What starts as a way to fit in can quickly turn into a daily habit, especially when it comes to smoking. Many teens light up to blend in, but for some, addiction sets in early. While it may seem cool, your health might suffer in the years to come. Some say smoking offers a calming boost to tackle stress. But is it worth the trade-off?
Nandipha Kantini from Mfuleni, Cape Town, says she is a former regular smoker. She started with cigarettes and often mixed hookah with weed, but now she can go an entire month without smoking.
Before she would smoke every time she felt stressed or needed something to take her mind off things. She explains that it starts as peer pressure and gradually becomes a regular habit.
“Smoking gives me a sense of calm, especially after a long day,” she says.
“The calmness helps me sleep peacefully.”
Nandipha Kantini
However, after experiencing some health issues, she reconsiders her habits. “I learn that smoking can prolong or worsen certain health conditions,” she admits.
Teenage curiosity
“I’ve never really believed that there’s something motivating me to smoke. I remember as a teenager, I just thought it looked cool and wanted to know what that felt like, says Essoresia Hugo from Philipstown in the Northern Cape.
“The feeling before and after smoking is the same for me. For a few minutes of inhaling the smoke, you’re all alone and at peace with your thoughts.”
Hugo explains that, for her, smoking doesn’t take away emotions or frustrations; it’s just a moment where she can exhale and inhale, making it therapeutic.
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Dr Madaliso Phiri, who manages the #Keready mobile clinics in the King Cetshwayo District in KwaZulu-Natal, says many factors may influence people to smoke. These include exposure to smoking at an early age, either by parents or by witnessing other members in the community smoking, he says.
He adds that this tends to make people believe that smoking is culturally acceptable and a normal practice.
Phiri explains, “Teenagers are usually influenced by their peers into smoking to fit in, this habit usually starts by experimenting and ends up as an addiction that continues into adulthood.”
He also notes that smoking tobacco has grown popular despite its obvious harmful effects. People smoke as a form of relaxation, in social settings, stress management, or even experimenting.
The addictive chemicals behind smoking
Phiri says drinking alcohol further influences smoking because some people prefer to smoke when they are intoxicated or in social settings. Social smokers usually deny being labelled as smokers and consider smoking occasionally as harmless.
“Unfortunately, this is not true, smoking is still bad for you even if it is occasional.”
According to Phiri, cigarettes contain approximately 7000 chemicals that are found in products like nail polish, hair dye, household cleaners, gasoline, batteries, and rat poison. And, the most popular ingredient that makes smoking addictive is nicotine.
He explains that nicotine is a toxic and highly addictive substance that is found in cigarettes, e-cigarette liquids, and other tobacco products.
“Nicotine stimulates the release of dopamine in the brain, dopamine is a hormone that triggers positive feelings which gives smokers a temporary sense of relaxation and stress relief, improved mood, reduced appetite, improved concentration and memory.”
Heart health and quitting strategies
Phiri cautions that tobacco also contains carbon monoxide, which is a harmful gas that decreases the amount of oxygen carried in red blood cells.
He says it also increases the amount of cholesterol deposited in the inner lining of the arteries, which can cause them to harden over time and lead to artery disease and heart attack.
“Other negative long-term effects include increased risk for developing heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, stroke, and ulcers.”
Dr Madaliso Phiri
However, it is possible to quit smoking, he says, although it is difficult for most people.
“It is recommended that you start by gradually decreasing the amount of cigarettes you smoke in a day until you work your way down to zero.”
“You can also use nicotine patches or gum to help you cope as you try to kick the addiction.”
For those who usually smoke when they drink alcohol, he says it is advisable to either quit alcohol or reduce intake, and it is also advisable to avoid social settings or peers that may influence you to continue smoking.
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