Smoking in adolescence: what a clinician can do to help

Abstract

Approximately 4400 adolescents try their first cigarette every day in the United States. Trying a few cigarettes or using tobacco more regularly as an adolescent significantly increases the risk of smoking in adulthood. Adolescents can develop nicotine dependency after smoking relatively few cigarettes. This article points out the prevalence and unique aspects of teenage tobacco use. In addition, current recommendations for treating nicotine dependence in adolescents are reviewed.