Who would be pondering such a question except a child who has no idea of the negative impact of smoking, but who is only looking to it as a status symbol? An adult wouldn't be questioning this because they know what smoking is all about.

There is nothing good for anyone in smoking cigarettes.

Smoking will weaken the body and eventually kill you and that's not a peaceful death but a painstaking, agonizing torment. The smoke pollutes and retards parts of the body and it's been medically determined that smoking is a major cause of some cancers.

And if the smoker is that one in a million who doesn't get cancer or any other of the many known afflictions caused from inhaling the burning substance, then the people around who breath in the second-hand smoke will almost assuredly suffer some or all of the known hardships. People can go years before anything is discovered, but it begins with the first cigarette.

And then there's your clothes that will forever reek of a dead and sickening stench that will be with you wherever you go, and that will be a sure turn-off for everyone around you. Of course, if they smoke, you won't smell any different and you'll blend in well, but if you have friends or family who don't smoke, they may not want to be too close to you.

Then there's the addiction that comes after a while because nicotine is addictive and when your body wants it and it doesn't get it, you can go crazy. Sometimes you will be in places where you can't smoke and the jitters and agitation will cause you to lose your concentration and you'll leave whatever you're doing no matter how important it is so that you can smoke your cigarette.

And then there's the cost, which is moving right up there into ridiculous. But when you're addicted, you don't care and you'll find yourself taking on a part time job just to support your habit. A sure beginning of going nowhere fast.

As well, there's your social life that will be affected. For today, it's great because you're smoking because they are smoking and you want to fit in. But when you grow up and actually set out in life with a purpose, you'll come to the realization that more people have become mature and responsible and have put that deadly and offensive obsession behind them. You'll be alone. You'll spend coffee breaks out in the rain by yourself while your co-workers sit in the lunchroom and laugh and have fun.

You may get to the place in life where you want to get married and have children. Does your spouse want your home infiltrated with a despicable stench? Do you want to risk having your children born with defects mentally and physically because your body is polluted with a deadly substance that is prohibiting a fetes from developing properly?

Medical research has determined and proved that cigarette smoking is deadly to your health and to the health of those all around who breath in your second-hand smoke. Majority of the world has accepted their findings and have decided that smoking is not good for anyone at any time, in any place or for any reason.

Yet, there are still many smokers among us who, sadly, know the truth but refuse to give it up. These people have little consideration for their own lives, let alone the lives of those who love them.

To smoke or not to smoke? How can a child comprehend what lies up ahead? It is up to the adults and caregivers to be a good example and to keep children informed of the horrific affects of smoking. It's up to us to encourage them that life is good and worth living, and that we shouldn't deliberately dare the odds.

As parents, as teachers, as caring adults, we have a responsibility to show the children that smoking is not a choice.

Learn more about this author, Sara Bradley.
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