Teens Feel Pressure to Smoke

Here’s how you can help them resist

Stomp out smoking—That's the message Cristina Usino (center) and Liberty High School students (l-r) Ben Kramm, Nolan Rampulla, Steve McConnell and Yenit Hernandez send through the BUSTED! anti-tobacco program.

If you were an adolescent today, could you resist the temptation to use tobacco? Teens see everyone around them lighting up (or chewing)—from celebrity role models to friends and neighbors, maybe even parents or siblings. Smoking is often touted as a way for young adults to relieve stress, stay slim or be independent. Then there’s the excitement of risk-taking, especially when the “establishment” is preaching tobacco’s unhealthy effects.

“All these factors pressure young people to light up,” says Michael Usino, who oversees prevention programs for the Coalition for a Smoke-Free Valley.

Nearly one in four American high school students smokes. “Unfortunately, once young people try it they often become long-term smokers. Tobacco is highly addictive,” says Suzanne Smith, director of the Tobacco Treatment Program at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. Some studies suggest a lifelong addiction can result from as few as 100 cigarettes.

“To steer clear of tobacco, young people need many levels of consistent support. Quitting is even more complex and difficult,” says Jonathan Pletcher, M.D., an adolescent medicine specialist at the hospital. He and his colleagues are part of a statewide research project studying what type of intervention works best to help teens quit smoking.

Meanwhile, what can you as the responsible adult do?

Understand your own attitudes and behaviors. No doubt you’ve been faced with the same decisions about what’s right and wrong for you, possibly including tobacco use. Before trying to intervene with a teen smoker, be clear about your own beliefs and biases. It’s hard for teens to trust adults who seem dishonest or unsure of themselves.

Don’t panic…or at least don’t show it. Calmly talk about why your teen tried smoking and what pressures he faces. Don’t make threats or ultimatums—they don’t work long-term. Tell your teen that you understand quitting isn’t easy and that you’ll support him however long it takes.

Understand the teen perspective. Talk about what your child sees as the benefits of smoking before discussing the risks. Be aware that the threat of lung cancer or heart disease isn’t as compelling to teens as the effect smoking has on their complexion, teeth and breath. (It also can cause symptoms like headaches and allergies.) Talk as you would to an adult; teens won’t listen if they think you’re talking down to them or trying too hard to be cool.

Help them get help. Tobacco treatment programs like Lehigh Valley Hospital’s have helped many teens overcome their habit. Encourage your child to get treatment—and talk together about healthy ways to cope with pressures.

Be a cheerleader. The average person tries to quit smoking nine times before it sticks. “Teens need all the encouragement they can get, especially when they feel they’ve failed,” Pletcher says. “Help them see that—as with many life challenges— quitting tobacco is about winning the war in spite of losing a few battles.”

Fighting the pressure

At age 5, Cristina Usino of Bethlehem handed her father his pack of cigarettes with a “Mr. Yuk” sticker. That was enough to make Michael Usino quit. Now 22, Cristina still feels strongly about the issue. She works with BUSTED!, an anti-tobacco program for youth. As a teenager, Cristina overcame pressures to smoke. “What’s the point?” she says. “It’s the easiest way to kill yourself slowly.” Her latest challenge is helping her boyfriend stop smoking. “He says it relieves stress, but nicotine cravings just add to the stress,” she says. “I’m giving him the facts, and eventually he’ll understand why he needs to quit.”

Want to Know More? For a list of tobacco cessation Web sites for teens, call 610-402-CARE or click here.

Published from Healthy You Magazine, March-April 2008

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