SINGAPORE - People are often traumatized by the harmful effects smoking can cause to one’s health.

 

In order to persuade smokers to quit smoking and warn non-smokers to keep free from tobacco, gruesome images of diseased body parts can be found on cigarette packs.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indicated by statistics, more than 50% of the youth smokers are influenced by their parents who smoke. Whereas another 38% of them picked up smoking from at least one of their siblings.

 

90% of the smokers similar to Jeremy Chui Jin Wei, pick up smoking due to peer influence.

 

The 21-year-old student currently from Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Engineering revealed that other than peer influence, another reason which made him pick up smoking is due to the stress that he faces and he feels that smoking helps him to relax and de-stress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, Jeremy who is currently the Vice-president of Nanyang Polytechnic Dragon and Lion Dance troupe, feels that smoking actually weakens his stamina. He stated that when he trains for lion dance, he is often out-of-breath easily and he feels that it has got something to do with smoking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“ I have considered to quit smoking in order to strengthen my stamina, however I am not very successful. I am currently still on the verge of cutting down the number of cigarettes I smoke a day. Things cannot be rushed,” Jeremy explained.

 

Jeremy who has been smoking since he was 19, also said that he spends an estimated amount of $130 on buying cigarettes per month, which is equivalent to him smoking 12 packets of cigarettes in a day.

 

He also shared that even till today, his family still thinks that it is not good for him to smoke because they feel that it is a bad habit that can ruin his health as well as his image.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, Jeremy revealed that though his family does not like him smoking, they did not force him aggressively to quit, but will constantly remind him and encourage him to reduce the amount of cigarettes he smokes each day.

 

“I’m really thankful for my family and friends who did not abandon me when they found out that I smoke. Not many people can accept having people around them who smoke. With their support and my own hard work, I believe I will be able to kick this habit one day,” Jeremy shared.

 

Unlike other smokers, Jeremy is a considerate smoker. Usually when he smokes, he tells his non-smoking friends and family members to keep a distance from him so that they will not inhale his second-hand smoke.

 

“I know that by inhaling second-hand smoke, it will cause cancer. My non-smoking friends and family are doing their job to stay away from cigrattes, so they don’t deserve to contract diseases like that just because they inhaled someone’s second-hand smoke,” Jeremy said.

 

A quote from Jeremy to anyone who has the urge to pick up smoking:

“Don’t touch it, you will regret.”