Then Why Do It?

“As a smoker myself, I cannot dispute the fact that it is sheer folly to indulge in the habit. Anyone with half a brain now knows that smoking threatens one’s health. It is a dirty, filthy habit that costs a bundle. . . . For smokers, life is a long succession of dirty ashtrays, nicotine stains, burn marks and large dry-cleaning bills​—the result of clothes that reek of smoke.”​—Diane Francis, Maclean’s magazine, Canada.

“Smokers can expect shorter life spans than nonsmokers: for example, the life of a 25-year-old who smokes 2 packs per day will be 8.3 years shorter than that of a nonsmoker. Smokers are 3 times more likely to die of cancer than nonsmokers.”​—The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Complete Home Medical Guide.

“Every year cigarettes kill more Americans than were killed in World War I, the Korean War, and Vietnam combined; nearly as many as died in battle in World War II. Each year cigarettes kill five times more Americans than do traffic accidents. Lung cancer alone kills as many as die on the road. The cigarette industry is peddling a deadly weapon.” (Senator Robert F. Kennedy, First World Conference on Smoking and Health, September 11, 1967)​—The Cigarette Underworld, edited by Alan Blum, M.D.

“Tobacco kills approximately two and a half million people each year throughout the world. It is the largest single, preventable cause of death in the world today. . . . Taken in whatever form, it is a dangerous, expensive and addictive habit.”​—Dr. Judith Mackay, executive director of the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health, quoted in World Health magazine.

“If the hand that once fed me is the tobacco industry, then that same hand has killed millions of people and will continue to kill millions more unless people wake up to the hazards of cigarettes. . . . I want to help people wake up to how poisonous cigarettes are.”​—Patrick Reynolds, grandson of the founder of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.

Then why do millions of men, women, and young people smoke tobacco? For some the answer may be peer pressure, the desire to appear sophisticated. But for many the answer is simply addiction that leads to compulsion. As one medical counseling authority states: “The real reason most people smoke is that they are addicted to a powerful drug found in tobacco​—nicotine.”

Then how can a smoker quit? By acquiring strong motivation, stronger than the craving of the body for nicotine. For a person endeavoring to meet Christian standards, it will mean developing a love for God and neighbor that overwhelms the selfish longing of the flesh.​—Matthew 22:37-40; 1 Corinthians 13:5, 7, 8.

As the previously quoted medical book states: “Smokers who want to quit should remember the addictive nature of the drug nicotine and be prepared to accept withdrawal symptoms as a natural consequence of stopping. Withdrawal, they should remember, is a temporary condition that, though unpleasant, is not harmful. Every tobacco user, no matter how addicted, can stop smoking.”​—The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Complete Home Medical Guide.

If you would like help in acquiring the kind of motivation needed to quit smoking, please feel free to contact Jehovah’s Witnesses at their local Kingdom Hall or through the publishers’ address in this magazine.