According to the American Cancer Society, the number of young people who smoke has decreased significantly in the last 20 years. That is certainly good news. The bad news is that millions still smoke. In fact, 4,000 young people smoke for the first time each day, and 1,100 of them will become addicted to smoking. Most adult smokers started smoking while in their teens, or even earlier.
Where Do Kids Get Cigarettes?
No surprises here: Most kids get cigarettes from friends and family members. Half of surveyed teen smokers said they had little trouble purchasing cigarettes from retail locations and machines. There doesn't seem to be a problem in attaining cigarettes, although the high cost might be a factor in how many cigarettes teens can afford.
Smoking by the Numbers
- In 2007, 20 percent of high school students reported smoking. This is down 45 percent – from 36.4 percent in 1997 when rates peaked. That is obviously good news for parents, schools, and the young people who will not become addicted or suffer from smoking-related diseases.
- Only 3 percent of teen smokers believe they will still be smoking when they become adults. The fact is, at least 60 percent of them will still be addicted.
- For teens, tobacco acts as a "gateway drug" to alcohol and illicit drugs. Teens (12-17 years old) who reported smoking in the past 30 days were 3 times more likely to use alcohol, 8 times more likely to smoke marijuana, and 22 times more likely to use cocaine within those past 30 days than were teens who had not smoked during that time.
What Can Parents Do?
- Talk to your kids. Tell them you don't want them to smoke. Start now. Even if they are only five or six years old, you can begin to provide information.
- Don't smoke. And if you do, tell them how much you wish you could stop. Then ask them to help you stop.
- Explain the very real health problems such as emphysema, heart attacks, stroke, lung cancer, asthma, and poor circulation.
- Help your children understand the false claims of advertising and the phony "glamour" of smoking shown on TV, in movies, on the Internet, and in popular music.
- Show them how much it costs to smoke. For example, compute the cost of a pack a day for 365 days a year at the current price (and the price will continue to increase).
Don't Give Up
Smoking is expensive and deadly. The younger someone is when he or she starts, the greater the health risk. Do whatever you can to keep your children from starting, quitting if they already smoke, and finding other, healthier things to do with their time and energy.
This is a life-or-death situation. |
