why people smoke?

Question

why do people still smoke even they know it can kill them slowly?

Answer 1

Mostly because nicotine is highly addictive (more so than cocaine or heroin).

Answer 2

Personally?

I'm gonna die anyway. Pretty much nothing I can do about it, part of life etc etc. Yeah, it might knock a couple years off of my life, but chances are they would have been crappy anyway.

That said, I work in a cigarette shop, and it's not young people I serve the most. It's very, very elderly women. Sort of between the not-very-old-60's and the wow-thats-old-80s. Smoking doesn't seem to be killing them - they still come in and buy their hundred packs every other day.

It's an addiction. And that's something I want. Sounds stupid? Well I guess it kinda is. But basically, if I smoke, it's something to rely on.

No-one ever pressured me into smoking - I started because I wanted to. I love the look of the tough, dont-give-a-damn women who smoke and are rich and beautiful.

I started off smoking cigars when I was 16... i'm now 17 and a half, I still occasionally smoke cigarillos, most of the time I smoke cigarettes - 2 a day, maybe, i'm not a heavy smoker. And I choose expensive brands where I can - brands that make me feel feminine and classy.

Answer 3

Here's my take on it, and I'm trying to back it up with an article (if i can find it).

Smoking in society today is one addiction many people (mostly teens) pick up because of the group environment. It starts off monkey-see monkey-do. If a little kid sees an older sibling or someone on TV smoking he's gonna be more than willing to try it out (just out of curiosity). This is especially true when parents haven't taken the time to teach them about smoking (and even then things are not always that easy).

That's how it starts most of the time... But let's get to the bottom of it -- why it keeps going. Well, it's addiction -- and sometimes it's stronger than we might be willing to admit.

There is a nucleus (gathering of braincells with a specific role) in the human brain called the accumbens nucleus. This nucleus has a great deal to do with our internal reward-punishment system. Say you got an A in a rough exam -- and you're feeling very pleased with yourself, the accumbens is partially responsible with that. It also plays a role in you remembering what you liked and what you didn't like. Say you like the taste of sweet and not of sour, it's this nucleus that will keep reminding you of it :)

Well, all forms of drugs act on the accumbens generating release of endorphins (the molecules that act as pleasure-messengers). So you see, our brains start associating pleasure with the cigarette. By mechanisms called "conditioned reflexes" -- these being the ones you learn over time as opposed to the unconditioned reflexes (ex: pulling your hand away quickly after touching something hot) -- the brain begins to automate the process of smoking in a way.

Some smokers (and i have observed this with friends and family that smoke) claim they instinctively reach for their pockets or purses to grab a smoke when they need a quick pick-me-up.
This is also why smokers (and people who have given up smoke) may sometime drool when you even mention about a cigarette. Look up Pavlov's experiments with these kind of reflexes.

So it's cigarette => nucleus accumbens => brain => endorphins.
This is why people that smoke find it easier to chew gum or start eating chocolate. In essence they are substituting one endorrphins-releaser for another.

Don't be fooled by people that say "i can give up any time i want", or "this is the last one". It's really hard to quit unless you have a non-smoking environment (coffee and cigarettes are many times a factor in establishing relations and social gatherings at work or in bars).

Neurological studies (and here i needed the article i mentioned before - sadly, i did not find it) shows that human brains of smokers and ex-smokers contain a higher cyclic AMP count (one of the messenger molecules that act inside cell to produce -- at cell level -- the feeling of pleasure). So smoking alters our brain and makes it react potently to a cigarette.

For more info (i hope i didn't make a complete mess of it) run a few searches for addiction and the mechanisms it works-through.

Best wishes !

Answer 4

Tobacco smoking is the act of burning the dried or cured leaves of the tobacco plant and inhaling the smoke for pleasure or ritualistic purposes, for self-medication, or out of habit and to satisfy addiction. The practice was common among Native Americans throughout North and South America, and was later introduced to the rest of the world via trade following European exploration of the Americas.

Tobacco smoke contains nicotine, an addictive stimulant which temporarily improves alertness, memory, and mood, but also forms a strong physical and psychological chemical dependence (addiction). Nicotine, like any stimulant, can also increase anxiety, restlessness, and disturb metabolism. Medical research has determined that tobacco smoking is a major contributing factor towards many health problems, particularly lung cancer (which has a survival percentage of 16.4%), emphysema, and cardiovascular disease. Many countries regulate or restrict tobacco sales and advertising and require warnings to be placed prominently on the product packaging. Many governments now restrict or ban smoking in a variety of public venues.

MANY ARE ADDICTED AND CANNOT HELP THEMSELVES, OTHERS ENJOY SMOKING and find it a way of relaxing. lIKE ALL THINGS IT SHOULD BE DONE IN MODERATION, ALTHOUGH IN THESE 'MODERN' TIMES - smoking has become very 'taboo' and IS KNOWN TO BE DETRIMENTAL TO LIFE, HEALTH AND WEALTH!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_smoking

Answer 5

It's a very addictive habit sweety,A drug that does not like to let go easily.A bit like chocolate,Similar addictive properties but with very different consequences.

Answer 6

We started cos it was "cool" thing to do, and definitely did not believe it was addictive - then took a while to wean off when dangers were realised!

Answer 7

it supposed to be a peace pipes
to relax their minds before they can decide somethings big

Answer 8

There is a pleasure in smoking........ It's about peace of mind..... we will all die someday anyways...... can't explain it.... just feel it....

Answer 9

coz once they start they cant stop it is addictive and there body craves it. it is seriously hard to quit!

Answer 10

MANY ARE ADDICTED AND CANNOT HELP THEMSELVES