Tobacco was smoked in the form of cigars before World War I. They were chiefly smoked by the wealthy. The less fortunate smoked cigarettes, which are basically leftovers of the cigar making process. When tobacco companies started to mass-produce cigarettes, the number of people who smoked cigarettes suddenly increased. Their customers were soldiers of World War I.

About 20 to 50 percent of cigarettes are smoked for an explicit, expressed need like a sense of insecurity, an inferiority complex, and low self-esteem tend to insulate themselves from the world through this habit. If these individuals are relatively healthy, it is very difficult to convince them to stop smoking. These smokers demand advanced assurances that they can survive without smoking before their last cigarette.

Nicotine is the most common ingredient in cigarettes. Nicotine is more addictive than heroine. In terms of dependence, aside from heroine, doctors ranked nicotine ahead of alcohol and cocaine. Researches have proved that smoking four cigarettes a day can induce life-long addiction to nicotine. People who smoke tend to see smoking as a part of their personality, as something that they cannot live without. This is called the addiction. The addiction in the case of nicotine is considered a sickness. What adds to the addiction to smoke cigarettes is satisfaction a smoker gains when puffing a cigarette or the psychological pleasure.

Studies have also shown that depression is twice as common to smokers against non-smokers. Some also use cigarettes as an artificial action to pass time and be patient.

Nicotine reduces anxiety and generates joy. Nicotine triggers the smoker’s brain to be more capable in processing information. Researches have also shown that based on the dose of nicotine intake, it induces sedation and relaxation, and alertness and arousal.

Aside from nicotine, smokers rarely know that a cigarette contains carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, acetylene, and cyanide, all of which are harmful chemicals. These chemicals are also used as poison. These ingredients of cigarette caused many health hazards like breathing infections, heart attacks, strokes and lung cancer.

Psychosocial factors also contribute on why people continue to smoke. Persons surrounded by smokers, like family and friends, can soon develop the habit of smoking. The smoker will have a hard time quitting the habit because of the addictive nature. Hence it is advisable for the smokers to have a smoke free environment.

Therefore these are few important aspects of smoking that every smoker has to be wary of and should focus on quitting smoking at the earliest. It is never an impossible task with the correct mind set and the determination to get rid of the dangerous habit and to start leading a healthy life.