You see them everywhere in Japan- In restaurants, in bars, on the street, and even on top of Mt. Fuji. No, I’m not talking about beautiful Japanese women wearing high heels; I’m talking about smokers. Japan is a smoker’s heaven and a non-smoker’s hell. Whereas in most other developed countries around the world, smoking has been banned in all public places, especially in restaurants, it seems that in Japan it’s still as much part of the culture as sushi and manga. It’s actually so socially accepted in Japan that nobody (it seems) thinks twice about the impact it has on their lives and those around them.

Please note that I’m not trying to stop you from smoking or tell you that it’s bad for you - you know that already. These are some facts that no matter which way you slice them, they are still true. I know most smokers think that either they can stop before they get cancer or that somehow miraculously they will be spared the horrors of having to live with cancer; not to mention the harm they cause to others. It really boggles my mind that a smoker asked me if it was OK to light up right next to me, and seemed shocked when I replied with “Is it OK to fart in your face?” Seriously, what’s the difference? Oh yeah, passing gas doesn’t release nearly as many harmful chemicals... Even if smokers don’t want to acknowledge the negative effects they know these facts in the back of their minds but perhaps feel it is impossible to change. It is this suppression and denial of the truth that keeps most people smoking. Well, if you must smoke then here are the true unchangeable facts about smoking and how it affects the environment you should know:

1. It takes approximately 12 years for a cigarette butt to disintegrate, releasing harmful chemicals into the ground. They are not (as so many people falsely believe) biodegradable. The filters are made of a type of acetate that never fully breaks down.
2. Smoking contributes to global warming by releasing 22 million net tons of CO2 in the atmosphere directly and indirectly through the tobacco manufacturing process. 600 million trees are felled and burned annually to dry and cure tobacco leaves.
3. If you continue to smoke, there’s a very high probability that you will die from a smoking-related illness.
4. Smoking causes premature aging of the skin, particularly in women, and has been linked to a decreased sperm count in men.

So the question then becomes, why do people choose to be slaves to their own addiction? When asked “Why do you smoke?” some common answers are “because it’s cool” (so that means that the old guy sitting by himself in a bar smoking up a storm and coughing his lungs out is cool?) “It relieves stress” (so does chewing gum by releasing a chemical which relaxes your body. It is also much healthier for you, those around you, the environment, and not to mention your teeth),
“I just can’t stop” (it’s all about mental strength; are you admitting you’re a mental wimp?), Everybody is doing it, and it’s the cool thing to do (with the widespread use of tobacco nowadays, wouldn’t it be cooler to really do something unique instead of just being a follower?) “all my friends are doing it and they won’t accept me if I don’t smoke” (This excuse hasn’t worked since Kindergarten. You’re an adult now, you can make your own decisions; you gonna let your friends live your life for you?)

The problem is fear and not thinking about your actions and taking responsibility not only for your own life, but also for the lives of people around you. It’s easy to make excuses; anybody can do that. That’s right, the fear of change, of doing something new is greater than the instinct for survival and preservation. Now, some of you might immediately argue that certain smokers have enjoyed a long, fulfilled life. While that may or may not be true, take the number of people who were, or still are affected either directly or indirectly by the effects of smoking and compare. I think you’ll soon see the staggering difference in number.

If all this factual information has made you think and maybe you’re considering quitting, then you’ll face one of the toughest challenges in your life - quitting for good. Here’s some food for thought: While it’s easy to give up (quitting) and fall back on old habits, there are also many negative feelings that accompany such a fallback. The feeling of failure, or the feeling of not being able to follow through on your plans (to quit). Personally, I think the benefits of quitting and knowing that you really made it, far outweigh the feelings you get when you smoke. So to help you, here are some websites with more information about smoking and how to quit.

• General Information: http://www.ashtraybreath.com/why-do-people-smoke-cigarettes
• Statistics: http://www.ashtraybreath.com/overall-stats-and-youth-smoking-facts
• Quitting: http://whyquit.com/

If you continue to smoke and think all this is just a bunch of hogwash, just ask yourself this question: How is smoking improving your life and the lives of those around you? Write down some positive and negative points (be brutally honest). If the negatives outweigh the positives, then be strong, face up, and vow to make a change in yourself for the better. With the new year coming up, this is as good a time as any to make a change for the better in the coming year....