ABUSE MAGAZINE
these efforts have been scaled back. We
know what works to keep young people
tobacco-free, but we don’t always do
what is necessary. We have already made
some progress in reducing tobacco use by
youth. Let’s finish what we started and
make the next generation tobacco free.
THE SOLUTIONS
Prevention is critical. If young people don’t
start using tobacco by age 26, they almost
certainly will never start. The good news is
that there are many things we can do to help
keep teens and young adults tobacco-free. We
can:
• Create a world where seeing people smoke
or use other tobacco products is the
exception, not the norm.
• Take steps that make it harder for youth
to use tobacco, such as raising cigarette
prices and enforcing laws that prohibit the
sale of tobacco to children.
• Further limit tobacco marketing that is
likely to be seen by young people.
• Limit youth exposure to smoking in movies
and other media.
• Educate young people and help them make
healthy choices.
• Set an example—encourage young people
to avoid tobacco use by quitting ourselves.
For many decades, local and state health
departments, schools, and federal programs
have taken steps to protect youth from
tobacco use. But in recent years, many of
The lungs of young smokers don’t perform as well as those of nonsmokers.
Because their lungs don’t work as well,
they are short of breath and may have
more trouble participating in sports and
other physical activities. Even though
people who stop smoking will improve
their health dramatically, early lung
damage doesn’t go away completely in
most cases.
Jeanne’s Shoppe
106 North 6th • Quincy, IL • 217-222-7001
Proud to be
a drug free
workplace &
keeping our
youth on an
ABUSE FREE
path.
PEPPCO
225 Hamshire St. • Quincy, IL
217-223-7619
SMOKING CAN LEAD TO CANCER
We are proud to be
an ABUSE FREE
workplace & we
are proud to
help keep our youth
ABUSE FREE.
Tobacco smoke contains about 70 chemicals
that can cause cancer. It’s no surprise, then,
that smoking causes about one in three of all
cancer deaths in the United States. And it can
cause cancer almost anywhere in the body by
damaging DNA.
Youth—a Great Time to Quit
The good news: Smokers who quit before
age 30 will undo much of the health damage
caused by tobacco use.
Why Is It So Hard to Quit?
Tobacco users often get hooked on nicotine— the drug in cigarettes, cigars, and
smokeless tobacco (snuff and chewing
tobacco). Many teens and young adults plan to
quit using tobacco after a few years but find
out too late how powerfully addictive nicotine
can be. Like heroin and cocaine, nicotine acts
on the brain and creates feelings of pleasure
or satisfaction. Young brains are still developing. That may be one reason many teens
feel dependent on tobacco after using it for
only a short time.
Quitting isn’t easy, but it
can be done.
Better yet—don’t start!
Not starting is even better
than quitting. Their health
depends on it!
I Do Bridal
We
DO
in being
support our youth
ABUSE FREE.
421 N. 32nd St. • Quincy, IL
217-224-5721
3639 Maine St. • Quincy, IL
217-223-6800
“We are proud to Unite
with our youth to keep
them ABUSE FREE!”
abusemagazine.org | Illinois Spring/Summer 2014 |
23