Why the practice of smoking persists, despite health risks
By GRACIELA TIU — features@theaggie.org
One of the biggest associations with vaping and smoking cigarettes has, for years, been their negative health effects. Despite this, many students here at UC Davis and in the United States still vape and smoke nicotine products.
Research surrounding the topic acknowledges a variety of reasons for this — for example, the impact of tobacco and e-cigarette advertising — but what reasons truly resonate with current and past nicotine users?
A current UC Davis student, who wishes to remain anonymous, detailed how smoking cigarettes can enhance social settings, beyond the common “looking cool” reason people often provide to justify smoking.
“I smoke mainly as a social activity because it’s something that can kind of bring people together and break the ice,” the student said. “I also really like how it can be an activity that gets you out of the house. For example, my friends and I will hike to the top of a mountain or drive to a spot with a cool view to smoke a cig. While vapes can be hit almost anywhere, cigs at least require leaving the house. Also, it can definitely be a way to relax or unwind after a long day, especially if you roll your own cigarettes with loose tobacco, it can be a good way to chill.”
A common reason people vape or smoke nicotine products can be the physical feeling it brings, whether through vape flavors, the head rush or buzz from the initial hit or the physical sensation of smoking or vaping itself.
Despite their possible appeal, both smoking cigarettes and vaping can lead to detrimental health effects due to the toxic chemicals present in the smoke and vapor, nicotine’s classification as a highly addictive substance and many other parts of the process that can harm the body. Smoking cigarettes can cause cancer, heart disease, lung disease, type 2 diabetes and many other harmful health conditions, according to numerous health organizations. Vaping, though different from cigarette smoking, can also cause irreversible heart and lung problems, organ damage and much more.
Another student who wishes to remain anonymous shared their personal experience with their habit of vaping.
“This is coming from my experience, but I never craved the head rush,” the student said. “I craved the cool feeling of it down my throat — that sounds weird, but I swear. And I think not having that feeling is kind of hard.”
The overall feeling of smoking or vaping can also bring a certain level of stress relief, according to the first student.
“In terms of inner need, I think it fulfills different things depending on the occasion,” the student said. “If it’s after a stressful day, a cigarette is mostly about relaxing and unwinding.”
For many people who feel addicted to vaping, the habit itself can be hard to break.
“When I tried for the first time, I think it was hard for me to quit because of the motion of grabbing something and being able to do it when bored or after eating, etc.,” the second student said. “It became part of my routine, so quitting felt like removing a part of my routine.”
Students have also shared that an additional allure to vaping or smoking can be the excitement it brings, especially when feeling bored or having other negative feelings.
“I honestly feel like a big part of the reason I vape is because of boredom; it’s just something to do,” a third anonymous student said.
The first student described how the process of vaping made doing difficult or unappealing tasks feel easier.
“I think vaping low-key helped me do stuff that I didn’t want to do, because it was like ‘oh but I have my vape’ so I can tolerate it,” the student said.
Of the many reasons students continue vaping and smoking despite health risks, the challenge of quitting can be one of the strongest contributors. UC Davis offers various resources to aid students who wish to quit, available through the UC Davis branch of Healthy Campus Network (HCN), Healthy UC Davis.
A final anonymous student shared their experience after quitting vaping, underlining the true change they felt in their life.
“I remember how physically painful it was when I was addicted — it would hurt to breathe,” the fourth student said. “I don’t want to be dependent on a substance that is bad for my health, and I know staying off of it puts the minds of my loved ones at ease.”
Written by: Graciela Tiu — features@theaggie.org
