May 31, 2010

Smoking is Highly Addictive in Kids (Teens and Babies) [video]

All it takes is one cigarette a month.

A recent study in Pediatrics that tracked the course of addiction to smoking among a group of sixth-graders found that smoking only one cigarette a month was all it took to become dependent.

In the study titled "Early Course of Nicotine Dependence in Adolescent Smokers," the researchers found that one cigarette a month or one cigarette a week was enough to keep addiction satisfied, but as time goes by, the child has to smoke cigarettes more and more frequently. So people may be addicted for more than a year before they feel the need to smoke a cigarette every day.

Read a NPR story on this research here.

Apparently, this may be true not only for tweens, but even infants... Here is a YouTube video of a 2 year old baby who has become addicted and is now a chain-smoker.

Fauquier blog
Fauquier ENT

Dr. Christopher Chang is a private practice otolaryngology, head & neck surgeon specializing in the treatment of problems related to the ear, nose, and throat. Located in Warrenton, VA about 45 minutes west of Washington DC, he also provides inhalant allergy testing/treatment, hearing tests, and dispenses hearing aids.


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