Few puffs, many problems

It's just a cigarette or two, maybe once a month. It's not like that would be enough to get a teenager addicted, right?

Wrong, say researchers and local officials.

In fact, two studies this decade have shown that a teen can experience signs of addiction with minimal exposure.

"It doesn't really surprise me, because it's so easy at that age to become addicted to something," said Randy Pettus, federal programs supervisor for Florence City Schools.

"We recognize that smoking is addictive, and we have to take measures to try to reduce smoking early," said Dr. Karen Landers, area health officer. "The key point is it's better not to start.

"Once you start, you have a physiological response to this and it's hard to stop smoking. You're body craves the nicotine."

In a 2002 study, 679 adolescents were interviewed eight times over 30 months. The study revealed that 332 of the youths had used tobacco. Of that 332, 40 percent reported symptoms of addiction.

Of the amount that reported addiction symptoms:

"This study is powerful evidence that the best way to protect our kids from the dangers of tobacco is to prevent them from ever starting to smoke," stated William V. Corr, executive vice president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, in a release that was issued in response to the findings.

The study was conducted by the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Harvard Medical School and University of London.

Another revelation from the study is that teen girls become addicted much quicker than boys.

The study showed that girls displayed the symptoms within an average of three weeks after they started smoking. Boys showed symptoms within an average of six months.

Researchers believe the cause for the early addiction among teens is that the teen brain is not fully mature, making them vulnerable to nicotine.

The study states adolescents under 19 are twice as likely to report having trouble quitting than those 19 to 22 years old.

In a 2006 Canadian study, 311 of 1,293 youths between 12 and 17 became smokers during the research period, according to a Canada.com report.

That study indicated dependence occurred within two to three months, and serious cravings occurred by the fourth month. Physical addiction was felt by the fifth month. Yet the youths were smoking less than two cigarettes a week, researcher Jennifer O'Loughlin said.

She said about 30 percent of youths end up "with a full-blown addiction for the next 20 years," even if they are just occasionally smoking at first.

Local teens say they are aware of nicotine dangers.

"It can be addictive," said 17-year-old Tuscumbia resident Daniel Sorrell, who believes smokers can kick the habit if they truly dedicate themselves to doing so. "It's all in the head."

"It's a matter of willpower," 17-year-old Lauderdale County resident Sarah Berry said.

Sorrell and Berry don't smoke, nor does Berry's 14-year-old sister, Rachel Berry.

In fact, Rachel once convinced a friend to stop. "She had started when she was 11 and quit when she was about 15," Rachel said.

Selling tobacco products in Alabama is illegal to individuals younger than 19. Still, teens say it's difficult to stop their peers.

"Teenagers who can't buy them are going to steal them if they want them that badly," Sorrell said.

"Some get others who are old enough to buy them," Sarah Berry added.

The teens also believe they and their peers are targeted by tobacco advertisements.

That is why Sorrell is glad there are commercials to counter those. "I like the 'Truth' commercials against smoking," he said.

Those commercials typically depict a group finding innovative ways to publicly proclaim statistics about the dangers of smoking. In one spot, they pull out body bags in front of a tobacco company.

Pettus said federal programs help schools to provide anti-smoking information.

He said the information goes beyond just telling students not to smoke. "People go into the schools with scientifically based information and research."

He said national research called the Pride Survey looks at smoking and drug habits in individual schools, so school administrators know where to focus campaigns about usage.

"Over the years, we've seen a decline in drug use," he said. "Tobacco kind of roller-coasters. We'll see a huge drop in tobacco use and then it'll ease back up."

He said the research shows 18.3 percent of students in grades 6 through 12 in Alabama reported using tobacco in 2002-03. That dropped to 17.4 percent in 2006-07.

The biggest change was among 11th-graders, where it dropped from 29 percent in 2002-03 to 26 percent in 2006-07, he said.

"What we're hoping to see is a gradual decrease over the years," Pettus said.

He said the survey indicates students pay attention to anti-tobacco programs. "After the presentation of our materials on the dangers of tobacco, 89.2 percent of the students perceived it as dangerous," Pettus said.

He said the study consistently reveals that students say the most common place to use tobacco is at a friend's house, and the most common time is during the weekend.

Landers said the health department has a tobacco-prevention program and is in the process of hiring a tobacco-prevention coordinator to replace one who recently left.

"We want to make sure that the education is out there," Landers said. "We can't just give education one time. The message has to be consistent."

She said parents also should set an example by not smoking or, if they already smoke, by kicking the habit.

Bernie Delinski can be reached at 740-5739 or bernie.delinski@timesdaily.com.