Many kids smokers, they find it hard to stay away from the drug's effects. NIDA has opened a Teen Tobacco Addiction Treatment Research Center in Baltimore, MD, to find the best treatments for young smokers. Currently, the Center is assessing the nicotine patch and nicotine gum to see how safe, tolerable, and effective they are for adolescents. The Center is also determining whether teens use these quitting aids properly. At the same time, researchers are trying to find out whether these therapies work better alone or in combination with counseling and group support.
Nicotine addiction is a disease.
But it is preventable. NIDA continues to fund innovative research to find the most effective treatment and prevention approaches for adolescents. In the meantime, not starting to smoke is the best form of prevention. Talk to your kids about the threat of smoking. With your guidance, maybe they won't light up.