Teenager smoking is a sad sight to see. It means the tobacco cycle continues with fresh new victims. But where do they get their cigarettes? My dad smoked, so when I experimented with smoking, I simply snuck a few from his half empty packs that were laying on top of the frig or end tables. Looking back on it now, I still don't know if he knew what I was doing. Now granted, I only did it for a very short time, like a couple of weeks. So I wonder if parents today realize it when their kids sneak cigarettes from them?
Perhaps there are other avenues that support teenage smoking? Maybe kids get others to buy them cigarettes, like they do beer. It's a real shame, because kids shouldn't be in that big of a hurry to grow up. To get a little off topic for a moment, it seems like kids want to do what adults do; they want the benefits that adults have; yet they don't want the responsibility or accountability that comes with it. But I digress.
So a study in the Nicotine and Tobacco Research journal recently e-published [2011 Apr. 2] "Access to Cigarettes by Daily Smokers in Florida's Public Middle Schools and High Schools" by Saunders, C. First of all, look at that title, yes it says "Middle Schools"! That's right around the age I was during my brief and horrid experiment. I hope this doesn't surprise anyone. Drug experimentation occurs very early in our youth. This includes alcohol, marijuana, smoking and I'm sure a host of other nastiness that will lead the poor unsuspecting child to ruin. Anyway, this research looks at the access to cigarettes available to teenagers and their attitude toward smoking.
Saunders found that daily smoking intensity was dependent on access. For example, teenage boys who got their cigarettes from their parents or stole them from stores, had a higher intensity of daily smoking. Teenage boys also associated smoking a greater number of cigarettes per day with better social benefits and more friends. The smoking community is a very welcoming community. If you prove to them you smoke, they'll be your best buddies. It seems there is a never ending supply of displace youth who feel caught between social groups in school. It's no wonder so many of them look and then find acceptance in the smoking, drinking, and drug communities within the school system.
Interestingly, the teenage girls who gave money to somebody else to buy their cigarettes for them, were more likely to smoke more per day. This was also true of teenage girls who bought cigarettes from another person.
Teenagers smoking is not a fun topic for a blog, that's for sure. But it's something we all need to understand so we can help them avoid the trappings of this disease causing habit. Sure, they feel Superman now, but later on, after they've smoking for 30 plus years, they're not going to feel so invincible. By that time, they may be well on their way to becoming just another smoking statistic.
