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This article title is vague and incomplete. Do we discuss, as some articles under this title has suggested, why smokers smoke in front of non-smokers? Do we discuss the reasons why smokers like smoking or on the other hand, why it is so hard for smokers to quit if they don't? Do we discuss how others can understand why a smoker smokes? I suppose I'll cover some of the possibilities this article title suggests.

First things first. Smokers are addicted to cigarettes. And for all the possibilities this article title suggests, that is one thing to keep in mind. Forget how disgusting you may think it is, if you're a non-smoker. Forget the fact that smoking can cause all sorts of illnesses.

There is no comprehension for a non-smoker as to why a smoker smokes. None. So if you are a non-smoker and you're wondering why this habit is still a habit for so many, you will lose this battle. There is nothing positive that can come from this question, for a non-smoker. Smokers, on the other hand, can tell you that it calms them down during stressful times, that it is a need more than a want. Some may say that they simply like smoking and that it is a want more than a need, a social tool to stay in the circle of people they know who smoke. It is routine. It is a habit. They are addicted.

For non-smokers, they may think it's inconsiderate that smokers will smoke around others who don't. For the most part, it is, because we are all now fully aware of the dangers from smoking. But consider this; a person who smokes was given the freedom and right to do so, so many years ago and now, when the government is up to its eyeballs in health related issues due to smoking, they are pulling the plug. I've seen an increase in quit smoking campaigns in North America and the trend is not going to end any time soon. So smokers, who were given the right and freedom to smoke anywhere they please so many years ago, have to adapt. I'm sure they weren't too pleased about that. And you might say as a non-smoker, "So what? It's bad for them anyways!" But what you don't remember then, is that they are already aware of this, but they are addicted. And change doesn't come so easily to everyone.

Quitting smoking is the most difficult change a smoker can encounter. For the lucky few who can quit easily, it remains at that: a lucky few. It is a process, and unlike the people who are addicted to hard drugs, there is no institution that can lock you up to help you cope with the withdrawal symptoms with quitting smoking. There are tools a smoker can use; the patch, prescribed medication by a local doctor, Nicorette, but it is not just a mental challenge, it is physically challenging as well. These are tools, they do not go "poof" and a smoker stops smoking.

For all the non-smokers who judge the habit, don't. Smoking is a drug masked as a legal vice. Smokers are 100% aware of the cause and effects of smoking. You can't make a smoker feel worse by giving them the third degree. Support those who take the causes and effects of smoking personally that make the decision to overcome the it.

Learn more about this author, Tina Sin.
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