I’m a smoker, I started smoking 5 years ago. Probably like many people I was drawn to the cigarettes in the street, the bright lights, the smell of burning tobacco, and most importantly the cool image it gave me that I was now part of an adult world. It was supposed to be an adult pleasure, but also a way to fit in and just be one of the cool kids.
At the time, I wasn’t really aware of what I was getting myself into. Cigarettes are a really powerful drug, and they come with a lot of undeniable health risks. I was aware of these, but only in the surface level, I really didn’t understand how much they could impact my health. The truth is that the UK has one of the highest statistics of smoking in Europe, making it an area of shame for the UK’s healthcare system.
UK cigarrette smokers tend to be younger than elsewhere in Europe, 13% of 11-15-year olds reported that they had tried cigarettes, a staggering statistic that shows how bad the problem is. The biggest reason for this is the price, cigarettes in the UK are super cheap relatively, making them easy to buy with pocket money and even before you turn 18. This has lead to the introduction of minimum tobacco pricing, which in a way helps to reduce the cost of cigarettes and deter young people from taking up the habit.
The harsh reality is that smoking cigarettes, regardless of age, comes with a wide array of well-documented health risks that can affect your short and long-term health. Even if you don’t have a chronic and deadly health condition, smoking can dramatically increase your risks of developing chronic illnesses like lung cancer, heart disease, and emphysema. These long-term conditions will have a huge impact on your life, and can significantly reduce your quality of life in the long term.
On top of all these health risks, smoking cigarettes has also been linked with financial stress in your adult life. Over the years, a pack of cigarettes has gone from being relatively cheap to now pretty pricey. This added financial burden is something that many people don’t think of when they first decide to take up smoking. Even if you don’t smoke multiple packs a week, you can still have significant financial pressures from the regular costs of cigarettes.
I know now that all of the health and financial pressures that come with smoking cigarettes aren’t worth it. I have since cut down the amount I smoke, but this hasn’t been easy. It’s hard to get out of the routine after years of smoking, but with the help of stop-smoking clinics and products, like nicotine patches and gum, it has gotten easier over time.
The UK government is also helping to reduce the number of smokers in the country with the introduction of the Tobacco Control Plan. This plan sets out what needs to be done to reduce the number of smokers in the UK over the next few years. The plan includes things like taxes and pricing, awareness campaigns, education initiatives, and support services in hospitals, GP practices and local communities.
The plain packaging of cigarettes has also been introduced in the UK, which has been shown to have a significant effect in putting people off the habit. By removing the branded packaging, it removes a lot of the connotations around smoking that make it appealing to younger people.
My advice to anyone thinking about taking up smoking, is be aware of what you’re getting yourself into. Smoking for me has come with a lot of health and financial risks. It’s not worth the long-term damage it can do to your life.