Despite its adverse effects, smoking’s social appeal continues
to draw many UCLA studentsBy Siu Ng
When the Marlboro Man appeared on billboards with cigarette in
hand,
everyone thought it was cool. But when he died of lung cancer,
some people
didn’t think twice of the ordeal.
Today, accompanying the trend of alcohol and caffeine
consumption,
cigarette smoking hits the jackpot among many college students.
Regardless
of the harmful effects, for some smokers, the social aspect of
smoking
outweighs the costs.
According to a new report from the American Cancer Society, one
person
dies from smoking every 10 seconds. If the current smoking
trends persist,
there will be one smoking-related death every three seconds by
the time
young smokers of today reach middle or old age.
For some students, the smoking habit stems from peer pressure
and
early-life experiences.
"I used to see all these movies where the suave characters
always had a
cigarette in hand, or that whenever something great was
accomplished,
they’d always show the characters smoking. All these images
becomes an
influence to smoke," said Anton Dragan, a third-year
psychology
student.
Aside from the effects of "cool" smoking images presented since
early
childhood, many current smokers said they were lured by the
effects of the
chemical ingredient in each stick – nicotine. Once hooked on
nicotine, some
students said they come to accept it.
"(Smoking) has become an intrinsic part of my life. Whether I’m
bored,
partying, tired or just fidgety, I smoke. When I don’t smoke, I
become
uneasy. It’s become a part of me," claimed Phong Tang, a
first-year
physiological science student.
Some students asserted that they smoke as a means of expressing
their
influence over their bodies.
"It’s all a matter of power and control – especially during
times of
stress, such as midterms or finals. When a person doesn’t have
control over
these situations, they cling to whatever they can control. For
some, that’s
smoking," said Binnie Phan, a third-year business
administration
student.
"To control the amount of cigarettes we can intake gives us back
some
control over something," continued Binnie.
For others, smoking is an easy ice breaker with which to
initiate
conversation.
"If I see a nice looking girl sitting outside and smoking, I’m
likely to
go up to her and ask her for a light or a cigarette. I can just
sit right
down next to the girl with a purpose and not look like a fool.
If anything,
a conversations gets started, and the rest is history," said
Eric Garcia, a
second-year undeclared student.
"Yeah, and the best part of the whole thing is that it works
both ways,"
Garcia added with a grin.
Smokers said they favor certain situations, types and places
of
recreation.
"If I could go anywhere to smoke, I’d probably go to a coffee
house or a
pool hall. In those places, I can just hang and relax," said
Jeff Wong, a
first-year pre-business economics student.
"It’s usually full of smokers, so I don’t really have to worry
about the
bans on smoking. I don’t want to have to substitute a piece of
gum for a
cigarette. I can just smoke," Wong continued.
Like any social activity, smoking also has its mishaps.
"I was driving and smoking one time. I tried to throw the butt
out the
window, but it flew back in through the rear window, going in
through my
friend’s shirt sleeve. Before he knew it, the thing was burning
him and he
was screaming like hell," Tang recalled.