40 - Sunday, May 10, 1992 - North Shore News

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S a teenage nicotine addic

I SMOKED my first cigarette at age 11. I didn’t have any
idea what I was getting myself into, it just seemed like the

thing to do at the time.

lt was the early 197Gs. At recess
and Junchtime, all the coo! kids,
the ones who smoked, hung out
by a creck near the school. The
day i showed up with a pack of
cigarettes, | was accepted into the
group.

Quit to > Win /

April 10 to May 31

Cigarettes were 50 cents a pack
back then and i swore that when
they cost a buck I would quit. The
only problem. was, by that time I
was hooked.

I became a teenage nicotine ad-
dict.

Looking back, I would say it
was practically inevitable that I
was destined to be a smoker.

I was raised during the ’60s era
of American TV cigarette advei-
tising — **1’d Walk a Mile for a
Camel’’ and ‘*Winstons Taste
Good Like a Cigarette Should.”’
And who could forget the
Marlboro Man?

By Robyn Brown
Contributing Writer

} was also influenced by old
movies. Lauren Bacall and Bette
Davis gave a certain glamor to
smoking like no one else could.

Smoking always scemed like a
grown-up thing to do. My dad
and two older brothers smoked,
and it was only a matter of time
before I did too.

Actually, my habit started early.
Long before that fateful day when
I smoked my first real cigarette,
candy cigarettes had always been a
special treat.

T used to pretend to light
them up and puff away. It was
the next logical step to advance to
the real thing.

(I checked out a few corner
grocery stores recently and I was
horrified to find that candy ciga-
rettes are still being sold. I urge
parents to boycott this product.)

Like most teenagers, ! thought I
was immortal. The health risks of
smoking never scared me at all in
comparison to the fear I had of
my parents finding out that I
smoked.

In fact that fear of my parents
finding out gave me even more
reason to do it. Smoking was an
assertion of individuality and
rebellion — 1 was getting away
with something I knew they would
disapprove of.

Dealing with social events:

Parties and other social occasions are among the hardest sit-

uations for new nonsmokers.

Seeing others smoke, and

smelling tobacco can create intense cravings.
Initially, you may want to avoid these situations. But if you

do go, be prepared.

» Before you arrive, picture yourself having a good time at
the event, and leave cigarettes out of the picture. Promise
yourself that you will not smoke, no matter what.

» Spend time with nonsmokers.

Ask a friend to help you if you run into problems.
— Reprinted from the B.C. Lung Association’s ‘‘Tips to

Help You Quit For Good.”’

T thought I was declaring my
independence. Hah! All I did was
become more dependent — on
nicotine.

it’s amazing how much society
has changed in the last decade and
a half. I feel like I have come full
circle.

During the 1980s, nonsmokers
became more assertive and made
smoking a public health issue.
With the growing evidence of the
dangers of second-hand smoke,
legislation was passed which put

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severe restrictions on smoking in
public places.

Gone were the days when I
could smoke at my desk, in the
bank, in taxis, in theatres, or in
any other indoor public place.

At the same time, f became in-
creasingly more embarrassed
about being a smoker. Smoking

was no longer socially acceptable.

Whenever I was with friends, at
parties, etc., | would have to step
outside to light up, and often I
stood alone.

In the 1970s peer-pressure dic-
tated that I smoked. But in the
health-conscious 1990s my smok-
ing made me a social outcast. So,
in the end, I've quit smoking for
the same reason I started. Kind of
ironic, eh?

A reminder to those entered in
the Quit to Win contest: the
yellow ‘‘Quit Card’’ should be
teturned to North Shore Health
between now and May 20.

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Thirty per cent of Canadian students drop out
of school, limiting forever their career
opportunities. By year 2000, it is expected that
more than 60% of all new jobs will need high

school graduation or better.

Parents and students... Read the special
supplement on education and the Stay in
School initiative in your North Shore News,

Sunday May 13.

All North Shore students and parents are
invited to attend “Career Night 92”. This
exhibition is designed to provide information

about education, career options and
employment opportunities. Experts from a
vatiety of professions will be on hand to
answer any questions about their particular
field. As well, exhibitors will provide an
exciting “marketplace” of information.

TUESDAY
MAY 12th

DOORS OPEN 9:30 A.M. TO 5:30 P.M.
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