Character Education Home Articles  Illustrations/Activities/Ideas  Lessons Intercom Insights  Links Membership

Smoking Overview and Links

Over one in four teens smoke. Over six million of today's children will one day die prematurely because they started smoking as an adolescent, many dying after years of preventable suffering. Many take their first puffs out of curiosity, and thereafter a couple of days a week, thinking that only daily smokers get hooked. Yet, we now know that "for some victims of tobacco, their unfortunate fates may have been cast with their first few cigarettes."(1) Nicotine can be as addictive as cocaine. Most teen smokers regret smoking and want to quit, but can't.  

It's astonishing that anyone would start smoking in a day when science has provided irrefutable evidence that it will significantly diminish our quality of life - a solemn indication  that peer pressure, advertising and ignorance wield almost unconquerable power. Almost.

We can make a difference. Both smoking and non-smoking parents can significantly influence their teens by talking to them openly and giving them the facts. Educators can make a difference by providing the facts using methods proven effective with teens. Communities are discovering the advertising angles that make smoking repugnant to teens. The following articles from authoritative sources give us the tools we need to make a difference.

1 - "Development of symptoms of tobacco dependence in youths," by J R DiFranza1, J A Savageau1, N A Rigotti2, K Fletcher1, J K Ockene1, A D McNeill3, M Coleman1 and C Wood1 , Tobacco Control 2002;11:228-235 © 2002 Tobacco Control . (1- University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA; 2- Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, USA; 3- University of London, London, UK)

Facts About Smoking

"Child and Teen Tobacco Use" - Facts and statistics on use of tobacco by teens. Also addresses clove cigarettes (Kreteks), flavored cigarettes (Bidis), how parents can help prevent, and how parents can help their teens quit.

Tobacco Information and Prevention Source - The place to start in finding web-based from the Centers for Disease Control on Smoking.

What You Should Know About Tobacco - The youth part of this page could be copied off for a one page handout, giving youth-oriented reasons for avoiding tobacco.

The Surgeon General's Report for Kids About Smoking - Easy-to-read format for smoking facts geared to kids.

How to Quit

"Guide to Quitting Smoking" From the American Cancer Society. Deals with such topics as

"Match Smoking Habits to Quit Methods"  ACS quiz to help smokers develop a personal quit plan.

"Help for Cravings and Tough Situations"  Intensely practical.

How to Quit - Links by the Centers for Disease Control.

Programs and Campaigns that Work

"How to Fight Teen Smoking" - An introduction by the American Cancer Society to comprehensives programs that schools and communities can adopt.

Guidelines for School Health Programs to Prevent Tobacco Use and Addiction - Practical guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control.

Helpful Collections of Sites on Smoking

Tips4Youth - Good page by the Centers for Disease Control.

Celebrities Against Smoking - Links to resources, often using popular "stars," that help students see through the advertising deceptions. 

How to Quit - Resources on how to stop smoking.

Links to Research, Data and Reports - Note that one of the categories takes you to specific data on "youth."