For some reason, many people think it’s cool to smoke. Way too many people. Smoking is not cool. It is a habit that is harmful to not only the smoker, but the people around the smoker. One of my biggest pet peeves is getting smoke blown in my face by someone who has absolutely no consideration for the people around him or her. This is not true for all smokers, but I have had this experience way too many times. I don’t appreciate having my health jeopardized because someone feels the need to get nicotine in his or her system at a crowded and/or public place. I don’t know how many times I have had smoke blown in my face whilst walking behind or past someone who is smoking. I’m sick of it. I don’t approve of smoking at all, but if you’re going to do it, why do it around a whole bunch of people who probably don’t smoke? Chances are people don’t want to have your deathly smoke blown in their faces. But, this continuously happens because people find smoking to be cool. Who doesn’t want to be “cool” nowadays, right? Who cares if a trend is life threatening or harmful to one’s health? It’s cool, so everyone should participate! The people who smoke just to feel “cool” are the worst kind of smokers. They are the most careless ones who blow smoke wherever and whenever, wave their cigarette whilst holding a conversation, or smoke in a crowd of walking people like it’s no big deal. Listen, it is a big deal. In fact, it’s a huge deal. Did you know that in the U.S., 130,659 people die each year from smoke related lung cancer? That’s crazy. That number needs to go down, but it will only go up if this behavior continues. So why promote smoking as if it is a “cool” activity, if it harms so many people a year? Why make children and teenagers want to smoke if it could lead to death? This kind of promotion needs to stop. I see people smoking all of the time in movies and on social media now, and people never seem to show the negative side to it. They just show people all stressed out, and huffing a cigarette without a care in the world like it makes everything better. They don’t show the awful effects it has on a person and a person’s lungs. It is so easy for kids to get the idea that smoking is something they should be doing, just because of it’s relevance and portrayal in media. We shouldn’t be giving children the wrong idea. Smoking is not cool. It is a dangerous habit that should be avoided at all costs. But, it seems to be one of the most common habits out there.

I know a lot of smokers. I make my hatred for smoking very clear, and don’t particularly care if I offend anyone about it. Many of the smokers I know are not too inconsiderate about it. They do usually smoke at a distance, as an attempt to not disturb non-smokers. So, I’m not trying to say that every smoker is a terrible and inconsiderate human being. That is not my point at all. There are many different types of smokers. But, they are all involved in the same harmful activity, and they are all subjecting themselves to smoke-related illnesses. Due to this fact, I don’t understand why people smoke if it’s not to look cool. If you know the dangers of smoking, why subject yourself to those dangers? Personally, I don’t like to participate in anything that I know will leave a permanent negative effect on myself. Call me boring, but hey, I like playing it safe. What do people get from smoking? I know many people say it is a stress reliever of sorts, but there are much safer ways to relieve stress than to smoke a cigarette. That’s why they invented stress balls! What is it about cigarettes that lures people in, and makes one try one’s very first cigarette? The only thing I can think of is the media and its portrayal of smoking. The media is too lenient with what it shows sometimes, and should really delve into the facts more often. But, if it’s not the media? What else is it? Are there really still kids going around and asking or forcing people to try cigarettes still? If there are, that’s an even bigger problem that I don’t even know where to begin discussing. I have noticed that most adult smokers I know have been smoking from a younger age, so it is possible that friends have influenced them. Do people really believe that smoking is cool? Maybe they just haven’t read the facts. I certainly hope that those who have read the facts about the dangers of smoking would be against it. I am thoroughly disgusted every time I learn about a new danger of smoking. I just don’t understand why some people don’t feel the same way, and I don’t think I ever will. What do we have to do to make people realize that smoking is not cool? To make them realize that it is all just a harmful habit? We have a lot of work to do. Some people think we’re making progress, because now vaping, or using e-cigarettes, is a thing. Which apparently, is supposed to be a safer way to smoke. It is a fact that some e-cigarette companies claim that their products are nicotine-free when they really are not. Vape is life, right? Wrong. Vape is not life. It’s not cool to vape either. When you vape, you’re still breathing in a lot of chemicals. So, it’s definitely not safe and definitely not cool.

Something needs to be done about the smoking problem in America. There are too many lives being lost due to smoking. These lives could be easily saved and be so much healthier if people did not smoke. Smoking ruins one’s lungs, and if your lungs don’t work right, you can’t breathe. Obviously. So why put your lungs through such a harmful process? It’s not worth it. Smoking doesn’t have any benefits and certainly doesn’t make one look cool. Also, you’ll just end up smelling like an ash tray afterwards and that is certainly not appealing. So please, take the time and effort to try and quit. It will take a lot time and effort, but it is worth it. The process of quitting and possibly saving your life is much more rewarding than the process of giving in and blackening your lungs. Remember, it’s not just your life on the line. Secondhand smoke is just as deadly. Don’t contribute to the downfall of someone else’s health too. That’s just not cool.

I got my facts and figures from thetruth.com, a campaign site which broadcasts the dangers of smoking to people, targeting mostly at a younger crowd. To find out more about the dangers of smoking, please visit that site. Thank you.