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Kids Smoking/Juvenile Onset Tobacco Addiction
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Each day more than 3,000
young people begin to smoke. That's more
than 1 million new smokers each year. 90% of
new smokers are children and teens! These
new smokers "replace" those who quit of die
prematurely from smoking related diseases.
The onset of smoking has increased by one
third in the past 3 years in children and
teens.
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Most young people who smoke
regularly continue to smoke throughout
adulthood.
Only 5% of high school seniors who smoke
daily think they will be smoking in five
years, but in fact, 75% of them still smoke
5-6 years later. One half of adolescent
smokers have parents who smoke. Teens are 3
times more likely to smoke if parents and at
least one older sibling smoke.
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Nicotine addiction through
cigarette smoking is the most common form of
drug addiction. Each ear smoking kills more
Americans than alcohol, cocaine, crack,
heroin, homicide, suicide, automobile
accidents, fires and AIDS combined. (CDC)
Nicotine's ability to addict users is as
strong as hard drugs and because the typical
tobacco user gets daily and repeated doses
of nicotine, addiction is more common with
tobacco use than any other drug use.
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Young people are inundated
with messages and images from the tobacco
industry every day. With 1,000 of its best
customers dying each day and 3,000 more
quitting, there is intense competition among
the tobacco companies for new smokers.
Tobacco companies spend $3 billion dollars a
year on advertising.
86% of adolescent smokers who buy their own
cigarettes buy either Marlboro, Camel or
Newport - the 3 most heavily advertised
brands.
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It is illegal in all states
to sell cigarettes to persons under 18-21
years of age.
Research shows that minors succeed in buying
cigarettes 2 our of 3 times over the
counter. Each year tobacco products
illegally sold to minors are estimated to be
worth $1.26 billion and they generate $221
million in profits for the tobacco industry.
Nearly all first use of tobacco occurs
before high school graduation.
So curbing youth access to tobacco now
prevents deadly tobacco addiction in the
future.
What You Can Do as a
Parent/Family
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If you smoke, QUIT. Otherwise
you send a message that it is ok to smoke.
If you can't quit, make sure your kids know
how terrible it is to have an unhealthy
addiction and how sorry you are you ever
started smoking.
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Discuss smoking honestly. Get
informed and talk to your children before
they start smoking. Small children can
understand "bad" - "smoking is yucky". Teens
may not react to health hazards, so appeal
to their vanity: bad breath, stained teeth
and fingers, premature wrinkles! (smokers
have 3x the cavities and tooth loss of
non-smokers).
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Expose advertising tricks.
Study cigarette ads with your child and
point out how they glamorize the habit
despite the fact that smoking is a known
cause of death.
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Lay down the law. Establish
consequences for smoking. The health problem
is not just about quitting: it's about
not starting.
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Don't give up even if your
child starts smoking. Once your child smokes
5 or more cigarettes a day, it becomes an
addictive habit. Do everything to prevent
the transition from initial use to
addiction. Don't make smoking easy!
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