Why Do People Smoke Cigarettes?
Right from the beginning, tobacco was popular. We could go on and on about how colonists in the New World were, in a word, obsessed, but the modern cigarette didn’t appear until later. In the late 1800s, cigarettes were created in the United States. They did not gain widespread popularity until World War I when their usage boomed thanks to a sharp increase in demand from soldiers serving in the war. After this, smoking cigarettes was a staple in everyday society, with almost half of all American adults smoking every single day.
Throughout the mid-1900s, the popularity of cigarettes boomed. Everyone was smoking—teens, adults, and seniors alike. Besides the fact that it was addictive, smoking became a pastime and social activity. It was actually considered strange if you didn’t smoke.
The underlying reason why people smoke is that it’s highly addictive due to its nicotine content. At the end of the day, if smoking wasn’t addictive, it’s pretty likely that far fewer people would be stocking up on cigarettes each day.
Smoking rates have actually gone down every few decades as people discover new obsessions. In recent years, new smoking devices such as vapes and e-cigarettes were created as possible alternatives to smoking cigarettes, giving many adults a new way to consume tobacco products. That said, cigarettes are still sticking around.
But if there are a decent amount of negative effects of cigarettes, then why are they still so popular? Here are some reasons why people smoke cigarettes:
Smoking Cigarettes Can Relieve Stress
When you first start smoking or using tobacco products, the nicotine chemical helps improve your mood. Nicotine has actually been shown to decrease stress in the body because it helps boost your concentration and relax your muscles. It also decreases feelings of anger that can be associated with stress.
People also may enjoy taking the time for a smoke break, whether that’s with friends or coworkers or by themselves. It’s a moment to step away from the job and head outside for a moment to clear your head.
However, over time, regular use of nicotine actually changes the chemical composition of your brain. Eventually, the only way your body can feel those things we mentioned above is through a dose of nicotine. If you try to stop, you will experience feelings of withdrawal. The only way to make those withdrawal symptoms go away is by giving your body more nicotine.
Alternative forms of stress relief are exercise and doing projects you enjoy. Exercising actually helps to release the same chemicals in your brain that nicotine does, but in a more stable way that will not affect the brain over time. If you can find a project you enjoy doing, carve out time each day to work on it. This will serve as a distraction from daily stress.
Smoking Cigarettes Can Help People Calm Their Nerves
Similarly to stress relief, people smoke cigarettes to calm their nerves. When you first puff on a cigarette, it will provide an immediate feeling of relaxation. Because of this, people believe that smoking is a form of stress relief. In reality, though, smoking often leads to withdrawals and cravings, which can do the opposite of the reason you started smoking anyway.
Instead of smoking, you can try things such as yoga and meditation, which have been used for thousands of years due to their abilities to calm the nerves and promote feelings of internal peace. Any activity where you can sit and be quiet and still will help to calm your nerves. Other people also find going to therapy to be very helpful for anxiety.
Smoking Cigarettes Can Start From Peer Pressure or Copying Family Members
If someone has people in their lives who are already smokers, they are way more likely to take up smoking themselves. If you are around it daily, you might subconsciously think about smoking until you eventually try it for real. Having parents, relatives, and friends who smoke will influence you whether you realize it or not. You might start smoking just because that’s what they do, or you might start because they tell you it’s ok to do so.
Another reason people smoke is because of peer pressure. While this is far less common with adults, children and teenagers face peer pressure daily. They are more impressionable than adults and feel more pressure to fit in or be “cool.” One of the biggest reasons why teenagers take up smoking is because they want to fit into a particular crowd.
Smoking Cigarettes Is Addictive
The biggest reason people smoke cigarettes? They are addicted and can’t quit. The reason that cigarettes are highly addictive is because of the chemical nicotine. Nicotine directly affects the brain and sends it signals. In fact, it is actually a stimulus for the brain that triggers the adrenal glands. The glands release adrenaline and increase levels of dopamine in the body. Dopamine is a chemical produced in our body that makes us feel happy and calm.
Each time you smoke, your body will associate that as a positive thing due to how it makes you feel. After just one use, your body will start to crave it in order to get that “high” feeling. No matter what you do, nothing will match or compare the feeling you get when you smoke, which is why nothing will satisfy your body’s cravings except for nicotine. Even doing activities and hobbies that you love will not bring your body that same feeling as nicotine.
Is There An Alternative to Smoking Cigarettes?
There are some alternatives to cigarettes that are much less harmful to your health. One of these alternatives is an e-cigarette or a vape. Companies such as JUUL actually market their product to adult smokers who are trying to quit. These products still contain nicotine, but they function differently than cigarettes.
With e-cigarettes and vapes, nicotine is extracted from tobacco. So there isn’t actually any tobacco in the device (one of the reasons why it’s better for you), but there is still nicotine, which is the addictive chemical found in both electronic devices and cigarettes. With vapes, the nicotine is heated and turned into an aerosol that you inhale. Cigarettes directly burn the tobacco, creating thick smoke that goes directly to your lungs. Vaping exposes you to far fewer chemicals and toxins, whereas one cigarette contains 7,000 chemicals, 70 of which are cancer-causing.
Vapes also come in delicious and funky flavors, like mango and cool cucumber, making for a more customizable experience that many people find appealing.
Conclusion
While addiction to nicotine is the main reason why anyone smokes cigarettes or uses any tobacco product, there are a variety of other reasons that someone might choose to smoke, including stress relief and influence from your family and friends. If you choose to smoke, the best place to buy all your tobacco and nicotine products is from Saucey.
We deliver whatever you need right to your door. If you’re not into cigarettes, we have a selection of e-cigarettes and vapes to choose from. If you are, we also have a huge variety of tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, and chewing tobacco. We also sell accessories such as rolling papers and cigar cutters. Whatever your relationship with tobacco is, we have something for you.
