cigarettes

Why do people smoke? Everyone says it’s addicting; it’s hard to give up. I know the feeling. One thing I love to eat/drink is, well I can’t decide so let’s say lemonade. I would probably die if I don’t have lemonade at least once a month. As addicting as it is, it is even harder to give up. In my opinion, there are two ways why people find it hard to give up cigarettes; one, it’s always there and two, it’s difficult to try. Cigarettes are very much appealing to smokers; it is hard to resist the smell and taste, so they just decide not to try. Not to give their best effort to stop smoking. By smoking, not only are they harming themselves, they are affecting the ones near them. The smell of smoke doesn’t stop when you burn the cigarette out; it sticks on to your hair, clothes, shoes, until you and the people around you can smell it too. This is like me smelling lemonade everyday when I’m trying to resist it. So eventually, I am lured in by the smell; I give in. It’s hard to resist something you love, but you have to try. You never know if you’ll succeed or not unless you try and put your effort into it. When I mean put your effort, I mean give your whole life to stop cigarettes. And if you don’t give your whole life to stop these addicting and annoying ‘things,’ they will take your whole life away from you. By whole life, it means your job, your money, your family, and everything you care about. Not only does that hurt you, that’ll hurt your family and I’m sure no one likes to hurt their loved ones. If you think about it, it’s kind of crazy…the fact that we’re so insane about these ‘things.’ I think of cigarettes as nothing more than things. They don’t deserve a name. They don’t deserve to exist in our world. Because cigarettes are nothing better than guns and knives. They damage our world, kill people, and pollute the Earth. If everyone just stop using them, our world will be much better. So, why do we have them? Because companies and factories need the money. All over the world people buy these things that kill them. That way, big, major companies earn money and use them to make more cigarettes. It’s like a cycle that never stops. And it won’t—won’t stop until we take action. Adults say that children under eighteen or twenty are not allowed to smoke or drink alcohol, but children still do. If adults want the children to stop, then they should stop too. We learn from the adults. If a child sees the adult smoking, then he/she thinks that it’s okay to do it themselves too. What’s more, some people illegally lure kids into smoking so that they can earn money. Parents believe that their children are too smart to smoke or drink alcohol, but they’re wrong. We won’t just be lured into smoking, but when there’s peer pressure or just pressure from anything, we think about pain. Pain is something that takes our minds off the pressure. In order for pain, we do stupid things. Also when we’re being pressured by our peers, we have two choices: get teased for not doing it, or do it. Smart people walk away, but others stay and do it. And once we start to drink and smoke, there’s no way to stop it unless we ask our parents to help us. And I’m sure most people don’t want their parents to find out, so they keep on smoking, hurting themselves.Now there’s one bad thing I know about smoking, and honestly, that’s all you need to know to stop. Smoking causes our lungs to turn black. I know this isn’t a really good explanation but this was what I was taught since I was little. When I asked my parents they would just keep repeating, “Because it’s bad for your lungs.” And when I ask why they’re bad for our lungs, they’d say, “Our lungs are pink, Hyerin. When our lungs are pink, it means that they’re happy. But if we smoke, then our lungs turn black. When it turns black, it means that they’re not happy. And you don’t want your lungs to be unhappy, do you?” It is a pretty lame explanation, I admit, but I was pretty young so I didn’t understand it any other way. I think that no matter how lame an explanation is, as long as you understand, it’s safe—it’s okay. Because though I was four or five, I knew why I had to stay away from cigarettes and never give in to them. I think that one way to give up smoking is to always remember: You can do it! Don’t give in because giving in is giving up and giving up is losing everything. For those who want to stop, here are ten tips on how to quit smoking (found from Alexander Main):  1. Drink lots of non-alcoholic fluids, especially water.  2. Change your routines and get more active – walk instead of driving or taking the bus and use the stairs instead of the lift. Exercise helps you relax and boosts morale. 3. Put something other than a cigarette into your mouth. Try carrots, apples, celery, raisins, or sugarless gum. 4. Tell all your friends and family that you’ve already quit – you’ll be embarrassed if they catch you smoking. 5. Stop carrying or hoarding cigarettes – at home, in your bag or at work. Don’t ‘borrow’ any. 6. Pay a family member or friend $5 (if they catch you smoking) as a deterrent. 7. Think positively – withdrawal can be unpleasant, but it’s a sign your body is recovering from the effects of tobacco. 8. Have your teeth cleaned. 9. Find another smoker who is trying to quit, and help each other. 10. Talk with your doctor about quitting. Get professional help!  To find more facts about tobacco and why quitting smoking is important, go to http://www.alexander-main.com/smoking.html! I guarantee that you’ll learn a lot more from this site then you ever will in any other places.