Nobody becomes a smoker as a result
of will power. In fact it is the other way round. Can you
imagine somebody as a child making up his or her mind
that when he or she grows up he or she will become a
chain smoker determined to smoke at least 30 cigarettes a
day?
Nobody in his or her normal senses
would do that.
Then why do so many people become smokers? Let us sit and
think about it for a minute. Of course there are a lot of
other reasons like the ones I have listed below but I
would like to pin point to one specific reason, which I
have added, at the end of the list.
Many, in fact most people become smokers as a result of
an experiment. What often starts as an experiment becomes
an experience and before they know it, it becomes a
pattern. So let us examine some of the factors that
contribute towards making a person a smoker, chain or
other wise.
Peer
pressure. One bad
apple is enough to make a whole barrel of apples bad. And
during the age of thoughtless youth (most people develop
the habit before the age of 25) every one is ready to
take up a dare. So when peers compel others to take a
puff, one just has to take a puff or else face the danger
of being branded as “chicken” or
“goody-two-shoes.”
Availability. Cigarettes are available every where and
almost any body can get them and that is one major factor
that contributes to the development of the habit. Another
reason is that cigarettes are so damn cheap!
Aping. Movie stars and other celebrities who smoke
look so cool, and this is more than enough reason for
youngsters to start smoking just to copy their matinee
idol.
The
Feel Good Syndrome.
Cigarettes are often identified with the “cool
factor” and so it is a great way to impress others
if you can delicately balance the cigarette between two
of your fingers and blow up a puff of smoke while you are
in your friends' circle.
Stress
busters. Cigarettes
are often wrongly identified as stress busters and one of
the best ways of driving away sleep. So when we see
others resorting to the habit, we are tempted and even
coaxed into taking a puff. If one parent smokes there is
a 25% chance that the child too will grow up into a
smoker. If both parents smoke, there is a 75% chance that
the child will become a smoker.
Attitude. This is a good one, but strangely enough
this cause is seldom identified as one of the reasons for
picking up the habit. One thing about most of us is that
there is a rebellious strain in all of us. There is
something in us that generates an urge to protest against
existing rules and norms and during our teenage, what
better way to express our defiance than by sporting a
lighted cigarette between our fingers or lips.