Why do young adults want to start smoking

Exactly!

Why do people smoke?
Why do people drink?
Why do people do drugs?
Why do people eat junk food?

There are a significant amount of young people who have taken up smoking, many of DN’s friends group smoke and they’re all under 18!

They have the Tobacco and Vapes Bill inspired by NZ is almost passed, it will ban cigarettes from anyone born before 2009 so that eventually very little people can buy then and cigarette companies will produce less. Which I think is a good idea as the onus is on the companies not on people. It will also ban advertising of vapes to children, and change packing to more white packaging and less colours and attractive flavours.

I think it's in New Zealand that they are currently raising the legal age of buying cigarettes up each year. So no new generation of 18 year olds will ever be able to buy them.
The UK government could do that.

Food for thought! Might start giving myself non smoking smoking breaks. I can remember the benefit that the headspace gave me.

There are non-nicotine 'flavoured air' breathing devices that I've considered too (but they are a bit pricy given that I quit years, ago and therefore have no savings to make in the same way I would if I was quitting). However they do look like a possibly enjoyable way to focus on short intervals of deep breathing.

I agree completely about the random conversations outside during a smoking break. It was a nice no-pressure way to meet people. Max of 5 mins. Loved that.

Because it's legal. No disincentives apart from price. Cheaper than drinking alcohol. Using rollies for weed. Rebels.

But I still think it's a minority (but it could be growing a bit) that smoke now, vaping being the thing.

As far as it goes, I'll take vaping any day, at least there's little lingering odour, fewer yellow teeth and fingers, no discarded butts and packets.

But to me, the main thing is that it's legal and freely available.

I mean the government are sorting it, the Tobacco and Vapes bill has almost passed it will ban advertising of vapes to young people, the colours, videos etc and will make them more like cigarette packing, bland etc. Plus with the age restrictions over decades companies will just produce less in the UK because only those born before 2009 will be able to buy, so it will hopefully make them produce less because they'll make less and less money as more people get older and then it's less profitable. I don't really know what much else you can do other than education that it's not a good choice to make for your health. I don't see any other legislation that could do anything about it. Sadly, children are vaping from primary school thinking there's nothing wrong with it or even some parents who buy their children vapes when they would have never started smoking. I mean schools are doing their best to try and confiscate them, but they can only control what happens on school grounds.

@Amanitacae I agree with the benefits of the social smoking or smoking break. When the ban came in my favourite part was the random chats with strangers outside. It was a break from the norms of a social group, for others like you it was a chance to stand alone and just be.

I had a work friend who realised when she gave up that it was the structured breaks that she missed more than cigarettes so she went back on smoking breaks just didn't smoke. this was years ago when smoking breaks were a thing. She argued that standing and breathing deeply without the nicotine gave almost the same feeling of relaxation and made the case that people should have 5 min breaks to just stand and breathe.

We have older teens, they say none of their friends smoke, but that they ( my kids) are in the minority in that they don’t vape. They recon 60% of their year group vape which is a quite terrifying when long term consequences are not known.

You don't know him so you can't accurately comment on his personality.

I started on and off socially from 15. Really picked it up speed after a horrendous breakup at 28 which nearly killed me. Stopped outright at my first pregnancy aged 34. Now I'll very very rarely (once or twice a year) have a wee puff of a rollup.

With the benefit of hindsight I can see what it was doing for me.

I'm autistic, and didn't have friends or connections at 15 - it gave me acceptance into a 'club' where sharing of resources (kindness) in terms of borrowing and lending cigs, lighters, and when the smoking ban came in, there was an opportunity to chat to someone for a fixed e.g 5 mins in a quiet place.

I'm ADHD - and similarly smoking gave me opportunity to leave a busy, overwhelming pub or club for a window of brain space.

And at the end of a long day, they gave my wildly buzzing brain the excuse to stand outside, in the dark and the quiet deep breathing.

It's easy to say you can do all of the above without cigarettes, but life is full of things that don't happen until you have something to hook them upon.

I don't think I was ever, or have ever been addicted to nicotine. I have never 'craved' in the way that has been described to me.

In a nutshell that’s it. I smoked from 18-25 ish, started at uni because lots of my friends were doing it. When you’re that age you think you’re invincible.

I work on the kiosk in a supermarket. Most of my job is selling cigarettes/vapes/nicotine pouches.

The vast majority of younger smokers are vaping. The ones that are smoking are often on the 'luxury' brands like Marboro Gold or rolling their own (mostly, I'd guess, because they are smoking weed). But the majority vape.

No idea.

As a teen, I looked at it, as I could buy a new tshirt or a packet of cigarettes. The T shirt won every time.

Why would you want to do something that looks stupid, smells vile and turns your fingers manky yellow. Gives you chronic wrinkles and then lung cancer and then you die, leaving your family to grieve.

I'm mourning my longest standing drinking buddy, who died from lung cancer at 63. Gone much much too soon. 🙁

Thankfully my ds isn't stupid enough to smoke or vape.

i started at 15
it was grown up/peer pressure.
now vape

Maybe, just maybe, they like it? Why do we always assume everyone does things to impress others. I smoked for many years and I loved every moment. I gave up for the same reasons everyone else did, for my health. I never felt pressure to smoke or not smoke and I luckily never felt addicted. Smoking really reduces stress in the moment for those that enjoy it.

Same reason they always did. To try and appear grown up. Because it's forbidden and therefore appealing. Because their parents say don't do it. Because for some people once you try it and get the nicotine hit then you want to do it again and again.

People in this country don’t like it when the government stop them from doing things which are bad for them.

What do you suggest UK Government should do?

because they werent breast fed for long enough?

because their parents/peers do

@Judiezones Roll ups and sophisticated? Really? Shy and roll ups? Nah! He just likes fags and makes poor decisions. Many younger people do. Easily led and not discerning.

I started aged 19 because my bf smoked and I was a bit shy and socially awkward and I thought it would make me look sophisticated. Luckily I gave it up.
My nephew is 30, he started vaping about 5 years ago and now he smokes roll ups. I think it's for the same reason I started.

In the 80s I started smoking because I thought it was badass. What a fucking idiot 🙄

And not just because badass wasn't even a word back then.

Tbf OP's only used the word why once.

Sadly, I think you might be right. My neices and nephews all smoke and they're in their 20's. All started on vapes then progressed to cigarettes. One of them started vaping but, because it's still a bit of an unknown, he decided he'd be safer smoking. 🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️

The government need to sort it before it gets out of hand.