Do people really know what they are doing to themselves and other people around them when they smoke? Smokers can be found in every public place that you go, unless smoking is banned. Smokers pollute our streets, restaurants, parks, and even the air we breathe. Cigarettes are strongly linked to many different illnesses and diseases in the United States: cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, emphysema, a heart attack and cardiac arrest. Many people are very aware of the dangerous effects that cigarettes cause but still refuse to quit, or simply cannot quit. Some individuals think the world would be a better place without them; however, despite the eminent danger of cigarettes, smoking will not be diminished anytime in the near future. .
The most influential period in a young person's life is the adjustment from childhood to adulthood. These teen years are very critical; nevertheless, they are also some of the most complicated years a person goes through. In today's society, smoking among teenagers has significantly increased. According to Lisa Sheppard, "Teen smoking is on the rise in recent years. Everyday at least 3,000 American teenagers, ages 11 to 20, become established smokers." During the teenage years, a person is trying to find out his or her place in life; it is not all fun and games. While in high school, teens try to fit in with their friends and want to be accepted by the in-crowd to know if he or she is going to be popular. Teens think that in order to fit in, he or she must do what everyone else is doing; therefore, teens give in to peer-pressure somewhat effortlessly. Many other threatening thoughts go through their heads. The teenage years of thirteen through nineteen are commonly the most trying years in a person's life. They turn to smoking as a last resort because they have nowhere else to turn and think it will solve all their problems. Likewise, adults who have been smoking all of their lives either started at a very young age, or formed the habit to relieve stress and anxiety.