Quit Smoking Support - Facts About Smoking and Ways to Quit (PART II)

Educate Our Youths
As of equal significance, the tobacco industry spends two billion dollars in advertising cigarettes per year. However, when asked, actual teenage smokers say they smoke for other various reasons, regardless of any tobacco industry’s attempt to creatively manipulate their decision to smoke. One such reason is rebellion. When I asked one of my roommates why he started smoking he said, “To give the finger to the man!” In response to such rebellious outbursts, people (most importantly teens) must be educated on the malefactors of smoking, and must learn that quitting, although difficult, is not only a beneficial transition for the smoker’s health, but also for the health of society. For instance, educate young people on the challenging struggles confronted while trying to quit, the financial hardships they may eventually experience, the dramatic effects that can negatively influence their self-esteem, and, of course, the ultimate risk of damaging their own life, while simultaneously risking the lives of others. Furthermore, as Gene Hamilton, author of Smoke Jokes states, “Doesn’t it seem ludicrous to spend years preparing children for adulthood, and then not warn them about a product that kills people prematurely at a rate of 1,000 a day?” Basically, young people start smoking due to various problems in their own individual life; however, these are problems that usually go away with time. Therefore, it’s necessary for these young adults to know and recognize that starting such a habit as smoking is not a positive or logical solution to any problem, because most likely, the habit of smoking, being such an addiction, will remain with them for the rest of their lives. For this reason, educating people about the hardships that coincide with smoking will help change the perspective of those who are thinking about smoking or already do smoke.

Regrettably, there are many people who will argue with the facts that I have stated. Hence, they will find some way to justify their decision to smoke. For instance, some will say they are free to do what they want, because it is their life; however, aside from this typical stance of freedom, others will claim that smoking calms them or, on the other hand, makes them more alert. However, while all of this may be true, it still does not change the fact that smoking not only affects them, but also affects innocent bystanders. Therefore, an action cannot be justified if it impacts the lives of others, which is one of the reasons why we have laws—to protect individuals. However, I am not suggesting that a law be passed to ban smoking; however, I am suggesting that we do everything possible to educate the public, especially young children, about the dangers and consequences of smoking. Therefore, through education we can evoke change.

Provide Moral Support
Furthermore, moral support provides a good basis for helping people understand the importance of choosing not to smoke. For example, there are many possible and logical approaches to effectively spread awareness, such as discouraging the use of cigarettes and all other related narcotics, informing people that smoking doesn’t just hurt them personally, but ultimately will harm the entire population, and repeatedly advising people about the unavoidable hardships that result from smoking. Furthermore, if people continuously do not comprehend the risks of smoking, it may be necessary for them to contact someone who has directly felt and experienced the hardships that come with cigarette smoking, a perfect guiding hand can be provided by a quit-smoking program. Of all positive efforts to create awareness, moral support may be the last hope a person has before getting involved with smoking or trying to quit.

Further Thoughts
As has been noted, smoking contributes to an incredible amount of deaths per year. Therefore, by lacking the proper initiatives, education, and moral support needed to bring an end to smoking, the world will remain hidden under gray clouds of ignorance, whilst pouring out billions of dollars towards our own deaths.