The tobacco industry’s ads and other promotions for its products are a big influence in our society. The tobacco industry spends billions each year to create and market ads that show smoking as exciting, alluring, and safe. But everybody knows that smoking is really bad for your health. It contains nicotine, a highly addictive drug that makes it difficult for smokers to evade the habit. Studies show that smoking is most likely to become a habit during the teen years. The younger a person is when they began to smoke, the more likely they are to become addicted to nicotine. Those products contain many poisonous and harmful substances that cause disease and premature death. So why do people still smoke even if they know the fact that it can kill then?
Here are some of the user’s opinions on why they smoke and how to quit them.
Don’t treat it as a stress reliever
Managing unpleasant feelings such as stress, depression, loneliness, fear, and anxiety are some of the most common reasons why adults smoke. Some say smoking can help their mind at ease. It is like a sedative that can make them calm down. But did you know that stress relief you get from smoking comes from the act of taking time out to smoke a cigarette and from the chemical actions of nicotine in your brain? Smoking is only a temporary solution for handling stress, tension, or depression. The only way to truly control the stress in your life is to identify what causes stress for you and learn how to change the way you react to stressful events and situations.
Blend or not to blend
Nearly all cases of first-time tobacco user take place before a person finishes high school. They say that smoking tobacco make them look mature or to be like their friends. Some do it just to experiment. Since teens see older people all around them smoking, especially their parents and relatives, they smoke to act older. If their friends smoke, they may feel pressured into doing the same to be accepted and blend in. To avoid this, distract yourself, do the dishes, turn on the TV, take a shower, or call a friend (who doesn’t smoke). The activity doesn’t matter as long as it gets your mind off of smoking. But sometimes there is always that one friend who will tempt us. Get out of that tempting situation; you are or what your friends are doing may be triggering the craving. If so, a change of scenery can make all the difference. During this time when you’re very vulnerable, don’t put yourself in situations that will up the pressure to smoke.
Don’t quit it entirely
Quitting smoking is not that easy. You need practical strategies to help you survive the nicotine cravings and nicotine withdrawal and help you break the psychological addiction to cigarettes. Research has found that the typical smoker begins to feel the symptoms of withdrawal within an hour of putting out his last cigarette like anxiety irritability, headache, trouble sleeping, fatigue and hunger. Take note on your body’s craving before you entirely quit smoking to see what specific times of the day are or activities increase your cravings. Urgency in quitting doesn’t help you quit, adjusting is the key.
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