When attempting to estimate adequately the psychological factors that are associated with smoking process it would be much more useful to take a look at adolescent smokers. This is due to the fact that minors are more likely to be exposed to the outside influence of their environment. Therefore, they are more vulnerable than adults and generally tend to start smoking since they either want to look older, or try to simulate their idol’s habits or they simply demonstrate their rebellious spirit that is so peculiar to their age.

Moreover, the teenagers keep tobacco smoking or at least trying despite the fact that billions are spent every year on various health campaigns and antismoking programs, making this issue a major headache for public health authorities.

According to the U. S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention research, almost five thousand American adolescents try cigarettes each minute. About a half of that number becomes regular or intermittent smokers. Another nationwide survey showed that the main part (75%) of regular adult smokers began lighting up while being adolescents.

Among the reasons for becoming a smoker is the environment. For example, teens are twice more likely to start smoking in case their friends are smokers; they start smoking as well in order to be closer to their smoking friends, to have something in common with them and to share the “smoking-breaks”. Teenagers also admit to start smoking in tough times, when they have exams and want to relax and draw their attention away from studying at least for some minutes. It is a common sociological tendency, proven by many researches related to behavioral changes among adolescents.

Another reason to start smoking is the desire of teenagers to be special, to break the traditions and rules of the environment they live in. And namely because smoking is almost prohibited, it becomes something like a forbidden fruit to them, alluring and convincing to taste it. However, the major problem here is the addiction; minors become addicted to cigarettes not from the physiological point of view, but from the psychological one. They are addicted by the fact that by starting smoking they can break the rules, rebel, and go against their parents, thus, showing their particularity and uniqueness. The problem is that when they take that first puff, they can become addicted. This is the most common feature peculiar to this stage of life. Minors love to be in the center of attention; it makes no difference for them what kind of attention is that: negative or positive. Thus, it smoking makes them some kind of addicted to the attention they get from the adults around them when they parents get to know that they are smoking.

The U. S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention scientists have performed a survey that was recently published in the American Journal of Public Health. The survey was devoted to the profile of average teen smoker, and the features peculiar to adolescent smoking.

Here are several of the most common features peculiar to teen smokers:

However, the rate of underage smokers fell about 30% in 2008. The public health authorities name the following reasons to be responsible for this drop: a)The price increase: the retail cost of cigarettes has gone up significantly, making cigarettes a way too expensive for teenagers. b)The smoking bans implemented by thousands schools throughout the country. c)The psychological reasons: smoking rates fell when the mass-media began various campaigns to show smoking as an unhealthy and unfashionable trend. When tobacco companies began rising the prices for cigarettes the consumption among teenagers fell by 25%, thus, making the price factor the best weapon in the struggle with teenage smoking.

However, all the efforts implemented by public health officials and antismoking groups are only the first step in the struggle with teenage smoking, since it is very important to change the behavior, the consciousness of young smokers, and not only to impose bans and restrictions.