The challenge of treating teenagers. (adolescents' nicotine addiction)

The Challenge of Treating Teenagers

Many of us working as drug counselors with adolescents have learned to tolerate cigarettes as a minor part of our young clients' drug problem. In treatment centers, teenage smoking is either ignored altogether, allowed on a regular schedule, or forbidden but not dealt with.

These attitudes result mainly from what we know about adult smokers. After all, compared to "harder drugs" tobacco does seem to be relatively harmless. Cigarettes don't wreck relationships, lead to bankruptcy, cause highway deaths, disrupt families, or incite violence. Of course everyone knows about cigarettes' long-term health problems. But we see no reason to rush into a coming up with …