Editing a research paper

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Name : Abdulaziz Alharbi

Course : ENGL 1010-76

Professor : L.norals

Date : 10-16-2014

Solutions to Smoking

The World Health Organization has made tremendous efforts to avail as much information on the

effects of smoking on people's health. However, this information often reaches people when it is

too late and they are already addicted to nicotine. There is need to find the gap that exists

between the points where information is disseminated from and young people who are at the risk

of being exposed to smoking. The WHO states that the risks posed by smoking are higher in

young people than adults. This is because smoking impedes the development of organs such as

lungs and this could complicate respiratory conditions that are generally associated with

smoking. In addition, young people stand the risk of graduating easily to more dangerous

substances than cigarettes (Emery et al., 262).

Research Hypothesis

That the major causes of early smoking are preventable and the major solutions often

prescribed to solve smoking can prevent teenage smoking.

Findings on the causes of early smoking

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Most of the persons interviewed on this question tended to agree that the environment

that young people find themselves in while growing up play a big role in determining whether

they will smoke. For instance, people with parents that smoke are likely to end up smoking at

some point in their lives. This is because seeing someone they look up to smoke will trigger

curiosity about the effects of the substance. Experimentation could then lead to someone getting

hooked onto the substance

In addition, the people interviewed talked about the effect of peers on smoking patterns

among young people. Most smokers were introduced to the habit by someone they knew and in

most cases, a friend. There is therefore need for parents to monitor the nature of relationships

that their children have with their friends. Schools also have a duty to monitor the activities of

students when classes are not going on. Keeping students active through sports activities may be

the single most effective way of ensuring learners do not get into dangerous habits such as

smoking (Emery et al., 262).

In a few cases, the interviewees cited personal struggles and issues as a cause for drug

use among young people. Such issues could be broken families, loss of a relative, broken

relationship, and so forth. This again highlights the need for schools and parents to take keener

look at young people so that they are able to notice sudden changes in behavior because they

could be sending signals that they require help. Failure to attend to the concerns that these young

people have could lead them to seek refuge in deviant behaviors such as smoking and by joining

gangs in city suburbs (Emery et al., 262).

Solutions for Smoking

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The ultimate end of this paper is to establish a list of possible solutions to teens that are

smoking. The first part will entail accepting that there is indeed a large number of young people

that require help in avoiding and stop smoking. Organizations that specialize in helping people

deal with smoking should start forming support groups that are purely for young people. Support

groups that are meant for adults may not be appealing to the young generation because of a fear

of being judged. Society today tends to paint addicts as bad people rather than people who made

bad choices. These groups should be open to people who would like to stop smoking and also

those that simply want to get empowered through information. These centers should act as link

between the messages sent out by organization such as the WHO and the young people (Logan et

al., 27).

Recently, there have been breakthroughs in helping people quit nicotine addictions by

breaking down the habit slowly. There is still debate however, regarding if it is ethical to give

nicotine gum to recovering teenagers. The gum provides the brain with small amounts of the

substance once a person has stopped smoking physically. The gum is used to help a person get

rid of their sources of cigarettes and also break relationships with people that could easily

influence them into relapsing. This solution is applicable when a person is already hooked to the

substance and asking them to simply stop could lead to withdrawal symptoms or other serious

conditions. The process of cleaning up is very necessary because the smell of tobacco could

easily lead a person to start smoking again. They therefore have to clean their house, cars, clothes

and other personal items and the gum may be handy at such a time (Thomas & Perara, 2006).

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The research revealed that while most solutions to smoking are offered to people at a

personal level, there is so much that can done at the grand level as well. Cities and towns have a

duty to ensure that their young people are not induced to begin smoking at an early age. In

addition, the people that smoke should not be allowed to pollute the environment by releasing

untreated smoke into the atmosphere because it leads to passive -smoking, which is equally

dangerous. So far, rules passed to control the advertising of cigarettes have done well to reduce

the number of new smokers (Logan et al., 27)

Commercial advertising had in the past been a major cause of early smoking. This is

because the advertisements portrayed smoking as stylish, especially three decades ago. Young

people were exposed to various brands of cigarettes without sufficient knowledge regarding the

health hazards that come with smoking. However, legislation was passed to outlaw the

advertising of cigarettes on mainstream media (Thomas & Perera, 6). In addition, manufacturers

were required to put a sign warning consumers of the health hazards posed by smoking. The law

also applies to alcohol companies as a means of controlling the level of drug consumption on

society today.

While such effort and progress is laudable, there is still more that can be done to

control the influence that smokers have on non-smokers in the environment in general. For

instance, cities could develop smoking lounges for people that wish to smoke when they visit

their city. These are different from designated smoking zones in that little to no amount of

harmful smoke gets out into the atmosphere. They are also comfortable places that can earn

revenue for administrations of a levy is charged used to use them (Bowen et al., 2012). Today,

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there are all products developed for use in homes and offices for people that want to smoke

indoors. A smoking cabin can be brought into an office or home setting and are easily portable.

Their technology ensures there is not filtration of smoke from the cabin to the atmosphere and

people would barely notice its presence (Bowen et al., 14).

Preventing Teen Smoking

The people interviewed offered quite a number of suggestions regarding the best ways to

prevent teen smoking. The first one was obviously a call on parents and guardians to set a good

example as it would be impossible to ask teens to stay away from tobacco when they use it

themselves. They also called on parents to get more involved in parenting to learn and advice on

what their children are going through. The feeling that a parent cares will often prevent a child

from engaging in actions that parents are likely to disapprove of (Emery et al., 262).

Another strategy that is often encouraged is to offer children real-life examples of people

that have suffered addiction. This sends the message that addictions are real and that people need

to take care or risk addiction and the tough road to recovery. Besides the health risks, young

people need to learn that smoking is expensive and parents should occasionally help their

children calculate the cost of smoking, especially when an addiction kicks in (Bowen et al., 12).

It is also important to highlight the costs involved in treating an addiction. Often, there are

therapy sessions involved as well medication prescribed to help keep the urge to smoke away. In

worst case scenarios, people could suffer chronic diseases such as a cancer, which is very

expensive to treat and control.

Conclusion

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As seen, there are numerous solutions to smoking that specialists offer to people that

have already been hooked to tobacco. These services can greatly help young people in their bid

to stay away from the dangerous habit. However, parents have a great role to ensure that their

children get the right information about drugs. Talking to them about the dangers and also setting

a good example for them to emulate will equip them with the necessary decision-making tools to

be able to say no to negative peer influence. At school, the administration should be keen to

keep an eye on students especially during their free-time. Keeping teenagers busy is perhaps the

best way to keep them away from vices.

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Works Cited

Bowen, Deborah J., et al. "Short-term effects of a smoking prevention website in American

Indian youth." Journal of medical Internet research 14.3 (2012).

Emery, Sherry, Martha M. White, and John P. Pierce. "Does cigarette price influence adolescent

experimentation?." Journal of health economics 20.2 (2001): 261-270.

Jha, Prabhat, and Richard Peto. "Global effects of smoking, of quitting, and of taxing tobacco."

New England Journal of Medicine 370.1 (2014): 60-68.

Logan, Diane, and B. C. Marlatt. "Smoking and Adolescence: some issues on prevention and

cessation." (2005).

Taualii, Maile, et al. "Adaptation of a smoking cessation and prevention website for urban

American Indian/Alaska Native youth." Journal of Cancer Education 25.1 (2010): 23-31.

Thomas, R., and Rafael Perera. "School-based programmes for preventing smoking." Cochrane

Database Syst Rev 3 (2006).

Thomas, Roger E., P. Baker, and Diane Lorenzetti. "Family-based programmes for preventing

smoking by children and adolescents." Cochrane Database Syst Rev 1 (2007).