Smoking cigarettes is a relatively common practice here in America, with over forty million people smoking cigarettes daily. This number may seem large, but the amount of smokers has declined over the decades. According to the Center of Disease and Control Prevention, the percentage of adults who smoked in the US has more than halved in the last fifty years from over 40% down to around 20%. This drastic decrease in smokers may be caused by recent discoveries and changes in America’s view on cigarettes. Cigarette smoking was viewed in a completely different way sixty years ago as compared to today; cigarettes were largely accepted and even viewed as healthy by many during those times. But research throughout the years has begun to show us what cigarettes really do. Recent studies show that cigarette smoking can lead to various types of cancers and diseases, and causes over 400,000 deaths each year. Even though our current knowledge and scientific evidence on the effects of cigarette smoke clearly show that cigarette smoking is harmful and dangerous, millions of people still have reasons to smoke.

The impact cigarette smoking has on health is the biggest reason people don’t smoke. As mentioned earlier, smoking causes many of the diseases and health issues found today. According to the National Cancer Institute, smoking cigarettes is the leading cause of stomach, pancreatic, bladder, esophageal, kidney, lung, and mouth cancers. Smoking cigarettes greatly increases the chances of developing some form of heart or cardiovascular disease, which are the leading causes of death in America. Smoking cigarettes affects the functioning of many organs and body parts; it can damage your lungs, blood vessels, immune system, and bone health.

Cigarettes also damage wallets as much as they damage health. Most states add an additional tax onto cigarettes, making them more expensive than they need to be. A pack of cigarettes can cost anywhere from 4.00$ to 8.00$, depending on brand and location. The more you smoke, the more money you spend.

Smoking a cigarette is also inconvenient, since many restaurants, work buildings, schools (including UGA), and public areas ban smoking. Smokers have to go out of their way to avoid the penalties associated with smoking in a non-smoking zone. Constant smoking also causes smokers to always smell like cigarette smoke. The smokers themselves may not mind the smell, but chances are he or she will come in contact with someone that does.

Even with all of the previously listed troubles that cigarettes cause, people still smoke. But not all the people that do smoke actually want to. In fact, almost 70% of adult smokers said they wanted to quit in 2011. The addictive quality of cigarettes is what really keeps smokers smoking. Tobacco, the main ingredient in cigarettes, contains Nicotine, which is an extremely addictive drug that acts as a stimulant and can improve one’s mood or relieve stress.

Smoking cigarettes exposes the body to nicotine, creating a physical addiction that is sometimes tough to end. Smokers can also form a mental addiction to the slight buzz and relaxed feeling that smoking brings. “I know it’s bad for me but I can’t stop. You get cravings. I’ve tried quitting like five or six times now and it’s extremely hard. Now I only smoke E-cigs and only a few cigarettes every week” said Bao Dang, college student and smoker of five years, when asked about his experiences quitting. Everyone is different; no one’s habits are the same and ending an addiction can be extremely difficult.

Ignorance is another reason people continue to smoke. Many smokers don’t know (and might not want to know) how harmful smoking really is. The view on cigarettes in the 1960’s was the exact opposite of what it is today; they were advertised as healthy and fun, with doctors, dentists, and even Santa Clause appearing on various cigarette advertisements. Most of the advertisements involving cigarettes these days discourage smoking. Many smokers in the older generations, including my dad, started smoking and became addicted during this time when still not much was known about smoking’s harmful effects. Dorbin Abendano Sr., who smoked cigarettes for thirty years before quitting, said that he “just didn’t know exactly how harmful smoking was” when he started in the 1970’s.

People also smoke because they frankly don’t care about their health. Life is short, and people will do what they want. It’s like eating at McDonalds; millions of people still do it, even though they know it’s bad for them. If the studies showing that fast foods cause health problems don’t stop people from eating them, why should the warnings and research against cigarettes stop people from smoking?

Some smoke because they want to, while others smoke because they feel like they have to. The bottom line is that the feelings, whatever they may be, that cigarettes give to smokers outweigh smoking’s clear detrimental effects.