These days, the term smoking is generally associated with smoking a cigarette or a cigar. However, the idea of smoking substances has been known to exist as far as 5000 BC. It existed mainly in African and Indian cultures as rituals in various ceremonies. With time it has developed from originally natural plant stems and leaves to pipes to now convenient and simple cigarettes.
A temporary feeling of goodness felt is the main reason why a lot of people smoke. The substance behind this may vary but tobacco is the most popular substance. Tobacco comes from the leaves of the plants belonging to the species Nicotiana. Smokers find tobacco addictive and relish it because of a chemical called nicotine. Other substances include marijuana, steam; commonly flavored with tobacco or herbal fruits.
An increasing amount of youth start smoking at ages as young as 18 and continue smoking into their adulthood. This growth in recent years can be related to the attractive advertisements of mainly cigarettes. Developing countries contribute the most smoking teenagers because of the lack of awareness of the health risks associated with smoking.
Over years of constant smoking, the chemicals in the tobacco smoke deposit on the lungs, eventually growing into a tumour, leading to lung cancer. Smoking is the main cause for majority of lung cancer deaths. The fast growth in the number of deaths due to smoking related lung cancer has to lead to many campaigns to stop smoking. Even packets of cigarettes now hold health warnings claiming that smoking is harmful to health.
Many countries have banned smokingin public areas to get people to stop smoking. In airports, special smoking rooms are allocated for smoking persons. These attempts are to not only stop smoking people of the habit, but to cut down the number of passive smokers. Passive smokers are greatly affected too as they do not have the advantage of the filter found in almost all cigarettes. This has lead to many objections by passive smokers to stop smoking, not only in public areas, but to stop smoking in general.
Some may say that the industry to stop smoking is growing as fast as the tobacco industry. Things like nicotine patches, and various types of treatments are being used to help people quit the habit and stopping smoking. A smoker usually takes a couple of few years to get rid of the habit, but with the help of these tools the period taken to stop smoking has reduced to months.
