Any parent can tell you that teenagers think they know everything. If this were true, no teen would ever take up smoking. Yet despite increased health warnings and escalating cigarette prices, teenagers are still smoking. For those who want to quit, nicotine replacement patches may be a successful option.



According to a recent study in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, teenagers who try to quit smoking using nicotine patches enjoy success rates similar to those of adults. In short-term response, teens that received these smoking cessation treatments also achieved abstinence rates equivalent to those of adults.

This fact is encouraging, as former reports addressing smoking cessation for teens had been dismal. This short-term response may give doctors a foundation to help teens with longer-term quitting.

Thomas Glynn, Director of Cancer Science and Trends at the American Cancer Society, reported that five million adolescents in the United States currently smoke. Of those, he states, "about 70 percent say they want to stop." Mr. Glynn also noted that historically, it was believed that it would be easier for teens to quit, because they hadn't been smoking for as long as adults. Studies suggest that is not the case.

The level of addiction that adolescents face is no different than that of adults. Like older smokers, teens can become solidly addicted to nicotine in as little as several weeks. One can conclude, therefore, that it is no easier for them to quit.

In one study, a group of colleagues interviewed more than 500 teens wanting to quit smoking. The study excluded more than half of the participants, including those suffering depression and those without parental consent. The final focus group included 211 teens that smoked at least 10 cigarettes per day, and had been smoking for at least six months before the start of the study. One hundred and forty five of the participants were male, and all were from the San Francisco area. Each of the teens included in the study had made at least one previous attempt to quit smoking.

The teenagers participating in the study were assigned to one of two groups. One group received the nicotine patch alone, while the other received treatment with the nicotine patch and the antidepressant buproprion, which has been shown to help smokers quit.

The nicotine patch was given for eight weeks in a tapering dose, with the starting dose dependent on the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Those also receiving buproprion went on a nine-week treatment program. Both groups also went to weekly counseling sessions.

At the end of ten weeks, 28 percent of those using the patch alone had quit smoking, while 23 percent of those receiving both the patch and buproprion had quit. However after 26 weeks, 7 percent on the patch alone were still not smoking, while 8 percent on both medications were still abstinent. Killen noted that even those who went back to smoking were still smoking far less than they had been at the start of the trial. Almost all of the teens taking part in the trial cut their smoking to a few cigarettes per day or per week.

Researchers believe that the bottom line from this study is that teenagers can be helped in quitting smoking. Teens can stop smoking, but they need help to be successful. It's no easier for teenagers to quit smoking than it is for adults. Smoking cessation therapies and medications can provide the help they need.

Another study in the same journal found that adult women who used nicotine replacement therapy to quit smoking had a harder time than men in staying off cigarettes. Women's abstinence rates dropped between three and twelve months, and after a year, men were more likely than women to remain smoke-free.

Nicotine replacement patches can be a good option for teenagers wanting to quit smoking. With your help and support, your teenager can kick the habit and remain smoke-free.