For the majority of people smoking is far from a foreign concept, we all have encountered the issue of smoking at one time in our lives or another and we probably will run into it many times in the future as well. Not meaning to be smoke bashing, we’re just being blunt here, these are the facts on smoking and what it really is about:

Teens continue to smoke despite all the warnings of the hazards of smoking and the numerous deaths that have resulted from smoking. Many feel that just one smoke couldn’t hurt - after all, it is only one smoke - no big thing, when in reality that one puff often leads to more puffs and well, to put frank, that all will eventually lead to addiction. There may be people out there who tried smoking and did not continue on with it but still there are countless folks who have gone from that first puff to many more.

Cigarettes contain NICOTINE, a harmful chemical that is addictive meaning once your body has grown accustomed to the nicotine it will want and need more nicotine. True, too much of a thing can be addictive for the body and that applies to pretty much everything. Nicotine is a dangerous thing to be trying or doing; it is only one of the many harmful chemicals contained in cigarettes - the cigarette companies did not tell the general public about this when people first began to smoke. Had we the technology and knowledge of today back then, cigarettes would probably be a thing we would look back on say to ourselves, "How could we have been so stupid to do such a thing to ourselves. All those chemicals we inhaled, all those deaths that could have been prevented…what a waste." One puff of a cig contains 4,000 chemicals and all those chemicals are sent to your blood, lungs and brain. Smoking decreases the amount of the brain enzyme monoamine oxidase B (MAO B). MAO B is a brain enzyme that helps to break down dopamine (a chemical messenger that is associated with feelings of pleasure), and a lack of MAO B could mean lack of motivation or a sense of depression and so forth. Nicotine, like other addictive substances, increases dopamine levels in the brain.

Sure you may not inhale…but what about the smoke you are getting from the other people around you? Yes, you are still at risk. Even though a person does not smoke they are at risk for lung cancer, asthma, and other serious lung diseases. Exposure to secondhand smoke can do just as much damage as the act of smoking itself. Nope, sorry to say children won't be able to recover from exposure to smoke at such a young age. Children and teens are still growing and that means that their lungs are growing as well. We are all at risk when it comes to smoking.

One must wonder why people light up every day, something must be going on here… Watson, the game is afoot! Why do people smoke? Fitting in seems to be a big factor for a large number of teens. It is hard to turn down a friend who has just offered you a puff. You don't want your friend to think that you are some sort of wuss but still you are kind of curious to see what the big deal is about smoking. Curiosity to find out what the sensation of smoking is like can also motivate a person to light up and try it out. Smokers report that the reason they still are smoking is that smoking gives a feeling of pleasure.

Go ahead, take your first puff on the cigarette. You body gets a blast of 4,000 chemicals that fill your lungs, blood, and brain. Each cigarette has about 2mg of nicotine, a addictive drug.

But guess what it not only the nicotine that sends you craving for another cigarette, you brain also get effected. Research has shown that smokers had 40% less of a brain enzyme known as monoamine oxidase B or MAO B. The enzyme breaks down dopamine, a chemical messenger in the brain associated with feeling of pleasure. The nicotine may leave an imprint in the brain, so that the next drug becomes more pleasurable. So now, Do you still want to light up your first cigarette?