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Why on earth would anyone smoke tobacco? Smoking cigarettes does not seem to make much sense …: Take some dried leaves, wrap them in paper, package the resulting sticks, twenty at a time in an appealing box; tax and market the product to people called smokers, who will stuff them one by one throughout the day into their mouths, setting fire to them as they do, for the sole purpose of inhaling the smoke. Smoke that contains toxins and highly addictive drugs that they use to drug themselves — drugs that have no medical benefit and do not “do” much anyway (there is no big tobacco buzz only a taste!). The toxins in the smoke utterly ruin their health ...

From the many reasons that could be found, this page examines seven reasons why anyone would either want to or have to smoke cigarettes.

1. Available and Legal
“Come to Marlboro Country.” (Marlboro)

This has to be the first reason for smoking. There is no shortage of supply. Anywhere and at any time cigarettes can be bought, borrowed, or bartered for. They are still legal, if you are over 18 years old there is no prohibition in possessing them. So why not smoke? There is no authority that is preventing us, no “Sheriff of No-smoking City” to arrest us — cigarettes are everywhere you want them to be.

2. Identity and Persuasion
“It's a woman thing.” (Virginia Slims)

What makes anyone endure the smoking of those first cigarettes … ? Perhaps it’s an Image Thing? Brought about by the persuasions of our peers and the not inconsiderable marketing skills of the tobacco companies. Here is a slightly daft example of identity persuasion.
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   First it often comes from outside to inside: “You need to be smooth and cool to fit in! Cigarettes will make you smooth and cool and help you to fit in!”
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   Then having somehow been sold on the “smooth and cool” idea, it then comes from inside to outside: “I wanna be smooth and cool and fit in! Cigarettes will make me look smooth and cool! I must get me some smooth and cool cigarettes!”
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   What was probably never even thought through, is the obvious question “Why on earth would anyone even want to be smooth and cool in the first place?” Cigarettes of course help all of us to fit in — fit in a coffin.

3. Pleasure and Self Reward
“Reward Yourself - with the pleasure of …” (Pall Mall)

After smoking cigarettes for a while, as every smoker knows, the experience becomes very pleasant. Would anyone smoke if the experience was painful? The pleasure is double, as it either perks up or quiets and settles, ah …! The rewards of smoking. The tobacco companies know this well and use it as a selling point.
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This or that deed may go unnoticed and unappreciated, so smoking a cigarette becomes an easy way to self-administer the missing reward. In the absence of any checks or balances, this behavior can escalate to the point where there might be fifty such rewards per day! Its the Ma in “Marlboro,” acting as a surrogate mother, encouraging us to go on! A one person celebration in a packet or a do-it-yourself consolation kit, the use of which is probably accelerating out of control.

4. Habit and Power
“You are So Smart to Smoke Parliaments” (Parliaments)

Smoking by now has become a role, with many repeat performances. It has grown to become a life, interlaced with all the other lives in a person. So when asked, Why? The response comes out something like this … I have always smoked, people expect me to smoke, the power of my charisma draws from the fact that I am a smoker, I have all this smoking gear and I had better use it, life would not be the same without my trusted Bic in my hand and a filter in my mouth, who would fill my ash trays if I didn’t? Its a bit like the military trying not to give up its nuclear weapons — one excuse after another supporting the habit that empowers and a power that can be very habit forming.

5. Pain and Addiction
“They Satisfy!” (Chesterfield)

In the 1930’s the catch phrase from Chesterfield cigarette advertisements was They Satisfy. Satisfy what? is the important question that was seldom asked. Clearly the pain of the cravings, that by now won’t go away and don’t abate unless more nicotine is added to the system. Addiction is a powerful reason for having to smoke.
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Pain and Addiction are simply the dark side of Love and Marriage.
There can be no craving for blessings, they are welcome and come unexpected and unasked.

6. Fear and Possession
“She’s gone to Capri and she’s not coming back” (Capri)

The fear of missing out on the opportunity of what smoking has to offer (in spite of it all) should smoking be stopped or prevented — this is the emotional side of addiction. It is a subtle but strong petition to keep smoking that comes from all the different parts of a life that imagine they have a vested interest in the continuation of smoking.
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There is this powerful grip that could be expressed as: These are my cigarettes and will not be surrendered without a fight. There are many other fears, enough to fill a book on their own. They chiefly relate to the other reasons to smoke and can be easily detected.

7. Function and Capability
“PROVED less irritating to the smokers’ nose and throat.” (Phillip Morris)

Smokers with emphysema will continue to smoke. Smokers will smoke through coughing fits. As long as a smoker can still draw breaths through the mouth or a breathing hole cut into the neck, they will smoke. So Function and Capability, it can still be done in spite of everything, becomes the final reason to smoke. Hey, I’m not dead yet, I think I’ll just take another puff.

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