Teenage Smokers May Also Be At Greater Risk For Alcohol And Drug Abuse

Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Also Included In: Smoking / Quit Smoking
Article Date: 25 Oct 2007 - 2:00 PDT

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According to a new report, smoking cigarettes may make adolescents more susceptible to depression, alcohol abuse, and illegal drug use.

Researchers concluded that young people 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 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.

Califano says the report was issued to make parents, teachers, and physicians aware that the dangers of teenage smoking are immediate as well as long-term.

According to the CASA analysis, twice as many teenage smokers compared with non-smokers 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.

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 teenagers who don't smoke. Adolescents who smoked were more than twice as likely to have suffered from symptoms of depression over the course of a year.
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.

Rather, the study showed that current cigarette use was a strong predictor of developing serious symptoms of depression within a year.

Elizabeth Goodman, MD, 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.

http://www.ash.org.uk