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Teenage Smoking Issues

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The issues associated with smoking can be imperative to the growth and development of an adolescent. As a high school student many of these stressors affected my personal experience with substance use, as it is known that youth spend approximately one third of their time in school environments (Hofferth and Sandberg, 2001). Despite being aware of the harmful effects smoking has on one’s cognitive ability as well as the health risks associated with it, I was still presented with the ethical dilemma of whether or not to begin smoking as my friends had all taken it up. Social influences such as family and friends, have proven to increase the risk of adolescent participation. Also, perceptions of friends smoking predict developmental trajectories of smoking and according to both cross-sectional (Boyle, 1997) and longitudinal studies; youth who perceive that their peers smoke tobacco are at increased risk of using the product (Tomar and Giovino 1998). High school is one of the most major transitional periods in an adolescent’s life, therefore the stressors youth face surrounding them during this time period are tremendous. Social networks also known as social standings, indicate the youth’s popularity or centrality. Findings of sociometrical studies suggest that smoking is influenced by social marginalization and by social impact. Adolescents are concerned with social image and their social status amongst their peers. Looking back at my high school experience I personally felt

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