The cost of smoking is not initially a problem to most teens, who substitute smoking for school lunches and discretionary purchases out of allowances or income from odd jobs and chores. Peer groups also share cigarettes or chip in to purchase a pack. As time goes on, however, older teenagers recognize that regular smoking represents a significant expense that eats into their discretionary budget. Teenagers do not see higher cigarette prices as much of a deterrent since cigarettes are already recognized as a necessity. Conversely, lower cigarette prices are widely acknowledged as an opportunity to smoke more.
Teens find few problems with smoking, after the initial side effects of getting started.
While teenage smokers are reasonably informed about the health risks of smoking, the long range effects raise few concerns because the final reckoning seems far away. More immediate effects, such as the loss of lung capacity, impact only on teens who are active in sports. 1.3 Images of Smoking Qualitative research results point to a high degree of ambivalence about smoking among teens. While teens acknowledge the pleasures of smoking, they recognize it as a self destructive behavior. For some, this represents one of its attractions - a way to tempt fate or engage in an antisocial behavior that represents a break with childhood.