Tobacco is extremely addicting!

If I could give you just one message today, it would be this: smoking is extremely addicting. Once you start, you may not be able to stop — ever. And the same is true for drugs and alcohol. I can't emphasize this enough — some of you may not ever be able to stop, if you start smoking or chewing tobacco.

How long does it take to get hooked? A September 2000 study showed that one quarter of 11 to 13 years old who smoke as few as two or three cigarettes a day become addicted in just two weeks. And many of the rest got addicted shortly after that. Once hooked, the average smoker is unable to stop for seventeen years! And every year, they will spend $1200 or more on tobacco products, to maintain their addiction.

What could you buy with the money you would save in two years? How about your first car! Over 10 years, you would save $12,000! Let's look at someone trying to quit smoking. For most addicted smokers, the addition is about half-mental, half-physical. This varies with each individual.

The physical portion of the addiction is to nicotine. The psychological part of the addiction is to the relaxing, familiar sensation of handling the cigarette, watching its curling smoke, the deep and relaxing breathing associated with inhaling and exhaling, the taste, and so on. When quitting, a smoker's conscious mind says, "I will stop smoking — no problem." But the unconscious mind has been conditioned that cigarettes give pleasure, and that's all it can focus on.

The addicted, unconscious mind says, 'Give me a cigarette — now!' It only recognizes what feels good, or what doesn't feel good. It demands a cigarette without regard to right or wrong, and rebels against the conscious mind's decision to not smoke. During the process of quitting, however, a new habit of being a nonsmoker forms. The unconscious mind gradually gets used to not smoking, and the urges to smoke die away. Once they get addicted, nearly all smokers try to stop a number of times. But most fail repeatedly at quitting, and many are never able to stop smoking.

Reality check: there is no product which works well. 85 out of every 100 quitters using the nicotine patch or gum go back to smoking within a year. Once you are hooked, there's just no easy way out. For smokers who quit without being in a program, it's worse — 95 out of 100 of them fail, and return to the habit within a year. The lesson is clear. With no program, statistically smokers have only a 5% chance of success. With a program, the average quitter's chances increase to 15%. So getting into a program increases your chances of quitting by three times. Not trying at all, of course, means that nothing will change.

If you are smoking now or using chew tobacco, I urge you to first admit to yourself that maybe you are smoking less out of choice, and more because you are addicted. Later, when you make a clear and firm decision to stop, getting support from a good program will ease your way and lighten your burden. In short, get help. In summary, if you are smoking, don't be afraid to get help. If you are using tobacco now, or experimenting with it, see the school nurse — or talk to an adult.

Connecting with others is a big theme today. It's okay to talk to someone and get help. If you can't find anyone, get into an online program. And if you haven't started smoking yet, remember — tobacco is extremely addicting. You can get totally hooked much faster than you think. The best way to avoid getting addicted is simply to not smoke — no matter what. In other words, almost no one will start smoking after 19! Nearly all of the tobacco industry's new customers are teens. Who are the only new recruits the tobacco companies can get? It's you — the young. How do you feel about that? Be smart, and don't be fooled. And remember how very addicting tobacco really is.

Some teens take up smoking because they think it makes them look older, but it doesn't. To most people it just looks like you're making a big mistake, and like you're trying to make yourself look older. There's no rush, you know. It's okay to be the age you are. It's okay to be yourself, right here and right now. I advise you to enjoy the present, and all the good moments your unique and special life brings you.

All of you are now in process of crossing the bridge from childhood to adulthood. You're moving at your own pace, and you should be. In the teen years, things can start moving more quickly, like rapids when a river gets narrow. Whatever you do, please don't make the mistake of risking getting addicted to cigarettes, drugs or alcohol in your efforts to set yourself apart from and establish your individuality. Remember, it often takes just two weeks for 11 to 13 years old to get hooked on tobacco.

If you feel angry, don't turn your anger inward, on yourself — by smoking, or by becoming addicted to drugs or alcohol. If you do, you hurt only yourself, and you may not ever be able to stop. These addictions have a very good chance of killing you. So be smart, and do your best to make responsible choices.

Cigarettes are yesterday's news — they are on the way out. If you get addicted to smoking, you'll be on the way out too.