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Dear Janice,
Unfortunately, one of the most common reasons that
kids start smoking is that they live in a home when one
or both parents smoke. Certainly, another is because it
seems like a "grown-up" thing to do; for many adolescentse
adolescents a rite of passage to become an adult. Other
kids, of course, tend to smoke if their peer group or
some kid they admire smokes. Also, I am particularly disturbed
by the fact that almost every movie features actors who
are smoking....in fact, it is a rare movie that does not
include smokers...so much so, that I suspect that the
tobacco industry has a hand in this. They are still loaded
with cash to use in their its new form of subtle advertising
designed to get youngsters to start using their particular
brand.
You really don't reach most kids with
scare tactics after they reach the age of 11 . Paradoxily,
I started smoking at age 16 during a summer that I was
picking shade tobacco (for cigar covers) as part of the
"Connecticut Land Army," early in WWII. After a day of
work, all exposed parts of my body were covered with thick
layers of black tars and resins. Did that deter me? NO...my
friends were smoking...so was my Dad.... it was my rite
of passage. That summer, I even got parental permission
to smoke. If my parents said "no" BEFORE I started and
if Dad had not been a smoker, I probably would never have
started (In those days, we usually did as we were told).
But, as we have since learned,, after only few days of
smoking, I was already addicted.... I was still smoking
years later (I didn't quit until 1977)....but, not before
one of my daughters had already started smoking, albeit,
not at home. I wasn't aware of it because first, I did
not see her smoking and second,(and most important) because
I was smoking myself....besides being a poor role model,
I could not smell smoke on her clothing or on her breath.
I quit smoking years ago but, I am certain
that I could have used parental control only if I had
not been smoking myself!! Bottom line, keeping in mind
that only a non-smoker will likely be able to smell tobacco
on another's clothing and/or breath --a parent who does
not smoke and is willing to use proper discipline CAN
keep their kids away from starting.
The earlier a kid first tries smoking,
the higher his or her chances of ultimately becoming a
regular smoker and the less likely be able to quit successfully.
An overwhelming amount of research shows that the earlier
people begin to smoke the higher the risk they have of
contracting lung cancer or experiencing a range of risk
factors and health problems in adulthood. Overall, roughly
a third of all kids who become regular smokers before
adulthood will eventually die from smoking. If current
trends continue over five million of the kids under 18
who are alive today will die from tobacco-related causes.
There is also strong evidence that smoking is all too
often a first step toward other dangerous behaviors, such
as alcohol abuse, smoking marijuana, and other illegal
drug use - there is strong evidence that stopping or delaying
that first step will significantlyreduce that risk that
kids will move on to these other behaviors.
It is the very rare individual who comes
to our Institute for treatment of a drug or alcohol problem
who had not initially become addicted to cigarettes. If
a parent can't stop a child from smoking, who can?
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