Why do people smoke?
My seven-year-old son is fascinated with smoking. When he finds people doing it, he fixes his eyes on them and studies their behavior. "Look! That guy in the car is smoking," Joey might say while observing -- well, staring -- and soaking up all that is unfamiliar to him. I guess that's the job of a little boy -- to figure out the actions that surround him. Which makes it the job of his mommy to help him make sense of it all. So that's what I do, all the while hoping I steer him into adopting a repulsion for smoking and not an affection for it. Sometimes, when he holds a twig between his fingers and then places it in his mouth, letting it dangle with perfect lip control, I worry that repulsion is a long way off. Then I remember he is only seven years old. There's still time.
"Why do people smoke?" Joey asked me the other day in the car, just after we walked by a man smoking outside a Walgreen's drugstore. "Yuck," Joey declared as he walked through the man's cloud of smoke. "Yes! He thinks it's yucky," were my first thoughts. Then I did my best at answering Joey's question.
I told Joey that people might smoke because at some point in their lives, someone asked them if they wanted to try a cigarette. So they tried. And they liked it. And maybe they don't want to quit. Or maybe they can't quit. One way or another, it becomes a habit, I explained. "Just like you want sugar all the time," I told Joey. Some people want to smoke all the time. Or not all the time. Maybe just once in a while. Still, it's not good for you, I continued. Either is sugar. I told Joey that smoking -- and sugar -- can make people sick.
Joey knows smoking can cause coughs. He knows it can cause difficulty breathing. He also knows it can cause cancer. It won't always cause cancer, though, I told him. But it might. And some people who never smoke -- like me -- can still get cancer. That's why we have to make healthy choices for our bodies. Not smoking is one good choice.
Eating healthy and exercising are also good choices, I said. I told Joey that I'm not sure why I got cancer. But I know how I can help prevent it from coming back. So I eat well and exercise well. I sleep enough. I try not to get angry. I try to be happy.
I can only hope that Joey understands a speck of what I tried to teach him. I can only hope he sees my example and wants to mimic me. I can only hope this seven-year-old boy grows up to be what I want him to be most: A non-smoker. But he's only seven. And for that, I am grateful.
For some tips on talking with kids about smoking, check out this resource.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
4-19-2008 @ 12:54PM
Mike said...
"Still, it's not good for you, I continued. [N]either is sugar. I told Joey that smoking -- and sugar -- can make people sick."
Woah! You put sugar on the same level as smoking?? That is absolutely insane. Sugar is food, it's nutrition. In moderation, it is very good for people to consume. Smoking on the other hand, has deleterious health effects no matter how little exposure. Please don't mix up in your son's head that every time he has a bit of sugar, he is doing something 'bad'.
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5-01-2008 @ 8:28PM
matt said...
he is 7... she is trying to make an analogy that adheres to the life of her child, not a published journal. Get over yourself, quit judging others, and instead why don't you concentrate on yourself. I am sure, by this comment at least, there is much room for improvement.
4-19-2008 @ 12:56PM
Jacki said...
Yes, it's too much sugar that's the problem. I was simply explaining the URGE to eat sugar with the URGE or addiction to smoke, since my son wants to know WHY people smoke.
Believe me, my child is in no way deprived of sugar. But I want him to understand too much of it can make him sick -- in the short term or long.
Jacki
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4-19-2008 @ 10:20PM
marcie0305 said...
I absolutely would put sugar (esp. refined sugar) in the same category as cigarettes, just as I would most fast-food choices. Too much of anything will kill you. I think Jacki's analogy was pretty dead-on, because you can get addicted to practically anything, and sugar is something a 7-year-old can readily identify with.
Sugar may be a "nutrient" but sugar is not needed for life, neither are cigarettes. I have gone long spans without any sugar at all, didn't miss it. I stick with "everything in moderation" - and I think high-energy requirement people such as athletes and (most) children, can benefit from sugar in their diet, But there are a heck of a lot of people in Western nations especially that include waaaaaay too much in their diet and look where it is getting them...
And I must say, I don't just mean sugar, I am also talking about corn syrup, and refined foods like flour that turn to pure glucose in our systems, this is why farmers feed corn to their animals in order to fatten them up for slaughter as quickly as possible - it's basically pure carbs and turns to sugar in the stomach. If fat made us fat, then farmers would be feeding the pigs fat. They are not.
Anyway, great post, Jacki - our son is 3 and I am anticipating the wonderful world of questions very soon, and in NC there are a lot of smokers around, including in our family. I appreciate your perspective :)
~Marcie
http://feedingblackmail.blogspot.com
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4-20-2008 @ 5:10PM
A. Ross said...
Marcie,
From my standpoint as a medical student, your response here is ridiculous. During digestion, all of the food that you eat is converted to simple sugar by your body's enzymes. The consumption of table sugar, or products that contain it, simply eliminates this "refining" process.
Yes, eating too much sugar is bad. However, this is because of the caloric content of sugar only. Too much sugar is too many calories and too many calories is bad for your health. You say that you have gone long spans without sugar, but the reality is that you have not gone a single meal without it. Ever. All food is turned to glucose in our systems. Under normal conditions, your metabolic pathways require it to operate.
Sugar should in no way be grouped in the same category as cigarettes. If you stayed within an appropriate number of daily calories, while still consuming adequate amounts of protein and fat, you could eat all the table sugar you want for the rest of your life and never experience any deleterious effects. A single cigarette, however, disables the oxygen-carrying capabilities of the hemoglobin molecules in your blood. This effect is permanent, and creates an anemia that lasts until new blood cells are produced to replace it. Of course, that's only the hair on the back of the effects of smoking; but it's just one example of how a single cigarette harms you. Sugar, on the other hand, does not.
I'm off to buy some more pixy sticks! Hooray!
4-20-2008 @ 5:36PM
Alex said...
Actually, sugar is necessary for life.
"Sugar," (although a very imprecise word in biological terms) is a simple carbohydrate. The starch in potatoes and pasta is simply a long chain of "sugar" molecules. These chains are broken down by the body's digestive system, starting with saliva. Try it for yourself! Put a bit of cornstarch on your tongue and wait for twenty seconds or so and it will begin to taste sweet.
Your body follows the same procedure for all carbohydrates before they enter the citric acid cycle, which produces ATP, the molecule which drives EVERY single endergonic reaction in the body. (Reactions that require energy.)
In short, carbohydrates, (be them sugars or starches), ARE necessary for life. From bacteria to humans.
4-20-2008 @ 5:21PM
Lee said...
I can give you an answer as a former smoker that might be hard to explain to a 7 year old.
"it gets you high". That's why I smoked. The buzz, the rush. It's not like people smoke just because they are addicted, at some point in the process it feels really, really good.
After a few packs you are just smoking to get rid of the tension of not smoking, so it IS just an addiction trap, but those first few packs are Mana from heaven.
I think if someone had told me that little fact I would have known better than to continue smoking for years afterwards, chasing after that initial buzz only to find out you only get it if you rarely smoke.
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4-20-2008 @ 5:44PM
Anon said...
I agree with posts 1 and 4 on the sugar as addiction analogy. When you are addicted to smoking, there are withdrawal symptoms. Which ultimately draws people back. You don't get that with sugar.
Just tell him the truth. It's pretty scary. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Withdrawal
If you're looking for something he can relate to, you want something that is involuntary but ultimately compelling. Tell him quitting smoking is like having to go to the bathroom, but trying to hold it in instead. That might be more accurate ;)
Disclaimer: I have never been a smoker.
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4-20-2008 @ 5:46PM
Anon said...
I agree with posts 1 and 4 on the sugar as addiction analogy. When you are addicted to smoking, there are withdrawal symptoms. Which ultimately draws people back. You don't get that with sugar.
Just tell him the truth. It's pretty scary. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Withdrawal
If you're looking for something he can relate to, you want something that is involuntary but ultimately compelling. Tell him quitting smoking is like having to go to the bathroom, but trying to hold it in instead. That might be more accurate ;)
Disclaimer: I have never been a smoker.
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4-20-2008 @ 5:51PM
Billy said...
"I can only hope this seven-year-old boy grows up to be what I want him to be most: A non-smoker."
Whoa don't set the bar too high.
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4-20-2008 @ 6:27PM
Todd said...
I can understand telling your child that smoking is bad, but the whole sugar business is just a bunch of bs.
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4-20-2008 @ 6:27PM
Bob said...
Why do non-smokers assume that all smokers are just hooked and wish they could quit? Quite the contrary. I smoked for 20 years and loved every puff. Cigarettes are good. Just like a fine wine, a favorite soda, Krispy Kremes, or whatever else your palette enjoys. It is very addictive, but that doesn't mean the only reason people do it is because they're stuck. If they came out with a cigarette that wouldn't affect my lungs so badly I'd start smoking again, and don't think for a minute when I get really old or diagnosed with cancer I won't start smoking again like a chimney.
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4-20-2008 @ 6:45PM
Jacki said...
Dear All,
For clarification sake, I simply explained to my child that people might smoke because they really WANT to smoke, like he really WANTS to eat sugary treats all the time. It is the feeling of wanting something badly I was trying to explain. I was not comparing the habit of smoking with the habit of eating sugar. He wanted to know WHY people smoke and I believe my explanation helped him understand the motivation behind human actions.
Jacki
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4-20-2008 @ 6:45PM
JB said...
I would tend to agree that comparing smoking to sugar is a bad idea for a seven year old. Even if he understands that sugar is bad you are going to make an link in his head between sugar (something he likes) and smoking. Somewhere down the road when he is faced with the choice of whether or not to smoke he may make the wrong decision because he will compare it to something that when done in excess is bad but in moderation is perfectly acceptable. This is not the case for sugar. In short I would be very wary of comparing cigarettes to anything a young child really likes.
Also it would be nice if people like marcie0305 would stop and actually learn a few facts before spewing their nonsense. Sugar is necessary for life as highlighted in Alex's post. Saying you have gone long stretches without sugar just highlights your ignorance. As does
"If fat made us fat, then farmers would be feeding the pigs fat. They are not"
I have not read a stupider comment in my life.
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4-20-2008 @ 7:20PM
Spencer said...
The problem with putting it on a similar level with sugar is that he eats sugar and he probably enjoys it. It taste good, and only in large amounts makes you sick and he might not even recognize it. I see what you were trying to do, but I would try and find something that he doesn't do or enjoy next time.
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4-20-2008 @ 7:27PM
David said...
Jesus Christ, you people complaining about the sugar analogy sure are annoying. It was an ANALOGY. Thumbs down specifically to the guy with medical training but NO FRIGGING IDEA what an analogy means.
Congrats for being so impartial in your explanations to your son, Jacki. :)
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4-20-2008 @ 7:54PM
gary said...
im a smoker and hate it and no it doesnt get you high its a nasty habit and no one should smoke young or old im 61 and trying to quit
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4-20-2008 @ 8:07PM
Flu Schott said...
More children alive today will die early from eating too much sugar than smoking (unless all the obese kids start excersizing regularly *and* smoking heavily, not a likely combination).
there may not be withdrawl, but whatever it is that compels 10-12 year olds to eat SUGAR until they give themselves diabetes, has a power over more people than nicotine addiction.
So actually, it was a suitable analogy even when placed under an unnecessary level of scrutiny.
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4-20-2008 @ 8:19PM
s. pilgrim said...
this comment is to a. ross and anyone who thinks his medical studies are a validation of anything other than lip service to the pharm corp. & fda god head. ridiculous, he says? sugar is of course broken down into glucose of course, however, white death such as refined sugars, refined grains (flour), and of course the holy grail of government subsidizing, corn... as in high fructose corn syrup turns into glucose almost immediately. so when you drink down that tasty soda with 40g of sugar, or whoof down that scrumptious 'happy meal' you might as well be streamlining glucose into your system which is a pleasant shock to the body. and on a daily basis, like a good american, let's just say ross' career will have no shortage of diabetics, people with grave's, celiac, etc. to "treat". i can see the yachts and shiny convertibles already. sugars that are found in apples, berries, agave, sugar cane (turbinado), and other raw sugars... actual "food" sugars have low-glycemic responses, meaning the body breaks down the sugar over a period of time that doesn't ravage the body and flood organ systems and pull blood-sugar levels into absurdity. med students... i couldn't be happier for you.
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4-20-2008 @ 8:19PM
seo said...
I smoke and the only reason why I carry on smoking is because I love it. I stopped for a year, then started again, stopped for another year and started yet again. Stopping is not that hard for me but I don't want to quit because I enjoy it.
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