Despite well-known health risks such as cancer, lung disease and death, people smoke. Twenty percent of American adults smoke, and each day approximately 4,000 teenagers try their first cigarette, according the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking causes one in five deaths, or approximately 438,000 per year--all of them preventable.
Rebellion and Peer Pressure
Smoking usually begins in the teenage years. Some teens are attracted to smoking because they view it as an act of rebellion or a sign of adulthood. These teens tend to be poor achievers in school, and have low self-esteem or poor psychological well-being, according to Martin J Jarvis of the department of epidemiology and public health at University College London. Teens who smoke are more likely to have parents, siblings or friends who smoke than those who don't. The desire to appear rebellious or grown-up, or to fit in with peers, is sufficient to allow the new smoker to tolerate her repugnance to the first few cigarettes. Then nicotine addiction occurs, perpetuating continued smoking.
Perception of Stress Relief
Smokers commonly report feelings of stress relief and relaxation from smoking, but evidence doesn't support nicotine as an effective treatment for stress or a low mood, Jarvis says. A more likely explanation is that the uncomfortable feelings perceived as stress actually result from nicotine withdrawal, which is why smoking provides relief. Within one hour after having a cigarette, withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, decreased ability to concentrate, bad mood, restlessness and cravings begin. Repeating this cycle causes a smoker to closely associate smoking with relief of uncomfortable feelings, even though those feelings are caused by the smoking. Nicotine is a known stimulant, which contradicts claims of relaxation and stress relief.
Depression
Depressed adults are much more likely to smoke. They also experience more difficulty when trying to quit. Although 20 percent of adults smoke, 43 percent of depression sufferers smoke, according to a study by Laura A. Pratt, Ph.D., and Debra J. Brody, M.P.H. of the National Center for Health Statistics. Depressed smokers smoke more cigarettes per day and are more likely to light the first one within five minutes of awakening. Although the link between increased smoking and depression is unknown, it's suspected that smoking is used as a form of self-medication or that it reflects the tendency for self-destructive behavior among depression sufferers .
References
- BMJ Publishing Group: ABC of Smoking Cessation: Why People Smoke
- National Center for Health Statistics: Depression and Smoking in the U.S. Household Population Aged 20 and Over, 2005--2008
- FamilyDoctor.org: Smoking: 'Why Do I Smoke?' Quiz
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Tobacco Use
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Data and Statistics: Secondhand Smoke
