Why do people still smoke cigarrettes even though they know it will eventually kill them?

Question

Each year, a staggering 440,000 people die in the US from tobacco use. Nearly 1 of every 5 deaths is related to smoking. Cigarettes kill more Americans than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs combined.

Source: American Cancer Society

Yes, everyone knows nicotine is addictive. So what? People break addiction to heroin and all sorts of other drugs and habits.

I understand that addictions are hard to overcome, I am specifically talking about the use of tobacco in cigarrettes. I am not a smoker but I live with one and my mother recently died from lung cancer and bone cancer, she had smoked for over 40 years. It is a very very difficult thing to watch someone smoke and constantly kill themselves little by little, then suffer a horrible slow painful death. I think people live too much in the present day and honestly don't care about their health. If you know you are addicted then why not take the chance at quitting and making a better time for yourself while you are still alive regardless of the damage you have already done to your body.

In response to Slick50 : How can you say that cigarrettes don't kill you? How can someone possibly put deadly chemicals into their body and fill their lungs with tar over a long period of time and not kill themself? It is not possible. They might not die at the moment they smoke, or years or decades continually smoking but you can not say they aren't slowly killing themselves by putting something that your body is not supposed to have in it everyday. I think that your answer to my question is by far the worst, and it makes me sick to think that someone who "hates" smoking has such a passive attitude about it.

Answer 1

Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of cancer in the world. 40% of cancer could be prevented, mainly by not using tobacco, having a healthy diet, being physically active and preventing infections that may cause cancer.
Please see the webpages for more details on Smoking and smokeless tobacco, Tobacco smoking and Smoking.

Answer 2

I dont smoke, I hate smoking, but ...

smoking doesnt really kill you.

It might shorten your life by 10 years and make your final days horrible, but it does not really kill you.


You can over dose on coke or heroin, but I never heard of anyone who just died because they picked up a cigarette.


Eventually, everybody dies.


I think that this is the worst argument to not smoke.

How about - smoking makes your breath stink, lowers your immune system, lowers your endurance, costs $3,000 per year.

I would be more concerned with this at age 15 or 18 then dying when I am 65.

Answer 3

I am a smoker and I hate it. I smell bad, and I depend on cigarettes. I can admit I have an addiction, and have let something control my life: which believe it or not is the worst part of being addicted. The feeling that you depend on something you have no control over is horrible.

I can try and explain what it feels like to crave a cigarette, but if you are not a smoker it will be hard to understand: If you can imagine being very hungry and knowing if you don't eat something you will not die, but you are going to be very uncomfortable and thinking about food until you eat, well that is what cigarette addiction is like. You are hungry until you finally get that cigarette into your system.

It sucks.

Answer 4

I am trying to quite, been off for only 3 days. It is the hardest addiction to over come. It is easier to over come a heroine addiction than smoking. Even with the patch or the gum the cravings are really strong. Unless someone has actually been a smoker, it is hard to understand what they are going through.

Answer 5

a person who has never smoked will never understand the addictive properties of nicotine. i smoked for many years and did other things like illegal drugs too. it was far easier to quit the illegal drugs than it was the cigarettes.!!! i eventually did it but it was the hardest thing i ever gave up!!!

Answer 6

well we all have to go, one way or another, an its something that will never be stoped, as the goverment makes to much money from this, they make money from us, and when we all die lol they will be stuffed as they cant make anymore money, i mean look at the things their money goes into which is a waste of time, and look at what they charge people for smokes, fuel, stuff like that, its all stuff that we can die from, so we have to except that this is life untill we die, i hope u understand me

Answer 7

Cigarette is poison you loved it leave it hoooked to it till your system can't live without it. This is a never ending habit that needs treatment.

Answer 8

Why do people drink to many coke, too much alcohol, breath this nasty air, eat so many preservatives, to ,many fried foods, too much salt. Work outside in the 104 + heat? It will all kill ya. They chose to. Danged if ya do danged if ya don't.

Answer 9

They are addicted.. thats why. You can say same thing about food. Why are many people eating fast food when you know they can higher your colesterol causing obesity and heart deasies and many people can die from that too, we should ban mccdonalds and burger king because it's causing people to die.. They are addicted to.

Answer 10

Addiction, addiction. People believe life is too short anyway, you not allowed drinking too much neither alcohol nor coffee. Drugs are worse so what’s left????