Messages in the smoke...

Smoking is a common habit amongst people, despite the fact that we are all aware that smoking KILLS.  Not only will it affect your teeth and lungs, it can cause serious life-threatning diseases, and is often frowned upon by other members of society.

Smoking is in no way a new thing, in fact it has been around since the shamanistic rituals in 5000 BC. That means smoking is over 7,000 years old. And we still haven't learnt.

Smoking is Dangerous. Smoking can kill. I just can't begin to fathom why someone would sacrifice their lungs and life just for a quick cigarette. One of the biggest man-killers in the World today are tobacco-related diseases. The average american woman who smokes more than a pack a day, can expect to pay an average of $25,800 in additional healthcare over her lifetime.

A few years ago, the Health Act 2006 was introduced, creating a ban on smoking in enclosed public places. They also increased the age of legal smoking in Britain from 16-18. This ban has definately made a difference, with a visible decrease in smokers.

As well as having an affect on your health, smoking has a serious affect on your wallet. It is a pricey addiction to have, and one that can pull you down into a whirlpool of debt and depression.

I personally believe that whilst the Government should never impose a law against smoking, more should be done to encourage smokers away from their habit, through incentives and rewards. Those harrowing photos we see on certain packets really don't do anything, other than make smokers change brands. If you want to make a donkey move, use a carrot not a stick. Reminding people the amount of money they would save if they gave up smoking, is a better incentive. It wouldn't be too many months until you could afford a holiday from your would-be "Smoking money".

Prevention is also better than a cure. Time should be spent teaching children the horrors of smoking. A classmate explained why she had never smoked, and talked about a machine at a Science Museum she had seen as a child. The machine was one set of non-smokers lungs, and one set of smokers.

You had to press a button to make the lungs breathe in and out. The non-smokers' was easy to press, whilst the blackened smokers lungs caused real difficulty in pressing. Needless to say, she has never smoked.

My non-smoker mind just can't understand why you would put your body through the torture of diseasing it with tar and smoke, when you could save money, and health if you didn't pick up a pack of Marlboro at the shop.

A smoker, who smokes 10 cigarettes a day, loses a month of their life every year.

I cherish every day, so why would you ever throw your life away?