Take it from someone who has smoked since the age of 9 (I'm 41 now), there is NO good reason to smoke. I don't smoke because I like it or think it's cool or anything like that. I smoke simply because I don't have the will power to quit the addiction. When I was 9, yes, I was stupid and thought it was cool to go hide somewhere and smoke cigarettes. Now I'm hooked on them and for most people, quitting is not easy. It's a very disgusting habit and causes excess dust, stains the walls, stinks up the house, ruins your health, costs way too much, et cetera, ad nauseum.
Back when I started smoking, it was more accepted (well, not for 9 year olds, but you get my point) than it is today. Anyone who starts smoking now is a damn fool, what with all the constant negative reports on its effects on the lungs and general health. In fact, messing with ANYTHING that has addictive chemicals in it is foolish. At least I can say I never got into anything else that is addictive besides cigarettes.
I've explained it to little kids like this: Smoking is like a demon that grabs you by the lungs and doesn't let go. With every cigarette, the demon tightens its grip that much more, eventually killing you. Why would you want to willingly invite a demon into your body to kill you? Even after you quit smoking, it takes that demon many years to fully let go of you, and he'll always be around, waiting for you to smoke just one more cigarette so he can dig his claws into you again. The demon's name is addiction and you have to work hard to avoid him. The easiest way to avoid addiction is to never start smoking in the first place.
To my knowledge, the kids I've told that to have never started smoking. Now, I'm not a religious person in the least, I don't actually believe in demons or angels or any of that, but it is a very effective way of portraying smoking in a bad light and scaring the crap out of little kids to the point where maybe they will never start smoking.
