Smoking. Being Bad?

I figure it's about time I start this blog thing. Granted, I should be revising for a Psychology test I have on Monday, but when better to write a blog on Smoking than when I have a fresh deck of 20 next to me?

I'm one of those ridiculous smokers that aren't actually addicted to it. It's no problem for me to go several days without bombarding my lungs with shit. But the fact is, I honestly like smoking. I like the taste, the smell, the strangely relaxing effect. I am fully aware of the health risks (although I know many people who are well into their 80's and will swear that smoking has been their Philosophers Stone), as, I assume, are the other 9.5 million people who smoke. So the million dollar question, as always, is why is smoking so attractive? And why do people continue to smoke?

It cannot be denied that smoking has its benefits, my personal favourite being the fag breaks given to smokers at work. As previously mentioned, those tiny, tar filled death sticks seem to have an almost euphoric effect when stressed. Despite being a stupidly expensive habit, it is one that has the ability to provide smokers with an excuse to be anti-social, which at times can be invaluable trait. When looking up the benefits of smoking (yes, I did research) the following page was the first search result on google; http://www.drquit.com/articles/trying/benefits/. Seriously, a genuine reason for people smoking is that they believe its a contributer to keeping their weight down. Now, I understand that during the quitting process, many ex-smokers tend to snack more, but I highly doubt that the likes of Gordam Ramsay would add fags to their list of 'healthy foods'. The website also suggests that 1/3 of all smokers suffer from serious depression, and states several times that a benefit of smoking for these people is that smoking offers them a comfort in "fighting loneliness" and, seriously, "fights depression". Forgetting that I am a smoker myself, when reading these 'facts' I had to ask myself what lengths people will go to to justify smoking. Although I would agree that when stood outside a pub, waiting for someone who was meant to turn up over half an hour ago but still hasn't quite finished doing their hair, a cancer stick in your hand can make you feel that little bit less lonely, but how many people would genuinely say that smoking helps them fight depression???

My mom would be one of the first to argue that smoking plain old cigarettes will definitely lead to smoking pot, and eventually you will end up on the streets, selling your body to feed a heroin addiction... not that she has anything against smokers. She, like many people, believe that someone who knowingly risks their health cannot be a very intelligent person. Unfortunately, she has little sense of humour, and doesn't find it funny when I suggest she should skip the cigarettes and move straight to the Ganja. In all fairness though, we could take that domino effect view on almost anything. Someone who watches porn WILL become a sex addict. Anyone who eats fast food WILL become fat. In the end, it's always our own choice to take those drugs, or eat that food (with the obvious exceptions of being literally forced, as some people unfortunately are).

So let's be honest. Smoking is socially condemned as 'bad'. For many people, that reason alone is enough to keep them attracted to the lovely habit. The arguments both for and against smoking could go on for a fair while, but as I said, I should be revising. And by revising I mean smoking.