Teenage Smokers May Also Be At Greater Risk For Alcohol And Drug Abuse
Oct. 23, 2007 -
(WebMD) Smoking
cigarettes may make
teens more
susceptible to
depression, alcohol
abuse, and illegal
drug use, a new
report states.
Based on data from a
government drug use
survey, researchers
concluded that teens
who smoke are nine
times more likely to
abuse alcohol and 13
times more likely to
abuse illegal drugs
than teens who don't
smoke.
The report "Tobacco:
The Smoking Gun" was
released today by
the Columbia
University's
National Center on
Addiction and
Substance Abuse
(CASA), led by
former U.S. Health,
Education and
Welfare commissioner
Joseph A. Califano
Jr.
The report was
funded by the
anti-tobacco group
Citizen's Commission
to Protect the
Truth.
"The message is
clear," Califano
tells WebMD. "If
your kid is smoking,
you better be alert
to the much greater
likelihood that he
or she also may be
abusing alcohol or
illegal drugs."
Teen Smokers
at Risk
Despite decades of
warnings about the
dangers of smoking,
every day an
estimated 4,000
teens in the United
States light up a
cigarette for the
first time.
Califano says the
report was issued to
make parents,
teachers, and
physicians aware
that the dangers of
teen smoking are
immediate as well as
long-term.
According to the
CASA analysis, twice
as many teen smokers
as nonsmokers suffer
symptoms of
depression.
Smoking at a young
age has also been
linked to panic
attacks and general
anxiety disorders in
some studies, the
report notes.
While the research
falls short of
proving that smoking
is a cause of
depression and other
mental illness,
Califano says the
evidence is pointing
in that direction.
"Smoking is clearly
linked to substance
abuse and
depression, and this
report shows that
the statistical
relationship is very
powerful," he says.
Based on the
government's 2005
National Survey on
Drug Use and Health,
the CASA analysis
shows that:
-
Teenage smokers
between the ages
of 12 and 17 are
five times more
likely to drink
alcohol and nine
times more
likely to meet
the medical
criteria for
alcohol abuse or
dependence as
teens who don't
smoke.
-
Teens who smoke
are 13 times
more likely to
use marijuana
than nonsmoking
teens.
- Teens who smoke are more than twice as likely to have suffered from symptoms of depression over the course of a year.
The earlier a child
begins smoking, the
greater the risk,
Califano says.
Compared to children
who never smoked,
children who start
smoking before age
13 are three times
as likely to binge
drink, 15 times as
likely to use
marijuana, and seven
times more likely to
use other illegal
drugs such as heroin
or cocaine.
Teens,
Smoking, and
Depression
Califano says there
is growing evidence
from animal and
brain imaging
studies that the
nicotine has a more
profound effect on
young brains than on
the brains of
adults, increasing
their vulnerability
to cigarettes and
possibly other
addictive
substances.
Specifically,
adolescents may
exhibit more
nicotine-driven
changes in brain
chemistry associated
with addiction.
Animal studies
suggest that teens
may become nicotine
dependent more
quickly than adults.
While most of the
research has
involved animals, at
least one study of
teenagers suggests
that teen smoking
leads to depression,
and not the other
way around.
The report, released
in October 2000,
showed a link
between smoking and
depression, but it
seemed to contradict
the idea that teens
smoke because they
are depressed.
Rather, the study
showed that current
cigarette use was a
strong predictor of
developing serious
symptoms of
depression within a
year.
Elizabeth Goodman,
M.D., who led the
study team, says the
message that smoking
has an immediate,
detrimental effect
on health is a very
powerful one for
young people to
hear.
"When you tell teens
that smoking will
lead to lung cancer
in 50 years or even
30 years, they don't
hear it," she tells
WebMD. "But telling
them that when they
smoke it can make
them feel bad is a
message they
understand."
The CASA report
calls for greater
restrictions on the
advertising and
marketing of all
types of tobacco
products.
Califano tells WebMD
that tobacco
companies have found
ways around existing
restrictions and are
still actively
marketing their
products to
children.
He cites R.J.
Reynolds'
introduction of a
line of flavored
cigarettes under the
Camel brand - such
as the citrus
flavored "Twista
Lime" and the
pineapple and
coconut-flavored
"Kauai Kolada" - as
among the most
egregious examples
of this.
Following complaints
from federal
lawmakers and
attorneys general
from no fewer than
40 states, R.J.
Reynolds agreed to
stop selling most of
its flavored
cigarettes in
October 2006.
"No matter how you
cut it, selling
candy-flavored
cigarettes is
targeting children,"
Califano says.
"Things really
haven't changed all
that much since the
days of 'Joe
Camel.'"
By Salynn Boyles
Reviewed by Louise
Chang
©2007 WebMD, Inc.
All rights reserved.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/24/health/webmd/main3401518.shtml
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