Dangers of Teen Smoking

Did you know that everyday about 2,500 kids and teens will try their first cigarette? About 16% of those 2,500 will become daily smokers. Teen smoking in a huge problem in today’s society. Kids and teens could start smoking as soon as middle school. Why teens start smoking, when they usually start, the health problems that come along with it, and how to quit smoking.

Teens typically start smoking between middle and high school. Approximately 90% of adult smokers said that they had started before the age of 19.

According to a study done by the CDC in 2017 eight out of every one hundred high schoolers have and will continue to smoke and die from a smoke related disease. According to the CDC,From the years 2011 to 2017 underage smoking has decreased, but while the use of other nicotine products, such as vaping and smokeless tobacco, have increased. In the U.S., teens start smoking cigarettes around 15, most freshmen and sophomores in our school are 15. According to this study most people in our school have tried a cigarette.

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High schoolers are more likely to start smoking because of their parents smoking, peer pressure,or advertising from tobacco companies. When your constantly around parents that smoke it will make a kid or teen more curious as to how it feels to smoke. Peer pressure is a huge thing in high school, especially around friends and peers. When around a friend, or peer, who smokes they might ask the people around them to try it, and constantly asking would make the non-smokers feel obligated to smoke with them.

When driving up to a gas station there tends to be tobacco ads posted all over the windows. Seeing these ads every time someone goes to a gas station it will make them begin to wonder how it is like to smoke and want to try what tobacco companies are advertising. Constantly seeing ads, being peer pressured, or even being around it will make an addiction from smoking more inclined to happen.

Underage smoking can lead to major health problems. Some of the mild , but still health threatening, are shortness of breath, more headaches, and vision problems. Mild health problems can lead into more serious and more life threatening ones. Heart disease, lung cancer, and chronic cough are all examples of more serious health problems that come along with smoking cigarettes.

If someone has already started to smoke and decided to quit here are some ways that may make it easier. Going cold turkey, a term for smokers that have quit, is a way to cut out nicotine and cigarettes with no help and just quitting instantly, not leaning off of cigarettes just stopping. Sometimes going cold turkey may not be the best option for smokers wanting to quit. Many people who smoke chose to use medication, such as Chantix, which helps relieve the urge of nicotine addiction. Others can get help from therapy or a doctor. In the end there are many choices to help anyone who smokes quit smoking or the use of nicotine.

In conclusion underage smoking is terrible for your health. Teens come across smoking many different ways. Some are advertising, peer pressure, and seeing their parents smoking. Smoking causes many health problems such as, lung cancer, chronic cough, and heart disease. Once you start smoking it is hard to stop and in the end will only cause more harm than good.