Where There's Smoke
Is smoking cigarettes worth the risks?
by Michael Popkin, Ph.D.
TWEENS & TEENS News May 2007
Jason’s mother sat him down at the dinner
table one Saturday afternoon to a feast his
eyes could not believe. In front of him were
his three all-time favorite desserts. First
was a death-by-chocolate sundae dripping with
hot-fudge sauce. Next was an equally delectable
piece of coconut cream pie, a true addiction
for Jason. Finally, beckoning Jason with a richness
he could die for, was the biggest piece of German
chocolate cake he had ever seen. In Jason’s
opinion, German chocolate cake was what we had
fought two world wars to win.
As Jason wondered what he had done to deserve
such good fortune, his mother spoke. “Son,
you see your three favorite desserts in the
world, correct?” Jason nodded— and
drooled.
His mother continued. “Now, I have some
good news and some bad news for you. And then
you get to make a decision.”
Jason’s eyes shifted nervously. Something
was up. “The good news is that you get
to choose one of these three desserts to eat.”
So, that was it? He could only eat one dish?
Not quite.
“The bad news is that I have put poison
in one of the three desserts,” Jason’s
mother revealed. “The poison is so lethal
that it will kill you in a matter of minutes.
It will be excruciatingly painful and there
is no antidote. If you don’t die immediately,
you will know that you have chosen well.”
Jason’s mouth dropped open. “You’re
kidding, right?”
“No, sir,” his mother replied. “I’m
dead serious— as serious as a heart attack,
lung disease or cancer. Now, which dessert do
you choose? You have ten seconds.”
“This is crazy,” screamed Jason.
“I don’t need ten seconds! Only
an idiot would eat any of the desserts now that
you’ve revealed ingesting the items may
have fatal consequences.”
Jason’s mother nodded in agreement. “That’s
right,” she said. “Only an idiot
would take a one in three chance of ingesting
something that could kill you, even if it tasted
really great.” Then his mother lifted
a package of cigarettes from her purse and put
them on the table. “Tell me then,”
she continued, “why would a teenager ever
smoke one of these awful things when the odds
of dying from heart disease, lung disease, cancer
or some other smoking-related illness is one
in three?”
Jason swallowed hard and wondered, “How
did she find my cigarettes?”
So, are 28 percent of teens idiots?
The above story is fiction. However, the fact
that one in three smokers do die from a smoking-related
illness is true.
Not long ago, about half of all teenagers smoked.
That percentage has been reduced to about 28
percent in recent years. Maybe the majority
of teens are too smart to play Russian roulette
with two bullets in a six-shooter. But what
about the other 28 percent? They don’t
lack intelligence, just judgment.
Here’s what may be occurring with
teens and tweens who smoke:
•Some adolescents see teens who they consider
“cool” smoking, then figure, “why
not try it?”
•Some teens and tweens ignore the risks
of the awful smoking-related illnesses, as if
they are immune to the illnesses, and they go
ahead and smoke.
•About one in three kids is genetically
programmed to become easily addicted to nicotine.
These kids get a real buzz from tobacco the
very first time they try cigarettes. Then, over
a three-year period, they become heavily hooked.
•Later, when these kids get older and
try to quit (including when they are adults),
they discover the urge to smoke or chew tobacco
is too great to overcome.
The kids who are not genetically programmed
to get hooked on tobacco generally find it easier
to quit.
Need a few more good reasons to resist smoking
cigarettes? Consider the following points
before you try tobacco— or decide whether
to make the long, hard effort to quit:
•Not only can tobacco kill you, it rapidly
ages your skin. Smoking turns skin yellowish
and leathery, making a young person look middle-aged
and a middle-aged person look old.
•Smoking makes your breath smell bad,
especially to non-smokers. Non-smokers don’t
like kissing ashtrays.
•Smoking makes your clothes stink, your
hair stink, your car stink and your room and
house stink.
•Smoking dulls your taste buds so that
food eventually loses much of its taste.
•More and more restaurants do not allow
smoking. Smokers out on the town can’t
enjoy a good meal— while they can still
taste food— and be able to sate their
craving for a cigarette.
•Smoking lowers your lung capacity,
limiting performance on the playing field
or in the stadium. This explains why athletes
typically don’t smoke. Smoking can also
cause chronic coughing, increased phlegm and
wheezing. Attractive picture, huh?
•Smoking costs a fortune! With a pack
of cigarettes costing upwards of $5 (even
when you buy by the carton), a pack-a-day
smoker spends $35 a week or $1,850 per year
on cigarettes. Put this money in a mutual
fund at just eight percent interest a year,
and in seven years you will have saved $16,504—
enough money for a car! In ten years that
amount jumps to $26,793! Imagine what could
you buy with that.
All in all, smoking tobacco is not a risk
worth taking. Unfortunately, 28 percent of
teens are not too good at evaluating risks—
and a third of them will die because of it.
Dr. Michael Popkin is the author of over
20 books and videos on parenting, including
Active Parenting Now and Active Parenting
of Teens (both from Active Parenting Publishers).
He is the national spokesperson for the teen
smoking prevention program, Talk Early, Talk
Often; a frequent keynote speaker; and has
appeared on hundreds of television shows,
including MONTEL and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
His newest book is Taming the Spirited Child:
Strategies for Parenting Challenging Children
Without Breaking Their Spirits, released in
March 2007 from Fireside/Simon and Schuster.
Popkin’s Web site is www.activeparenting.com.
