack of cigarette sold in the United States costs the nation more than $7 in medical care and lost productivity. So if you are a patriotic citizen and love your country, don't smoke so you could save the nation all this money that is being wasted on this nasty and dangerous habit.
5. I pay my own medical bills; the tobacco companies don't
Healthcare costs are very high these days. Almost everybody is trying to adopt healthy dietary habits and other healthy practices so they can stay healthy and avoid healthcare costs. Unfortunately, smoking is not one way to stay healthy and avoid the high cost of healthcare. Smokers on the average fall sick more often and acquire chronic illnesses at a younger age and at a higher rate than the general population. This means in financial terms, smokers are more likely to spend more money on healthcare.
There is enormous scientific evidence to support the health risks of smoking including the more subtle illnesses such as nausea, headaches and vomiting which usually affect beginning smokers, and the more dangerous diseases of the cardiovascular system such as heart attack, and diseases of the respiratory tract such as emphysema and lung cancer which usually affect smokers who smoke more cigarettes for longer periods. Everyone of these diseases warrants a visit to the doctor and unquestionably translates to high medical spending for the individual smoker. The tobacco companies do not pay a dime to help cover any of these medical bills.
Moreover, smoking harms nearly every organ of the human body, and causes many diseases and reduces the health of smokers in general. Thus smokers spend more not just on the treatment of smoking-related illnesses but on preventive healthcare as well. To help smokers and past smokers stay as healthy as possible, they are usually advised to have regular checkups including oral cavity (mouth) exam. These can also be very expensive, and the tobacco companies don't pay a dime.
So why should I smoke and spend more on medical bills when I know the tobacco companies are not going to help me pay the bills? I pay my own bills so I won't smoke.
That is something for you and your kids to think about. And every time you are tempted to pick up a cigarette to smoke, also remember that It's your nose, not a Chimney!
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