Dear young adults,
Are you considering or are you already smoking cigarettes? Are you smoking on a regular basis or only during social occasions, such as during parties? Are you smoking of your own accord, due to your peers’ encouragement, or because your parents and relatives are on the habit?
If you answered “yes” to one of these questions, then this letter is for you. So, read on and learn new things (or be reminded, if you know these already). Just hear me out first and judge for yourself later.
No Single Reason
You may not have a single reason for smoking cigarettes now, either just a few sticks or a few packs a day. You may not even have a job to sustain your nicotine habit, which can cost several dollars a day. You may not even think about the negative consequences of smoking on your health.
You just do it – smoke cigarettes as a way to entertain yourself during idle moments in school or at work, or puff on a few sticks after every meal as a form or relaxation. You can be dragging on a stick to impress your peers, or to enjoy the easy conversations between smokers partaking of the common ritual. You may just enjoy the heady rush that nicotine provides to your body.
Stop and Think
Whatever your reason, you should stop and think through about your decision to become a recreational or a hardcore cigarette smoker. I don’t claim to be a saint who just want to spoil your fun; I am speaking from experience.
In my younger years, I smoked cigarettes, too, for several of the reasons mentioned above. It all started with a few high school friends offering me a stick just so I can have a taste of the heady rush, learn a few tricks like smoke rings, and be part of the cool group.
I was almost immediately hooked to cigarettes after the first puff, drag and blow! This was not surprising as nicotine is one of the most addictive substances known to man.
Addictive Qualities
Studies have shown that nicotine gains indirect and direct control over the functions of more than 200 of the brain’s neurochemicals including dopamine. The substance breaks down the blood-brain barrier, thus, the addiction to cigarettes.
Essentially, your brain craves for nicotine and your body follows suit. Your central nervous system craves for its next hit – a feeling of being alert because nicotine stimulates our fight-or-flight response. Each stick feeds on the growing addiction until you feel that cigarettes are crucial for your survival without which you will not enjoy life.
But this is so far from the truth that you are actually fooling yourself! The known 7,000 chemical compounds in cigarette smoke have adverse effects on the brain and body. In fact, 69 of these chemical compounds have been proven to cause cancer.
Take a look at a few of these chemical compounds and their effects on the body so that, indeed, you can stop and think.
- Nicotine increases heart rate, blood pressure, and blood glucose so palpitations are common.
- Acetaldehyde irritates the skin, eyes and lungs as well as cause cancer in animals and humans.
- Benzene damages the bone marrow, lowers blood count, and harms the reproductive system.
- Acrolein increases the risk for heart disease.
Of course, you are not thinking about the effects of these chemical compounds on your body as you enjoy every cigarette. You are just focused on enjoying the strong heady rush, the sense of belonging with fellow smokers, and the appearance of being an adult.
Impact Over Time
In time, you will not even need the encouragement of your friends to buy a pack for yourself and start lighting up whenever it suits your needs. In time, you will also observe that your cigarette smoking habit is wreaking havoc on your health but you are so addicted that you just cannot seem to stop.
Even when you read the health risks associated with cigarette smoking, such as increased risks for cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and diabetes, you just cannot seem to let go. Even when your doctor tells you to stop and when your medical bills pile up, saying goodbye to this bad habit is such a challenge.
Just Say No
But why become addicted to cigarettes in the first place? When your friends offer you a single stick and then encourage you to take a puff, just say “no”.
Saying “no” to cigarettes also means saying “yes” to your physical and mental health as well as your long life expectancy and good quality of life. Indeed, saying “no” to dangerous lifestyle habits will be one of your strongest traits.
When someone offers you a stick of cigarette, always remember that your life as you know it may well end here.
So, just say “no” to cigarettes and mean it! But beyond that, you shouldn’t have to say no, if you assess it well early enough, you will never even have any desire to smoke.