Smoking Among Teenagers

Claudine "pakantot" Baldevarona
6722-Aristotle
Smoking Among Teenagers

CHAPTER 1: Introduction It is a fact that children who starts smoking before the age of 15 will continue to smoke all their adult life. This is why smoking is bad for teenagers. A cigarette contains more than 4000 chemical compounds among which 40 are carcinogens and unfortunately, it affects the health of a child in a very bad way.
Cigarette smoking is a habit that kills approximately million of people per year. It is surprisingly being picked up by myriad amount of children every day. Smoking becomes a growing trend in the youth community. The number of young smokers have been increased in most American middle schools and high schools. Both girls and boys are smoking because they think it is cool. The four reasons that cause many teenagers to start smoking are peer-pressure, image projection, rebellion, and adult aspirations.
Group acceptance is one of the reasons that cause many teenagers to start smoking. They smoke based solely on the fact that cigarettes make them look cool. For example, if their friends are smoking, many teenagers will begin smoking simply to maintain their acceptance within the group. On the other hand, some of the young people start smoking just out of curiosity. From this curiosity, they will try smoking, and whether they like it or not will be the basis for their decision.
However, I know most of them will not quit after their first cigarette because if they quit, then their friends might say that you are not cool. For instance, if you have a group of friends, and every one of them smokes except you, then you feel weird when you hang out with them. As a result of feeling weird in front of your friends, you now have a sudden urge to start smoking simply because you want to act the same as your friend do. Image projection is the second reason that causes many teenagers to start smoki

There is definitely an 'image' that attached to smoking by advertising. For women or young girls, it is one of sexiest and desirable things to do. Some girls begin to smoke thinking they can lose weight. For men or guys, it is for rugged individualism, fun, or coolness. If a teenager buys into that image, then he or she begins smoking. Another reason for teenage smoking is rebellion, which causes many teenagers start smoking. Many teenagers take up smoking because they know it annoys, bothers, and infuriates their parents and other adults. There is also a certain element of 'doing what is not allowed' worked in as well.
For example, if you have an argument with your dad or mom, then you smoke just to annoy your parents because you know they do not like to see you smoke. However, in some cases, the young kids are getting addicted after their first try. Finally, they want to be an adult. Adult aspiration is also one of the reasons that lead some teenagers to smoking. Some teenagers believe that by smoking they are acting like an adult. If the teenager is raised in a community where most of the adults smoke, then this is perhaps a logical conclusion.
They have the tendency to imitate what the adults around them did. For some teenagers, they are smoking because they think with a cigarette in their mouth makes them look and feel like an adult.

PS: kantutin nio ako