Good Herbal Health

The use of tobacco products is extensive.  Despite known deaths due to smoking, why is tobacco still being used?

Tobacco is a plant that has the drug nicotine. Its leaves are used as a preparation to be smoked, chewed or inhaled.  For many centuries, tobacco and nicotine-containing plants have been used. 

During the 15th and 16th century, Christopher Columbus as well as other explorers introduced tobacco to Europe and was introduced by Sir Walter Raleigh to England at the time of Queen Elizabeth’s reign. 

Initially, men and women smoked tobacco with pipes.  The upper class introduced snuff-tobacco chopped into a powder inhaled through the nose during the 18th century. 

During the latter part of the eighteenth century, cigars became a fashion statement among members of the upper class men, cigarettes followed afterwards.  This method of smoking became a taboo for women. 

Tobacco was likewise used as a medical treatment for asthma and other illnesses.  Nicotine was proven to be poisonous and was from tobacco in 1828.  Since then, tobacco was seldom prescribed by doctors because it was believed to cause brain congestion and cancer.

Many know the ill effects of smoking to health and its relation to death.  In spite of this, many wonder why people still resort to it.

There are a number of reasons why people resort to smoking.  The fact that many people specially the youth starts smoking everyday keep tobacco companies in business. 

Older persons are less likely to try cigarettes.  Smoking begins during the teenage period.  Some begin smoking when they have their jobs or when they continue with their education.

The behavior of a young person can be affected by the behavior of their peer group and role models. Having sufficient cash to buy a cigarette also affects whether or not people will resort to smoking. 

A person’s decision to smoke can also be affected by the advertising and product placement in popular media. 

Young people have the belief that smoking will calm them down and boost their confidence.  Others might think that they can look and feel grown up when they smoke.  Still young people resort to smoking because they feel it helps them fight stress, boredom, unhappiness, fear, anxiety and other problems.

Young women who are not satisfied with their appearance often tries smoking because they think that it makes them more attractive. 
They also smoke in order to control their weight. 

Lastly, young people also believe that only old people will have smoking problems, which is untrue.  The reality is smoking at a younger age may lead to heavy smoking and unlikely to quit.  This means that development of serious health conditions caused by smoking is likely to develop.