Smoking is one of the most common causes of disease in the United States. However, millions of Americans continue to smoke despite its serious impact on health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 20 percent of people over the age of 18 in the United States smoke tobacco. About 1,000 people under the age of 18, and about 1,800 adults, begin smoking on a regular basis. Learning how to say no to smoking can be a challenge, but it can help prevent major health problems.
Step 1
Take note of the substances you would put in your body if you started smoking. Cigarette tobacco contains dozens of harmful chemicals, including arsenic, DDT and formaldehyde, a chemical used in embalming. It also contains tar and carbon monoxide, a gas also emitted in car exhaust fumes, notes the Family Doctor website.
Step 2
Understand the statistics behind cigarette-related deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette tobacco kills about 443,000 people in the United States alone each year and about 5 million people worldwide. If you smoke, you are also putting everyone around you at risk--about 49,000 Americans die each year from secondhand smoke.
Step 3
Calculate the financial cost of smoking. If the health risks of smoking weren't enough to make this habit unattractive, cigarettes cost about $5.33 per pack in most areas of the United States as of August 2010, according to the Tobacco Free Kids website. While this might not sound like a high price, consider that a pack a day will cost you about $165 per month, or approximately $1,945 per year.
Step 4
Find out why someone may be trying to pressure you to smoke. According to the PBS Kids website, smokers sometimes try to pressure others into smoking so they can feel better about their own habits. A smoker may also try to convince you to start smoking so you will not be able to criticize his habit.
Step 5
Choose a response to people who ask you to smoke and stick to it. While you don't owe anyone an explanation, a well-rehearsed answer is often enough to get them to stop pressuring you. Responses like, "I had a family member who died from smoking," and "I'm allergic to cigarette smoke," are good choices, according to the PBS Kids website.
Tips and Warnings
- Understand that you are not alone when you choose to say no to smoking. Talk to your family or friends if you are tempted to pick up smoking. If you do not have supportive friends or family members, join an anti-smoking or smoking cessation support group to find like-minded people to help bolster your resolve to stay away from cigarettes.
Things You'll Need
- Calculator
