Teen Smoking

A lot of people will look at this entry and say that cigarettes aren’t a drug, and shouldn’t be included in a blog about teen substance abuse. However, I beg to differ. Cigarettes are addictive and harmful to your health. While they may not have the same health and mental consequences of drugs like meth or cocaine, cigarette smoking can still do serious damage to teens and their health.

It’s always amazing to me how many teens start smoking, even with all of the information that we have about the harmful effects of smoking and the damage that smoking can cause. Teens know that smoking is bad for them, yet they continue to do it anyway. The question that I always seem to come back to is, Why?

It seems that teens start smoking for some of the same reasons that teens start using drugs. Things like peer pressure and the desire to be cool definitely fuel the decision for teens to start smoking. Some teens see their favorite actors or adults that they admire smoking and then they start smoking in order to be like the person that they idolize. These motivations don’t seem to be any different than the motives for teens to start using drugs.

Some teens also think that by smoking marijuana instead of cigarettes that they are avoiding the negative health effects that come with cigarette smoking. However, smoking marijuana has its own set of negative effects on your health, including lung damage, increased potential for depression, and dependence. Just because you are smoking marijuana, doesn’t mean that you are safe from the negative effects that are a result of teen substance abuse.

Most teens know the facts about cigarette smoking, but it can’t hurt to mention them again. The effects of cigarette smoking include:
• Lung damage, cancer, etc.
• Emphysema, asthma
• Addiction
• Mouth cancer, tooth loss
• Stunts growth in teens
• Chronic bronchitis
• Heart disease

While teens might not classify cigarettes as a drug, the health effects caused by cigarette smoking can be devastating. Teenage cigarette smoking can also lead to other problems, like teenage alcoholism.

Cigarette smoking does not make you cool, and does not make you sexy. When you smoke cigarettes, your teeth and fingers turn yellow, you will run out of breath quickly (which could be a problem if you’re involved in sports), you will have bad breath, and you will smell like cigarette smoke. None of these things sound terribly appealing, and on top of it all, smoking is simply dangerous.

Like I said, a lot of people don’t want to lump cigarette smoking or even marijuana smoking in with teen substance abuse. However, smoking can have serious negative health effects for teens, and can lead to a lifelong addiction that can be threatening to your health and your life.

If you feel like your smoking or marijuana use has gotten out of control, there are treatment options that can help you overcome your addiction and substance abuse. Talk to a parent or other adult who can help you to stop smoking before you do serious and permanent damage to your health.

posted by beth @ 9:27 AM