Smoking is particularly dangerous for teens because their bodies are still developing. The use of tobacco is addictive and most users develop a tolerance for nicotine and need greater amounts to produce the desired effect. Young smokers are 100 times more likely to smoke marijuana and in the future, become addicted to other substances such as heroin and cocaine.
Young people are traditionally unsuccessful when they try to quit smoking.
Some important predictors of whether or not they will be successful are gender, education, amount of smoking, and motivation for wanting to quit. At the beginning of the study, researchers had a difficult time finding volunteers, until they targeted a teen hangout, the mall. It is an anti-depressant that can ease cravings, irritability and other symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. One group of participants gets a regular dose of Zyban, others get a half dose and a third group gets a placebo. Researchers don't know exactly why Zyban works, but they think it is connected to its effect on brain chemicals.