According to the CDC, smoking is associated with a variety of risky behaviors, including higher use of alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine; as well as fighting and engaging in unprotected sex.
Cigarettes are a "gateway drug." Their use tends to precede use of alcohol and other drugs. If teens don't smoke, their chance of using illegal drugs are very low. This is an important message, for teens and for their parents, many of whom view smoking cigarettes as the "lesser of two evils." 1
Researchers with the Monitoring the Future project of the University of Michigan have tracked large samples of young people from high school through the adult years, studying their use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine. Their work demonstrates that teens are far more likely to continue their use of cigarettes into adulthood than the other substances studied. Parents and teens need to understand that the use of cigarettes during teen years often leads to a lifetime of addiction, and the strong likelihood of a premature death.2
1 Surgeon General's Report, 1994.
2 Bachman JG, Wadsworth KN, O'Malley PM, Johnston LD, Schulenberg JE. Smoking, Drinking, and Drug Use in Young Adulthood. The Impact of New Freedoms and New Responsibilities. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1997, Mahwah, NJ. |
