The dangers of smoking have been known for years. But a recent report filed by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse has found that smoking is especially dangerous for adolescents.

"CASA's original analysis of data from the NDSUH [National Survey on Drug Use and Health] finds that teens who smoke are nine times likelier to meet the medical criteria for past year alcohol abuse or dependence and 13 times likelier to meet the medical criteria for abuse and dependence on an illegal drug than teens who don't smoke."

The study also found that teens ages 12 to 17 are twice as likely to suffer from symptoms of depression if they smoke. Feelings of anxiety and worthlessness were also more likely.

Excel Academy, a sober high school, offers troubled teens a chance for a healthy, successful transition into adulthood. Visit Excel Academy to learn more about their programs for troubled teens.

Labels: health_problems, risky_behaviors, smoking

If a teen's first cigarette is a relaxing experience, he or she is more likely to become addicted to smoking.

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School recently completed a four-year study of 1246 sixth-graders to find out why some teenagers get addicted to cigarettes and others do not.

"It is how the brain reacts to nicotine, rather than personality traits," according to Dr. Joseph DiFranza, lead author of the study.

The study appears in the Journal of Pediatrics.

Labels: brain_chemistry, cigarettes, smoking

Researchers at the University of California San Francisco have found that smoking cigarettes during the first six to nine months of recovery may interfere with an alcoholic's overall success.

"Corresponding study author Timothy C. Durazzo, of the University of California San Francisco, says non-smoking alcoholics showed a significantly greater level of recovery than smoking alcoholics in the areas of mental efficiency; higher-level reasoning and problem-solving; visual-spatial processing skills and working on short-term memory."

The mortality rate for cigarette smoking is also four times that of the mortality rate relate to alcohol-induced diseases. Read more at EarthTimes.org.

Recovery is a life-long process and requires commitment, introspection, and most importantly, courage. Learn more about Recovery Support at www.drugrehabtreatment.com.

Labels: alcohol, recovery, smoking

Hookah smoking is a current fad among American young people with new cafes and bars appearing near college campuses every month. However, a report from the American Lung Association indicates that the usual 45-minute hookah smoke is the equivalent of 100 cigarettes.

The smoke from these water pipes also has higher levels of carbon monoxide: 1.4% compared to 0.4% in cigarettes. The flavored tobacco is linked to oral, lung and bladder cancer.

Thomas Carr, national policy manager for the ALA, said that research indicates adolescents who use hookah tobacco are more likely to "graduate" to cigarette smoking.

Labels: fads, smoking, teenagers

Smokers who underwent intensive, structured treatment were much more likely to quit the habit than those left on their own, a new study finds.

Researchers at Creighton University Cardiac Center in Omaha, NB, worked with 209 heart patients. They divided them into two groups. Both groups got thirty minutes of anti-smoking counseling and self-help materials. However, one group also underwent three months of behavior modification therapy and took free drugs tailored to their needs, such as nicotine smoking patches or ibuprofen.

Two years later, almost 40% of the group receiving structured treatment had quit smoking, compared to 9% of those who had no interventions.

This study appears in the February 2007 issue of CHEST, the journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.

Labels: smoking, treatment

A recent study at Washington University School of Medicine has found a link between teenage smoking and alcoholism. The study included three groups ranging in age from 12 to 20, and found that smokers had more than a 50 percent increased risk for alcoholism.

"Younger smokers in the 12- to 14-year-old age group were 28.4 percent more susceptible to developing an alcohol problem later, compared with 4.2 percent for nonsmokers, although both reported having one to eight drinks in the past month."

The study polled over 74,000 households with adolescents and young adults, as part of the U.S. National Surveys on Drug Use and Health.

Read more online.

Labels: addiction, cigarettes, smoking