Smoking in the Past and Now
Cigarettes and other tobacco products were not always as expensive as they are now. They ever cost less than 50 cents a pack. Nobody criticized smokers at that time.
Decent people used tobacco and nobody blamed them for that. No respectable politician or businessman could be imagined without a cigar or a cigarette between his teeth.
No smoking bans existed. No anti-smoking propaganda was heard anywhere. People smoked for the reason that this habit brought them a satisfaction. They felt good when inhaling smokes and did it for their pleasure.
The situation changed since 1960s when the issues of smoking dangers appeared. People were feared with multiple smoking risks and dangers, which were declared by various publishers and scientists.
Smoking was then explained as a kind of anti-social behaviour, which kills tobacco users and bothers non-smokers. People were urged to understand hazards related to the tobacco use and change their behaviour. Tobacco use was compared with the consumption of drugs.
Protesters were eager to convince people to quit using tobacco or (in the case of non-smokers) not to start using it at all.
Anti-smoking campaigns were still underway. Strikt measures were taken to force people to stop consuming tobacco. Smoking regulations, restricting the tobacco use, as well as direct prohibitions appeared. People got to know that they can be punished for lighting cigarettes in certain places.
Those who adopted such measures apparently did it for good reasons, they wanted to protect human health against a harmful habit.
But our life and our world are not simple. Removing one trouble, we are simultaneously risking to be exposed to another one. There is no need to remember passing examples. Any medicament used for the treatment of diseases can cause various side effects at the same time.
The same happens while quitting smoking. Those who do it are also exposed to many risks. Firstly, they have to overcome a strong addiction to inhale smokes. It takes a long time to get rid of this.
And even after that they face problems, which were not remarked before as they were prevented by tobacco use. For example, quitters are not more sufficiently protected against the risks of obesity. Smoking is by the way a strong appetite-suppressant. After quitting, people start feeling hunger and naturally risk gaining weight.
Smokers must consider all advantages and drawbacks very good if they decide to quit, it will determine their further life!