There are no good reasons why people smoke. It is a given that smoking is bad for you. Yet, the burning question of the day is, “Why do people start smoking?” Definitive answers are not very forthcoming. “Why do people smoke” seems rather rhetorical in some aspects. You might find some leads through media advertising, personal interactions and through family and genetic history.

Let’s ponder the first question of why smoke in the first place. You can trace smoking back through history. The ancient Romans to the Spanish explorers to Mexico smoked. It was often viewed as a ritual or sign of social status. The answer to why people smoke, at least way back when, was that it was viewed upon favorably and was even thought to have some medicinal properties.

If you were to answers one of the many surveys on why you started smoking, what would you answer? Why did you start smoking? Was it due to peer pressure? Did your family smoke? Perhaps asking why teenagers start smoking is a good stepping stone. Some of the reasons why teens smoke include wanting a feeling of independence. Teenagers feel torn these days trying to fit in and conform to the rules. Wanting to be different and viewed as worldly is another reason why teens smoke cigarettes.

Why teens smoke can answer the burning question of whether or not socioeconomic conditions play a part. It seems that the stereotype of non-whites being the teen smoker set is just not true. Statistics show that teens start smoking likely because some of their family members are smokers, not just because of color or gender roles.

Kids younger than teenagers also smoke. Why youth smokes, we can take a few guesses. First of all, kids are more susceptible to the young and hip magazine advertisements about cigarettes. They feel like that one of the reasons for kids to smoke is to appear older than they are. Some kids are bullied into it so that they do not appear to be afraid. Boredom and wondering what smoking is like is another likely culprit.

It is not until you are older that you start questioning the wisdom of why do people smoke. Adults also have their own reasons for smoking as well. Of course, the main reason is likely because they are firmly entrenched in a nicotine addiction. Some people say that smoking helped to cut down on tension and the jitters. In actuality, it is the other way around. And speaking of stress that plays a huge factor about some of the research articles on why nurses smoke.

Why do people smoke? Who knows? There is no rhyme or reason as to why teens smoke or even adults end up smoking. Everyone is an individual; their stories are unique. The burning question is “why do people smoke?” The answer is because they can and that it is hard to break the habit.