clearly explain why children become addicted to cigarettes?

Answer 1

As a side note, my biggest pet peeve is people who criticize smokers. Yes, smokers know its bad for them. The news, the warnings on the packs, everyone and their cat who makes comments like "Why do you smoke, don't you know it will kill you..." Yes, smokers know. They're not stupid.

Cigarettes are addictive on two levels. First, the physical addicition to the chemicals, including nicotine, that exist in the cigarettes. The addiction happens by introducing these chemicals into your body through smoking.

Next, the psychological addiction - which is often harder to cope with than the physical addiction. This is the habit itself - that smoke break at work or school, the part where you hang out with your friends and have a smoke, or where you get conditioned to smoke at certain times - when drinking, when you get up in the morning, when you have a coffee, when you're drinking, after sex... etc. A trigger in your brain that says "time for a smoke"

Children don't set out to become addicted to smoking. No one does. Drug addicts don't start out that way, either. And part of the problem is the basic human tendancy to believe it can't happen to me. I'll be the one who doesn't become addicted. I'll be able to quit any time. How hard can it be? I won't get cancer, or emphysema, or heart disease...

That answers why do children become addicted to smoking. Maybe the question should really be, why do children start smoking in the first place, thus leading to addiction?

The answer depends on the child. For some its rebellion - Mom, Dad, someone, said don't do this. They want to look bad. Some start because someone, several someones they look up to and want to be like smoke. Some kids start because their friends smoke and they don't want to be the odd man out, or a "coward", or the peer pressure or desire to be seen as "cool" gets them. Any number of reasons why a kid will start smoking, and one big reason they don't hurry up to stop - the idea that "the bad stuff won't happen to me".

Answer 2

Juveniles smoke to be part of the crowd which is pretty much governed by peer pressure. Kids think that smoking makes them look "cool" and "grown up."

The cigarette addiction occurs (at any age) as a result of a colorless alkaloid called Nicotine which Tobacco companies put into cigarettes to keep their customer base. Nicotine is a highly addictive drug.

Answer 3

The addictive qualities of a drug have been linked to the duration of the "high". The shorter the high, the "higher" probability of of addiction. Nicotine has a very fast acting effect and is nearly out of your system in a half hour. Nicotine has been compared to the addictive qualities of heroin and cocaine. Young people have a high incidence of use with this drug due to apathetic responses of adults(i.e. kids are just experimenting...). Many responsible adults would be outraged to find their children shooting up heroin, but would have a soft response to smoking tobacco. It has been suggested that the marketing strategies of tobacco companies have focused on younger people(which I agree). I am not preaching as I was a smoker for years. This problem has to do with the drug but more so has to do with our attitudes about the use of this drug... sorry that this is not a definitive answer.

Answer 4

Go to howstuffworks.com and look up nicotine, it's very simple, a recpetor in your brain is compatible with nicotine, and caffine, and a lot of other ine's. It is addictive across the board, I don't think that kids are particularly more vulnerable to addiction, but they might be. Nicotine is a very addictive substance because of the physiological and psychological effects. Just check that website. It's got a lot of really good information.

Answer 5

The chemicals themselves (nicotine) are addictive and age is irrelevant. The human body develops a craving that is more powerful than the disgust at the nasty taste or nausea reactions. Children maybe even more susceptible than adults because they are more interested in impressing friends than they are paying attention to the initial toxic reactions.

Answer 6

Children that begin to smoke at younger ages, despite the myriad of ads deluging the media with truth about its malign properties, are likely to be victims of peer pressure. They believe that since their friends are doing it that in order to be included amongst the group, they must comply. I beleive that the whole idea of campaigning on T.V. is a waste of time. We spend billions of dollars on the ads and nobody is paying attention to them. if they are it is on a remedial level, because the same kids that never lit up in highschool are trying it for the first time in college. I cannot understand how the government justifies the distribution of alcohol and tobacco when they know that they have a great tendency to be misused and can cause a heavy addiction. Tobacco should be right up there with the illegal drugs such as heroin and shrooms etc. It has the same mind altering impact on the developing minds of children. I am disqusted by smokers. It fills me up with complete abhorring when they come up to me with their bad breath. It annoys me to see them outside on their breaks from work sneaking in a smoke. I do not understand it. This is a gross epidemic in society today!

Answer 7

Keep them dumb and poorly educated. Move to the Bible Belt, or the Middle East. Brainwashing at a young age works well, but if it doesn't work, expect some blow-back during adulthood. It's a gamble. It should work but you could easily create decades of resentment and contempt from your children after they wise-up.

Answer 8

I was 13 when I started. The reason why I wanted to smoke was because it made you look and feel older. I had an older man ask me if my kids go to the high school I attended so I guess it worked.

Answer 9

Thr added NICOTIN that cigarette companies put in the cigarettes is very ADDICTIVE.

Answer 10

There are ingredients in Nicotine that are meant to physically addict people to it and make there body tell them they NEED it.