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Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers
Toughlove
by Phyllis York, D. A. York, Ted Wachtel
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TELL YOUR
KIDS—SOME FACTS ON SMOKING
by Katrina Day Wester (adapted from
material from the Centers for Disease Control)
Does your
teen think that he or she is cool because they smoke? Here are some
interesting facts that might change their minds.
Fact #1: More young people don't smoke than do.
Fact #2: It’s the least popular thing you can do if you want
to hang out with other teenagers.
So now you know the facts. What about telling them some other “interesting”
things about cigarettes?
- Science
Lab – Cigarettes contain formaldehyde. The next time he has
to dissect a frog, your teen could think about smoking the same stuff
that preserved it.
- Rat Poison:
If the cancer-causing agents in tobacco aren’t bad enough, how
appealing is the cyanide? It’s the same cyanide that’s
found in rat poison.
- Bug Spray:
Nicotine is an insecticide that’s found in bug spray. Not really
something to consider smoking.
- Cocaine
& Heroine: Studies have concluded that nicotine is as addictive
as these highly addictive drugs.
- Chew /
Dip: This isn’t any better. Smokeless tobacco can cause gum
disease and cancer of the mouth, pharynx, and esophagus. It can also
cause heart disease and strokes.
Even if you
did drugs as a teen, you might not be able to recognize the signs of
drug use today. Many of the drugs are different.
COLD
HARD CASH
Since the typical smoker spends almost $700.00 per year on cigarettes,
one might wonder what could be bought with that money instead. Here
are some examples.
- They could
play 2,800 video arcade games
- Talk to
a friend on the phone in another state for 126 hours and 22 minutes
- Shop till
they drop for music – about 45 compact discs!
- Buy 1186
packs of sugar free gum – a better habit!
- If they saved the
$700 every year in a bank account earning 5% interest, they would
have $25,003.47 after 20 years. Talk about being able to buy a nice
car!
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