ConnorOGara

ProfessorPadgett
English102
April4,2016
ResearchPaperRoughDraft:WhydoYoungPeopleStillSmoke?
Whatcomestomindwhensomeonesaysrebellion?Isitsomeoneriotinginthestreets?
Stayinguplateprovetosomepersonofauthoritythatitcanbedone?Whateverscreenshotone
thinksafterhearingthatwordsimplywouldntbecompletewithoutthestapleofthe1950s,the
cigarette.Thistobaccofilleddrugwassoldtoandboughtbyalmosteverycitizenintheworldat
thetime.Inthisera,noonestoppedtoexaminethesideeffectsbecauseeveryonewastoldthat
theywerefineforoneshealth.Tobaccocompaniesweremakingmillionsandmillionsofdollars
andeveryonewantedtogetinonthisgroundbreakingtrade.Aseveryoneknows,nicotineis
highlyaddictiveandsooncetheconsumerswherehookedtheyhadtokeepbuying.But,this
wasntenoughforthetobaccocompanies.Theyknewthattheyhadsomethingtheycouldexploit
toensureyearsofprofitsandalltheyhadtodowassimplylookforanewconsumerpool.This
newgroupofpeoplethatthetobaccocompaniestargetedwasbarelyoldenoughtorideabike.
Withafriendlylookingmascotonaboxofcigarettesandthesightofmostparentssmoking,
everykidwantedtoseewhatcigaretteswerelike.Kidswerenowhooked.Finallyresearch
comesoutlinkingsmokingtoearlyageddeathandsosmokingcoolsoffhowever,youngadults,
inpivotalyearsarestillsmoking.
In1964,LutherL.Terrycameoutwithastonishingdatelinkingcigarettestolungcancer
andoveralladeclineofoneshealth.Thisarticlewasoneverynewspaperforweeks.Howcould

thetobaccocompaniessellanaddictivedrugtopeopleknowingthattheywerentgoingtobe
abletoquit?Howcouldthegovernmentletthishappen?Thiswasthedaytheearthstoodstill.
morethan45millionAmericanadultsstillsmoke,morethan8millionarelivingwith
aseriousillnesscausedbysmoking,andabout438,000Americansdieprematurelyeachyearas
aresultoftobaccouse(History).Thisisaquotetakendirectlyfromagovernmentfunded
websiteprovingcigarettescandirectlyleadtodeathandseriousillness.Thissourceisthefirst
thingthatcomesuponanysearchenginewiththekeywordcigarette.Peopledontneedtolook
faratalltounderstandthedisgustinglytruesideeffectsofsmokingcigarettes.Sothisiswhythe
questionsisbroughtup,whydopeoplechosetostartsmokingcigarettes?Everyoneknows
theyreunhealthysowhatsthereward?
Inonestudy,participantswererecordedwithunimaginableanswersastowhytosmoke
cigarettes.Oneparticipantstates,Imean,theyresayingthatcanceriscausedbyallthese
differentthingsImeanwhostosaythatsmokingisdefinitelytheworstone?(Gough).This
quotealongwithsimplyayoungerbrainleadsreaderstobelievethatthisparticipantissimply
uninformed.Thismeansthatthepreviousconceptionheldbymostpeopleistotallyincorrect.
Youngpeoplearenotbeinginformedonthedangeroussideeffectsofsmoking.Thelackof
educationaboutcigarettesinthisdayandageseemsunheardoftomostpeoplebuttheresthe
proofthatpeoplestillarenotbeingtoldthetruth.
Smokingisscientificallyproventoleadtodeadlyillnessescausedbytobaccoandthe
thousandsofchemicalsthatmakeupacigarette.inthatdailysmokersconsideredthe
negativeconsequencesofsmokingtobelesscertainthannonsmokersdid(Rindfleisch).What

thissourceistryingtosayisthatpeoplewhoparticipateinsmokingbelievethatthesideeffects
willskipoverthemandhurtsomeoneelse.10percentoflifelongsmokerswillgetlung
cancer(Wanjek).Thisisessentiallythesamethoughtprocessofthosewhoskydiveandthose
whodont.Thosethatjumpoutofamovingplanetenthousandfeetintheairhavefullfaiththat
theirparachutewillopenandwillbesaved.Thosethatstaygroundedknowthattheresalwaysa
chancethattheparachutewillnotopenandwellthatsit.However,thefactsbehindsmoking
cigarettesinrelationtoskydivingislikehavingtenpeoplejumpoutandninewalkaway.
Nobodywoulddothatifthoseweretheoddsatstake.
Asthesamearticlegoeson,onestartstorealizetheaddictionthattheseparticipantshave
tocigarettes.Thisoncethoughtofhabithasturnedintosomethingthattheyhaveadesiretodo.
Theyretoofardownthisroadtojuststopnow.Oneparticipantclaims,youregoingtostop
everythingthatyouenjoy(Gough)bygivingupsmoking.Inthiscase,thetobaccocompanies
havewon.Theyconvertedthepreconceptionthatsmokingisbadintoafunenjoyableactivity.
Thiskindofenjoymentholdscountlessyoungpeoplebecauseintheirmind,iftheystopthen
theycannothavefunanymore.
Factorsotherthandesireandlackofeducationalsocontributetothestartofadeadly
addictionandformostcurrentsmokers,thisstartsfromtheminutetheyarebroughtintothe
world.Parentsthatsmokeimmediatelyleaveanimpressionintheirchildrensbrain.Theperson
intheirlifethatisresponsibletolookafterthem,helpthemwhentheyfall,andpushthemto
greaterthingsinlifeisseenwithacigaretteintheirmouth.Thisstudy,consistentwithothers,
confirmedtheinfluenceoffriendsandfamilyontobaccousebyadolescents(Baheiraei).The
youngmindisknownforbeingabletomoldandgrowinanycircumstances.Whetherthats

learningtheABCs,watchingoldersiblingsplaywithtoys,orseeingafamilymembersmokea
cigarette,everythingleavesanimprintinthatchildsmind.parentsmokingwasonly
predictive59%ofthetime(Kear).Kearsstudyshowedthatclosetotwothirdsofparticipants
thatsaidtheirparentssmokedledtothemsmoking.Inotherwordsifsmokingparentshavethree
kidsthereaverylikelychancethattwoofthemwillcontractsomekindofcancerleadingto
probabledeath.
Flashforwardtocollege.Youngadultsarefinallyleavingthenestandgoingoutontheir
own.Peoplewithsignificantlydifferentbackgroundsarebroughttogetherwiththecommon
interesttogetadegreeandadvanceinlife.Thenextbasicideaofcollegeissimplyhavingfun
andformostthatsrebellingagainsttherulesthatmostlivedbyforeighteenyears.Nowpeople
whohaveneverdrankalcoholarebuildinguptolerancesthatwouldmakegrandparentsturnover
intheirgraves.Inthiscurrentcollegeenvironment,youngadultsareconstantlyshowingoffto
peerswhethertheynoticeitornotbybreakingtherulesessentially.Youngadultsarenow
intoxicatednotonlyonalcoholbutalsoonadrenalinefrombreakingtheserules.Thisiswhen
peerpressuretakesonesteptoofarandonepersonofferssomeoneelseacigarette.Inthis
situationnooneisinthestateofmindtosaynoandsotheviciouscycleofsmokingbegins.
Socialinfluences(peersmoking)predictedsmokinginitiationamongyoungadults,andalack
ofrefusalskillspredictedcontinuation(Kear).Now,notonlyhavenonsmokerssmokedtheir
firstcigarette,theyarenowgoingtokeepsmokingbecausetheybelieveitsthesocialnormand
becausenicotineishighlyaddictive.
Socialnormsormoresaretherulesofbehaviorthatareconsideredacceptableina
grouporsociety(Social).Whenpeopleareunsurewhattodoincertainsituations,theylook

totheirpeersandexaminewhattheyaredoing.Thisisanaturalinstinctthathashelpedhumans
survivedforsolong.Forexample,ifoneseesalargecrowdofpeoplerunningandscreaming
clearlythebestthingtodoisfollowthatcrowdandaskquestionslater.Inasimilarsense,if
someoneisstressedoutabouthowpeoplethinkofthem,theywillmostlikelyconformtowhat
thepersonrightnexttothemisdoing.Peoplewhofeelvulnerabletosocialandstressfulstimuli
arelikelytoimitatetheperceivedsmokingbehaviorsofthosearoundthem(Kear).Peer
pressureisaveryrealthinginourdayandageandcollegeisthehotspotformostofthisstimuli.
Sofareverythinghasbeencausedbyfactorsathome,peerpressure,andlackof
educationoncigarettessowhydoyoungadultsgobackforanotherpuff?Areviewof
qualitativeresponsesrevealsthatsmokingservedmultiplefunctionsduringtimesofstressfor
collegestudents.Cigarettesareaconsumptioneventthatfacilitatesabriefsocialinteraction
duringstudytimeswhenstudentsfeelisolatedfromtheirfriends(Nichter).Collegeisastressful
timeformostduetothedemandsofarigorousacademicschedule,livingononesown,andjust
thoughtofbeingfree.Itisalsoatimetomeetnewpeopleandsurroundoneselfwithpeoplethey
cantrulyenjoy.Smokinggivesyoungadultstheopportunitytoreducestressandstrikeupa
conversationwithothersaroundthempartakinginthesameactionasthem.Inalargersense,
smokingisallowingstudentstotakeastepbackandlettheworldcarryon.smokingasaway
totakeabreakandrefocus(Nichter).Mostschoolspriortocollegestressthefactthatitisok
andencouragedtotakeastudybreak.Thisallowsthemindtosettleandthinkofnewideasthat
inthelongruncanmakethestudentperformbetter.Somehowwiththepresenceoftobacco,this
simpleideahastakenadeadlyturnthatcouldmakealloftheeffortinthefirstplace,worthless.

Educatedyoungadultssmokeforplentyofreasons.Forexampleitcouldbebecausethey
grewupwiththeirparentssmoking,peerpressure,lackofconcernfortheirhealth,orbecause
theyareaddictedtothewrongreasons.Smokingisanissuethatcannotbesolvedthroughlaws
andapparentlynotbypropereducation.Peoplewillstillfindawaytoattainwhattheytruly
desire.Thefactsaboutcigarettesareoutfortheworldtoseeandtheyhavebeenformorethan
fiftyyears.Inrarecasessomepeoplemaythinkcigarettesareharmlessbutthatisextremely
uncommon.Cigarettesarehighlyaddictiveandcompaniesknowthis.Thisaddictioncanonly
leadtowardssicknessandtheonlywaytocombatthissicknessistosaynofromthevery
beginning.Smokingcomesdowndirectlytothepersonholdingthecigaretteintheirmouthand
thelighterintheirhand.Preconceivedmemoriesofrelativesandpeerpressurewilllightthe
cigarettemostofthetimebut,whentheyoungadultisabletolookpastallofthatandsayno,
thatiswhenthiscollegeeracanbesavedfromthegripoftobacco.

WorksCited
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"SocialNormExamples."YourDictionary.N.p.,n.d.Web.06Apr.2016.
Wanjek,Christopher."Smoking'sManyMythsExamined."LiveScience.com.LiveScience,18
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