Why bother smoking?

At times seeing my close friends and generally people at work or at social gatherings smoke, it doesn’t seem all that life threating at that moment. Until recently, a bunch of us were out for dinner and one of my non-smoking friend highlighted the dangers/ threats of smoking and I just had to go back and Google the facts for myself.

I also find it very hard to imagine when I see the 10yr/ 13yr olds on the beaches, streets and even at the stores here in Kuwait, waiting to buy cigarettes and smoking away to glory… Seriously where are they parents – or what school do they go too?

It’s funny when one of my close friend smokes, the first thing she says is “it’s my first one of the day” as a sign to say that “yeah I know it’s bad for me.. But it’s only one.” Although an hour with her, and the ashtray resembles a small city with burned skyscrapers over a layer of ash. I do understand that smoking is a tough habit to break as are most addictions however everyone should understand that smoking is dangerous not only for yourself but also for others around you.

Since at times I do get tired of all this passive smoking, let’s start with some of the reasons why you as a smoker should worry about people around you:

·        The smoke that is exhaled from you contains more than 7000 chemicals, around 70 of these are known to be cancer causing. – Thank you for that!

·        The smoke comes out from the end of the lighted cigarette contains carcinogens that are in higher concentrations and in smaller particles meaning that you are a toxic wasteland that is spewing smoke that is easier for my lungs to absorb. Really? What did I ever do to you?

And if that is not enough to make you quit, let’s start with what additives are in cigarettes – As per Wikipedia, cigarettes are known to contain 599 additives, some of the more interesting ones being:

  • Formaldehyde, which is used by embalmers to preserve dead bodies
  • Toluene, which is commonly used as an ingredient in paint thinner
  • Acetone, an active ingredient in nail polish remover
  • Ammonia, which scientists have discovered lets you absorb more nicotine, keeping you hooked on smoking.

Sounds just yummy – Let’s step out and have one more, shall we?

With all the information out there, don’t you just wish people would read and understand what they are doing to themselves and also to the people around them!

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