The truth is – quitting smoking is easy. But why does it take 7 years for an average smoker to quit? Why is failure rate higher among those who are trying to kick off the habit? Why?
1. What chemicals you are ingesting.
Indeed, the tobacco industry is full of lies, scams, and deceptions. Take a cigarette packaging. Could you identify what chemicals are you going to inhale and in what amount? What makes cigarettes different from alcohol and other addictive products? Alcohol beverages are well-regulated. Manufacturers are required to state the volume and proof or potency. What about tobacco? Do manufacturers say how much nicotine they put in each cigarette stick? You don’t even see any of the 4,000 toxic compounds found in it.
2. The government is their biggest protector.
The government doesn’t have an iron fist to stop tobacco manufacturers from polluting the environment and killing the people. Regulations are all about marketing, sales and distribution. There was no attempt of making these addictive, highly dangerous products illegal. Well, we could assume that it’s because of the taxes tobacco manufacturers pay. It’s ironic how the government could protect these companies in exchange of a fee that is much, much lower than the annual expenses caused by smoking-related illnesses.
3. They want your children.
Young people have always been their target market. Why? Well, these people are going to live longer than their parents. They have many, many years to spend on cigarettes if they become hooked. Children’s population has outscored that of the adult’s. Yes, they are the future smokers. This is why tobacco manufacturers make use of young models in their TV ads. They host activities, fests, and social gatherings for the youth, inviting bands and teen performers.
4. They support the claim that “it’s hard to quit”.
Many smokers fear the withdrawal period if they will quit smoking today. But why is it that there are people who are able to quit at one try and without undergoing treatments? Well, it’s because we live in a world where people view smoking as a hard habit to break. That’s part of the brainwashing, as Allen Carr puts it. People think it’s hard because that’s what others tell them. But there is plenty of smoking cessation strategies that are proven to help you quit. There are medications that alleviate withdrawal symptoms. There are also non-medical approaches like counseling or psychotherapy.
5. Scare tactics won’t help you quit.
It’s bizarre to see TV ads that promote tobacco but at the end it says “cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health”. This only means that manufacturers know scare tactics won’t help smokers quit. Because if cancers and other illnesses related to tobacco use give smokers goose bumps, majority of them have already quit. What the country needs are stricter laws, more defined policies, and the iron fist against cigarette manufacturers. People on the other hand, should give some time considering what tobacco brings to their life. Until they realize it brings nothing, they will continue to light up.
