Posts Tagged Cigarette addiction

The Reality of Teenage Smoking Addiction

Posted by Drug Free in Tobacco Abuse on December 17th, 2009

There is an alarming estimate looming: about 80% of adult smokers started smoking when they were teenagers. The issue at hand is not why teens smoke, but why is it that despite all the warnings posted against smoking and promotions on healthy living, smoking seems to be an appealing practice for teenagers.

Teens are at an age wherein they want to stand out, feel special, and ultimately belong. They see smoking as a means to look “dangerous” because they know they are not allowed to smoke in the first place. Most may see this as “cool”.

teen smokingSmoking enables the smoker to suppress feelings and achieve relaxation for those who feel disturbed, or to suppress appetite for those who are trying to manage their weight. Smokers also tend to huddle together in groups, which makes for conversation and companionship. Sometimes, complete strangers can start to engage in friendly conversation, after sharing a light.

Teenagers are the most affected, since they are at an age when they need to belong. In a social aspect, they seem to think that smoking helps them fill this particular void. The problem is, most teenagers, after taking their first puff, end up getting addicted.

Smoking is addictive because of nicotine. When the body starts to tolerate it, a smoker needs larger doses of nicotine to achieve the same effect. This vicious cycle eventually leads to a dependence of the body on the presence of nicotine to function normally.

Teenage smoking should not be simply taken as a bad lifestyle practice. Smoking should be viewed as a dangerous habit that can only lead to serious illnesses, such as lung cancer, heart diseases and pregnancy complications among others. Teens should keep themselves in an environment free of addiction, and should immerse themselves in sports and better education.

1 Comment

Hard Truth for Smokers: SMOKING KILLS

Posted by Drug Free in Tobacco Abuse on December 14th, 2009

There used to be a time when the words on the cigarette box were written like this: “Government Warning: Cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health.” Now, several governments around the world require a much simpler phrase, and it cuts to the chase quite effectively: “SMOKING KILLS”.

smoking-kills-gunJust imagine the hundreds of billions of cigarettes being smoked each year in the United States alone. And if you think about it, that is just the number for a single country. What about the rest of the world? It’s a scary thought when you think about it.

People smoke for entirely different reasons. Some try it just for fun, others try it because they feel that they look cool doing it, and others still do it because of habit. Whatever the reason, it still remains a habit that can kill you slowly. The conditions will not manifest themselves at first, but don’t wait until the entire world squeezes on your chest.

A cigarette, while seemingly innocent at first glance, contains a load of carcinogenic substances that can kill you in large quantities. Some of these substances may be found only in traces, but they collect themselves within your body. One day, your body wouldn’t be able to handle the stress of these accumulated toxic substances, and this is where serious degeneration of your body begins.

Look at pictures of the organs before and after smoking. Meet other people whose families have died because of lung cancer caused by smoking. The evidence is everywhere, and you don’t need to go very far to see it.

2 Comments

Does Cigarette Smoking Initiate Drug Use?

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Addiction, Drug Facts, Drug Testing, Prescription Drug Abuse on August 8th, 2009

cigarette-smoking-risks

Is cigarette a drug? The obvious answer is “NO”. But cigarette smoking has a direct influence on alcohol and other drug use. Can you ever think of a marijuana or a heroin user who has never smoked cigarette? Drug abuse and alcoholism has been a source of major concern for ages. Today young people are being exposed to drugs at a very tender age. Most of us are concerned with addiction to marijuana, heroin, cocaine, prescription drugs and others. But why do we overlook nicotine? It is high time that we deal teenage and adolescent smoking professionally. Since nicotine exposure at an early age increases the vulnerability of other drug use.

Tobacco has often been termed as a “GATEWAY DRUG” since it is the first substance consumed by the teenagers.

Studies conducted to find the origins of alcoholism and addiction to other drugs have indicated that smoking facilitates drug abuse. According to National Centre on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), nicotine makes adolescents vulnerable to alcohol and drug addiction by affecting the structural and chemical changes in the brain. As compared to teenagers who do not smoke, smokers are 9 times more likely to meet the medical criteria for past year drug alcohol abuse and 13 times more likely to meet the criteria for drug abuse. In a press release, the Jr. Chairman and President of CASA said, “Smoking by teens may well signal the fire of alcohol and other drug abuse and mental illnesses like depression and anxiety disorders”. One of the studies found that those who started smoking before 12 years of age were 3 times more vulnerable than non-smokers to binge drink, 13 times more likely to smoke marijuana and 7 times more prone to use heroin, cocaine.

Spread the message. Reach out to children. Talk to them about the ill-effects of smoking. Help them in making healthy choices.

1 Comment