It is over 60 years since the Doll Report was published which established an undeniable link between smoking cigarettes and the development of lung cancer. Since then smoking has been implicated in the development of many diseases. It is proved that smoking cigarettes doesn’t just cause disease, it leads to early death as a result of those diseases.
So, why do people still smoke? Often, people start smoking as teenagers or even children. It is probably part of the peer pressure that is felt as an adolescent or young adult, when it’s important to do the same things as your friends. It doesn’t take many cigarettes to get hooked on the nicotine because it is potently addictive. Once someone has started smoking that addiction makes it very hard to give up. Anyone who’s tried to give up smoking will tell you that the cravings are bad and the majority of people quitting comfort-eat to take away the pangs. Smokers have a strong association between their habit and the calming emotional effect they believe it gives them although smoking actually promotes anxiety, especially when the brain starts to register that it needs a nicotine hit!
80% of the world population don’t smoke cigarettes and to them smoking is an anti-social habit. Statistics found on ‘Our World in Data: Smoking’ state that the habit is more prevalent in men but the proportion of adults who smoke is falling round the world. The league table for cigarette consumption of 180 countries in the world is headed up by Andorra with Luxembourg a close second, the country with substantially the lowest consumption is Brunei. The UK comes in roughly mid-way, positioned at 79.
It is always a good time to give up smoking. The health campaign, Stoptober, runs every year in the UK. It encourages smokers to grit their teeth, seal their lips and make a determined effort to stop smoking. There is help available from the NHS.
The links below will give you more information on smoking and the serious adverse health effects it has on the body, which lead inevitably to life-shortening disease or reduced quality of life. It is strong stuff, but it may be the information smokers need to persuade them that it is the right thing to do, even though it is a hard thing to do.
‘Why Do People Still Smoke?’: BMI Healthcare website
‘Why Do People Smoke?’: docktoronline.com
‘What Are the Health Risks of Smoking?’: NHS Online
‘Smoking’: British Heart Foundation website
Action on Smoking and Health website (ASH)
‘Smoking and Respiratory Disease’: ASH Fact Sheet
‘Smoking and Mental Health’: ASH Fact Sheet
‘Smoking and its Effects on Health:’ iheed Youtube video
‘Top 10 Terrible Things That Smoking Does To Your Body’: WatchMojo YouTube video
‘Quitting Smoking Timeline’: QuitSmoking YouTube video
‘Trying to Stop Smoking: Brian’s Story’: Cancer Research UK YouTube video