Why Teens Shouldn't Smoke!?
By, Grace E. Fortier
JUST THE FACTS!
- Most teenagers start to use tobacco products, such as cigarettes, BEFORE they graduate from High School.
- Other studies show that very few people didn't smoking until after age 25!
- 98% of adult smokers say that they first started to smoke by the age of 26!
- 9 out of 10 adult smokers first started to smoke at the age of 18!
- The YOUNGER you are when you start to use tobacco the more likely you are to use it as an adult.
- MORE THAN 90% OF TEENS BEGIN TO SMOKE, DRINK, AND USE OTHER DRUGS BEFORE THE AGE OF 18!
The Effects of Tobacco?!
The effects on kids that use tobacco are:
- Coughing Spells
- Shortness of breath, even when they aren't exercising
- Wheezing or Gasping
- MORE frequent headaches
- INCREASED phlegm (Mucus)
- WORSE cold and flu symptoms
- POOR lung growth and function
- ADDICTION
- And last but not least, Respiratory illnesses that are worse and happen more often.
- So the next time someone offers you a smoke just think, is one cig worth a lifetime of addiction, or any of these illnesses?
What teens think smoking is...
Most teens think that smoking makes you "COOL" or that people will want to hang out with them more. Advertisements make it this way so they can sell to them and get them hooked on nicotine.
The product being advertised...
The product being advertised is a Cigarette or a "CIG" most advertisements show groups of people at a party, or good looking people smoking and the message "That could be me one day!" pops into kids and teens brains.
The reality of smoking...
The reality of smoking is not one you would want if you want to keep all of you teeth in your mouth. The ACTUAL reality of smoking is a long term addiction, or even cancer and many other diseases! Also, most people don't think that smoking is attractive AT ALL!
WAYS TO RESIST PEER PRESSURE ON SMOKING!?
- Simple say "No, thanks" or "I don't need one at the moment"
- Walk away or just ignore the offer! You don't need the type of people around you that try and get you to do that!
- Just because the offering is given by your "friend" doesn't mean you have to accept the offer, if they keep asking you to do that... they aren't real friends and you should make new friends!
What is addiction to tobacco like?
An addict of tobacco will depend on the nicotine to make the user "feel better" but in reality the addict is only hurting his or her bodies in order to feed their addiction. The nicotine used in cigarettes and other tobacco products is HIGHLY addictive.
Ways to Quit Smoking?
There are many ways you can quit smoking, some of those methods are,
- Delaying, this means putting off until the craving for nicotine is gone.
- You could also avoid you triggers, such as, if your friends smoke, avoid hanging out with them when they do smoke, or even leave the room with an excuse when they do offer you a smoke.
- Another way you could resist the craving for nicotine is to exercise, this means that whenever you have the urges to smoke you either do yoga or you run laps.
- The best way you can quit using tobacco products is to find out what works for you. But there are nicotine replacements and they come in forms of patches and gum.
The Contents in a Cigarette?
The ingredients to a cigarette are what makes them especially deadly.
- Ammonia
- Angelica root extract (Known to cause cancer in animals!)
- Arsenic (Rat Poison)
- Benzene (used in making dyes and synthetic rubber)
- Butane
- Carbon Monoxide
- Cadmium (used in batteries)
- Cyanide
- DDT (banned insecticide)
- Lead
- Ethyl Furoat
- Formaldehyde