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If you smoke marijuana, does that mean that you’re eventually going to start smoking cigarettes? According to one recent study, um, sort of. Apparently, prolonged exposure to THC, which is the main ingredient in marijuana, can make you more vulnerable to the addictive aspects of nicotine, which is found in cigarettes. Basically, new research says that smoking pot can lead to smoking cigarettes down the road, especially for teens.

This sounds a little weird to me. I mean, smoking cigarettes and smoking weed are two entirely different things. How can one lead to another? I was really skeptical about this and hesitant to believe it, but apparently the science is there to back it up. The lead scientist of the study says that in the majority of cases, people start smoking marijuana before they start smoking cigarettes. He adds that teens who smoke weed are even more likely to develop an addiction to cigarettes when they’re older because the longer you smoke marijuana, the greater your risk is for being addicted to tobacco.

To sum things up quickly, a lot of THC in your system makes you more likely to be addicted to tobacco. So if you’ve been smoking pot for a few years, and one day you decide to pick up a cigarette and try it out, you’re more likely to become addicted than someone who has never smoked pot in their life.

Sounds scary, right? Yeah, sort of. Who knew that marijuana could be a gateway drug for cigarettes? As researchers pointed out, cigarettes are usually the ones being called a gateway drug for other drugs… like weed. But I guess that all we knew is wrong. Sigh.

This doesn’t mean that just because you smoke pot you’re going to smoke cigarettes at some point in your life. But if you do smoke marijuana, this is a pretty big warning sign to never consider trying a cigarette. Not only are cigarettes really, really bad for you, but you’re also now even more at risk for getting hooked on nicotine. And as any former smoker can tell you (you can talk to my grandpa about it if you want), nicotine addictions are not fun.

What do you think about this study? Do you smoke cigarettes? Would you ever try? Does this make sense to you? Tell us in the comments.

Which is worse for you: smoking weed or drinking alcohol?

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I’ve always heard that one of the biggest appeals of smoking cigarettes is because they supposedly help relieve stress. My smoker friends are constantly telling me that breathing in a steady stream of nicotine helps them calm down, relax and feel stress-free for at least a few minutes. In fact, one of the main reasons people start smoking to begin with is to help with anxiety. But guess what? Everyone is apparently wrong, according to a new study.

A recent British study on 500 smokers discovered that smoking doesn’t relieve stress – quitting smoking relieves stress. Researchers studied 500 smokers before and after they quit and found that the people who quit had less stress than those who tried to quit but failed. Bam – another reason you should never start smoking. Or, if you’re already a smoker, this is another reason why you should quit.

Look, I totally understand the idea that smoking helps you feel more relaxed. But I understand even more how quitting can actually help you feel more relaxed, not to mention better about yourself. I’m a little ashamed to admit this, but I was a big social smoker when I was in college. I was never addicted and I very rarely smoked a cigg on my own, by myself – it was mostly when I was out with friends and they were all puffing away. But after a while, I started to believe smoking cigarettes calmed me down, and I started smoking more often. Whenever I was upset, angry or feeling super anxious, I would reach for a cigarette because I thought they made me feel better.

Looking back, I realize that the cigarettes weren’t making me feel better. They were actually making me feel really light-headed and kind of out of it, which is never a good thing, and I associated that with feeling more relaxed. What was making me feel better? The few minutes of peace and quiet I got while smoking – not the cigarette itself.

When I made the decision to stop smoking entirely a few years ago, I instantly felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders. Not only are cigarettes extremely bad for your health, but they’re also really expensive! When I was smoking, I was constantly worried about what I was doing to my lungs or how much I was spending on packs of them. Also? I was always stressed over whether or not my parents were going to catch me. Once I stopped, I felt so much better about myself. So I can completely understand this study and I definitely believe that it’s true.

I know the idea of cigarettes can be alluring to some people, especially if you think of them as a stress reliever. But girls, trust me, there are so many other ways to get rid of stress that are fun and aren’t threatening to your health. The idea that smoking a cigarette is calming you down is all in your head. If you ever feel the urge to smoke a cigarette to deal with your anxiety, try something else instead: take a walk, scream into a pillow, do some yoga, play a video game. Anything but smoking. How many more times do we need to be told they aren’t doing us any good before we stop smoking them entirely?

Do you smoke cigarettes? Have you ever smoked them? Do you think they really do relieve stress? Tell me in the comments. 

10 ways to relieve stress that are actually fun

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Your lungs

The number one cause of lung cancer is cigarette smoke, including secondhand smoke. Even if you are not a smoker, you could still be at risk for lung cancer because of secondhand smoke, also known as passive smoking. Secondhand smoke is dangerous because it comes from two sources: the end of a lit cigarette and the smoke blown out of a smoker’s mouth.

Don't light up. Period.