Even though they know the dangers associated with nicotine and tar, people continue to smoke and vape. Maya Keane, 11, examines why this might be.
People smoked for centuries, oblivious to the fact that the habit could be fatal.
Smoking can cause lung cancer, stroke and heart disease and a poor standard of oral health. Although we became aware of these problems around the 1950s, people still smoke and still take enjoyment from it.
Furthermore, smoking not only damages the body but it also contributes significantly to climate change – from the production of cigarettes and the associated deforestation, to people littering the streets with burnt butts. Not to mention the unpleasant stench that people nearby have to endure.
The question here is: why do people continue this terrible habit?
All smoking devices contain nicotine, a chemical which is a highly addictive stimulant.
Once people start smoking, they begin to feel the need to carry on, probably aware of the dangers yet continuing anyway.
Barack Obama, the former president of the United States, used to be a smoker. He struggled to stop his addiction, yet he now advises others against smoking: “Smoking not only harms the smoker but also those around them,” he once said.
People smoke when they feel stressed. They use smoking to relieve themselves from any strain that they are experiencing.
When considering all these elements, we can see why people still smoke. But that does not mean that these are good excuses. Approximately 1.3 billion people worldwide are currently smoking, which is around 17% of the world’s population. We need to lessen these numbers.
Were you aware that it is not just smoking cigarettes that feeds nicotine addiction. As well as smoking, millions of people now use vapes and e-cigarettes, a good proportion of them young people.
These are meant to be better for you but in reality, they are actually just as dangerous. Due to this misconception, teenagers have found themselves vaping as well. On average they are vaping nine times more than adults. Teens often smoke due to stress or just the fact that to themselves they seem cool doing so.
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