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Journalism Award Winner: Spring 2000: Third Place

It’s lunchtime. Hordes of kids run to their cars, racing to be the first in the line of cars headed to town for food. In contrast another group of students take their daily stroll off school property. Why? They need nicotine demanded satisfaction. Some may be of legal age; none want the hassle of smoking on campus.

Since smoking and chewing tobacco may be considered a common thing at most schools, the Trojanier recently conducted a survey to discover locally how many students have tried or regularly use tobacco.

Local survey statistics

This survey of nearly 100 students found that only 14 percent use tobacco regularly although 35 percent admitted that they have tried it.

Despite the evidence of a chewing habit that appears in the boys restroom, less than 2 percent of the population polled admitted to using smokeless tobacco.

Probably most surprising for adults is the fact that despite the strong laws prohibiting purchase of tobacco by minors, 81 percent of the students say they could easily buy them locally. Even though these numbers are below national and state averages, the statistics make one wonder. The survey found that the top influences for smoking is parents.

Other major influences were friends, peers and church leaders. Also, only 43 percent of users believe they are addicted to the tobacco habit. Financially, it isn’t cheap to use this product either. Tobacco companies continue to raise prices after losing millions of dollars in lawsuits resulting from the deadly habit. States are using much of this money for anti-smoking education campaigns. Still, people keep “lighting up.”

Here are some stories of students who fought or overcame tobacco.

Experimenting

Ryan, a senior, tried his first cigarette this last summer. Why did he do it? “It was totally peer pressure. My brother and all of his friends talked me into trying it. It seemed like everyone else was doing it, except for me.”

To get his cigarettes, Ryan would either get them from his brother or buy them from a local gas station. “I either found people old enough to buy them for me, or I just bought my own. Twenty-five percent of the time, stores would sell them to me. I just looked older than my age.” When he got really desperate, Ryan even stole them from his friends cars. He has since quit.

“I smoked for three months and just quit cold turkey. After I quit, I felt so much better. Don’t do it because everyone wants you to. I’m against smoking for my own beliefs, not for anyone else.” Although he no longer smokes, he does not discriminate against people because of their smoking or chewing habit. “Its their own choice; there’s nothing you can do about it. My brother still smokes, and I love him anyway.”

If a best friend started smoking, he agreed with 39 percent of the student body interviewed, “I’d tell him what I think about smoking, but continue to be his friend.”

From curiosity to addiction

On the other hand, many don’t find it so easy to quit the habit. Justin (name changed) is an average student who loves to hang out with his friends, hated coming home early, and makes his truck a priority in his life. At just thirteen, he and his friends decided to try a cigarette. They thought it might be fun . . . just this once. By the time he reached high school, he was smoking a half a pack a day.

As with Ryan, buying tobacco from local gas stores was no problem. He looked well over the age of eighteen, so rarely did anyone card him.

Smoking cigarettes soon led to chewing tobacco as he and his friends wore the well-known circle on the back of the Wrangler pants. So far, he is satisfied with his decision to use these addictive forms of tobacco and doesn’t plan to change for now.

Michael’s attempt to quit

While some student smokers believe that they could stop “anytime,” Michael (not his real name) had a different story. Starting at the age of eight following a family move, this young man found himself with ample time to spare and a need for friends.

The group soon offered him that first cigarette, and he fell victim to what later blossomed into a large and longstanding love-hate relationship with tobacco.

When he moved to this area, his smoking problem came with him. Since his family also uses, it was “easy to slowly slide further and further down.”

However, as a teen living in this conservative community, his habit has caused some peers to avoid him or shun him completely. Some friends even lectured him about the habit.

Deciding to do something about this, he decided to quit after “lighting up his last one.” Immediately he felt better but worse.

Within six hours he found himself feeling stressed and angry. After two full days, these feelings drowned out his resolve to quite. And he once again lit up.

The addict’s second attempt came several months later and at the request of a close friend. Remembering the pain that he went through before, he decided to follow a new game plan; he went for Nicorette gum.

The gum tasted awful and only scratched the surface of his craving. Michael saw little hope. Although he lasted a little longer before starting again, he eventually gave in.

Still plagued by the habit that has come to dominate his life, he offers this advice. “Don’t start smoking. It is not worth it. It will be with you, and you will always depend on it.”

Experts in stopping the habit would add, “If you smoke, don’t stop trying to quit because eventually you will win.”

That’s good advice for Justin and Michael and anyone else.

Copyright © 2000

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