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Despite its adverse effects, smoking's social appeal continues to draw many UCLA studentsBy Siu Ng

When the Marlboro Man appeared on billboards with cigarette in hand,

everyone thought it was cool. But when he died of lung cancer, some people

didn't think twice of the ordeal.

Today, accompanying the trend of alcohol and caffeine consumption,

cigarette smoking hits the jackpot among many college students. Regardless

of the harmful effects, for some smokers, the social aspect of smoking

outweighs the costs.

According to a new report from the American Cancer Society, one person

dies from smoking every 10 seconds. If the current smoking trends persist,

there will be one smoking-related death every three seconds by the time

young smokers of today reach middle or old age.

For some students, the smoking habit stems from peer pressure and

early-life experiences.

"I used to see all these movies where the suave characters always had a

cigarette in hand, or that whenever something great was accomplished,

they'd always show the characters smoking. All these images becomes an

influence to smoke," said Anton Dragan, a third-year psychology

student.

Aside from the effects of "cool" smoking images presented since early

childhood, many current smokers said they were lured by the effects of the

chemical ingredient in each stick - nicotine. Once hooked on nicotine, some

students said they come to accept it.

"(Smoking) has become an intrinsic part of my life. Whether I'm bored,

partying, tired or just fidgety, I smoke. When I don't smoke, I become

uneasy. It's become a part of me," claimed Phong Tang, a first-year

physiological science student.

Some students asserted that they smoke as a means of expressing their

influence over their bodies.

"It's all a matter of power and control - especially during times of

stress, such as midterms or finals. When a person doesn't have control over

these situations, they cling to whatever they can control. For some, that's

smoking," said Binnie Phan, a third-year business administration

student.

"To control the amount of cigarettes we can intake gives us back some

control over something," continued Binnie.

For others, smoking is an easy ice breaker with which to initiate

conversation.

"If I see a nice looking girl sitting outside and smoking, I'm likely to

go up to her and ask her for a light or a cigarette. I can just sit right

down next to the girl with a purpose and not look like a fool. If anything,

a conversations gets started, and the rest is history," said Eric Garcia, a

second-year undeclared student.

"Yeah, and the best part of the whole thing is that it works both ways,"

Garcia added with a grin.

Smokers said they favor certain situations, types and places of

recreation.

"If I could go anywhere to smoke, I'd probably go to a coffee house or a

pool hall. In those places, I can just hang and relax," said Jeff Wong, a

first-year pre-business economics student.

"It's usually full of smokers, so I don't really have to worry about the

bans on smoking. I don't want to have to substitute a piece of gum for a

cigarette. I can just smoke," Wong continued.

Like any social activity, smoking also has its mishaps.

"I was driving and smoking one time. I tried to throw the butt out the

window, but it flew back in through the rear window, going in through my

friend's shirt sleeve. Before he knew it, the thing was burning him and he

was screaming like hell," Tang recalled.