Reasons Teens Smoke

You've seen the slick cigarette ads in magazines and on billboards. They show beautiful people participating in all kinds of fun activities while they smoke. The message conveyed is, "If you smoke cigarettes, you can be as cool as the Hollywood stars” Cigarette manufacturers have to tell lies like this in order to get people to buy their products. Many teens start smoking because they have friends or older siblings who smoke. Some teens look at smoking as a way to get through parties, dates, or other difficult social situations. Smoking gives them something to do with their hands and makes them feel older or more sophisticated. Some teens smoke because they feel they look too young and that smoking may make them appear more like an adult. Teens often start smoking because one or both parents smoke or because another close relative is a smoker Teenagers surely wouldn't buy cigarettes if the ads told the truth about smoking. Here is the truth...

Smoking is unattractive. Smoking stains your fingers and teeth and creates wrinkles on your face. Smoking also stinks, literally! It leaves a stale smell on your breath, hair, and clothes. If you've ever spent time in a car or a restaurant where people are smoking, you know that the smell sticks with you long after you leave.

Current youthful smokers are twice as likely to develop depressive symptoms according to a National Research Council telephone query of almost 8,000 teenagers throughout the U.S., investigators from the University of California , San Diego (UCSD), and San Diego State University.

Smoking is bad for your health. The chemicals in cigarette smoke make you cough and they make it hard for you to participate in athletic activities. In the long run, smoking can actually kill you. It's a leading cause of heart disease, cancer, and lung problems.

Smoking harms others. Think of how you feel when you're around a person who smokes. Your eyes, nose, and throat burn, your heart beats faster, and you get a headache. Secondhand smoke not only makes non-smokers uncomfortable, it also kills over 50,000 of them each year. It is especially harmful to pregnant women and newborn and unborn babies.

Each time you smoke a cigarette, it is costing you 5 to 20 minutes of your life. It puts you at much greater risk for heart disease, cancer, and emphysema.

Smoking is expensive. People who smoke a pack a day spend over $1500 a year on cigarettes. Think of how many CDs you could buy with that kind of money! If you smoke, you also have to worry about replacing the clothes and furniture that you burn with your cigarettes.

Peer pressure to smoke

Sometimes people try to influence the way you behave or think. If you are being pressured into doing something, think before you act. Think about the things that are important to you (your values), and then decide if the behavior that you're being pressured into fits with those values.

Do you value your appearance, your health, being able to play sports, having extra money to spend, and not hurting others? If so, smoking doesn't fit with your values. Choose to remain smoke-free.

Once you've made your decision, let others know. If somebody offers you a cigarette, look the person in the eyes, and in a firm, clear voice, simply say, "No thanks. I'm not interested."

Quitting the habit

The best thing you can do for yourself is to quit. But the longer you continue to smoke, the harder it is to stop. That's because nicotine, a chemical in cigarettes, is addictive. Your body starts to crave cigarettes and feels sick without them. Many individuals do well quitting smoking by f inding a new activity - something that will fill the time that you used to smoke a cigarette. Exercise is also a perfect choice, and it also helps you avoid weight gain.

If you try to quit and don't succeed; try again. Many smokers have to try more than once, and try more than one method before they are able to quit for good. It is hard work, but you can be done. Ask your friends and family for their support, and be sure to ask your doctor for support and medical advice.

Advertising can play an important role in communicating that youth shouldn’t smoke. Advertising can target young people directly or support other programs by targeting retailers, teachers or parents.

Youth smoking is a complex issue for society to address, with no simple solution. However, by harnessing the expertise and understanding of all interested parties – including government, retailers, parents, teachers and young people, progress can be made.

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