Your Child's Health
 
[spacer] Cool Tools to Stop Smoking
[J]
[spacer]Up in $moke
A pack of cigarettes a day can cost you roughly $1,000 a year, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you didn’t smoke, what could you do with that $1,000?
  • You could buy 65 compact discs.
  • You could add to your wardrobe with 33 pairs of jeans (at $30 apiece).
  • You could see 140 first-run movies, or take yourself and your date to see a film every week for more than a year.
  • You could play 4,000 video arcade games.
oe Camel may be gone, but many teenagers still think smoking is cool. In the uphill fight to overcome decades of cigarette advertising, it’s easy for Mom and Dad to get discouraged.

In fact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the percentage of high school seniors who reported using tobacco in the past month rose to 35 percent in 1998 — an increase of 24 percent since 1991.

“Many smokers are first addicted as children, or as teenagers. And they become hooked on one of the most addictive drugs in the world,” says Dr. Carolyn M. Dresler, a chest surgeon and tireless critic of the tobacco industry who now develops smoking cessation products.

But Mom and Dad have some forceful new tools on their side:

  • A powerful federal Web site, with material for younger children and teens, quotes kids and celebrities, including Boyz II Men, explaining why they don’t smoke. The Web address: www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/osh/iquit.htm.
  • The U.S. Surgeon General has available a youth-oriented booklet, “I Quit! What to do when you’re sick of smoking, chewing or dipping.” You can order it by calling 800-CDC-1311, or download it from the CDC Web site noted above.
  • The Great American Smokeout’s hip Web site for youngsters is run by the American Cancer Society. This site also offers anti-smoking testimonials from Hollywood celebrities such as Richard Lee Jackson of “Saved by the Bell.” The address: www.cancer.org/smokeout. The Great American Smokeout is an event, too — a national smoke-free day on Nov. 18, 1999, that includes special activities for kids. For information, call 800-ACS-2345 or your local ACS office.
[Picture]
  • Be a good role model. Don’t use tobacco and don’t let others use it in your home.
  • Give your children clear and consistent messages about the risks of tobacco use.
  • Volunteer to help with prevention programs. If your community doesn’t have one, start one.
  • If your child uses tobacco, support his or her efforts to stop. Help with goal-setting and give lots of positive feedback.

 
 [spacer]
[Family Life Menu]