The Tenmessean, 22 de enero de 2013

Teens get firsthand lesson in pitfalls of tobacco and alcohol

Jan. 22, 2013 4:59 PM


When a group of young teens were shown a diseased lung that belonged to a smoker, their initial reaction was shock and then disgust. It was an ugly side of smoking cigarettes that few of them had seen before.

The class was one of many at TAATU — Teens Against Alcohol and Tobacco Use, a program conducted on Jan. 18 for which 1,000 sixth-grade students from Ellis, Knox Doss, Hawkins, Station Camp and Shafer middle schools gathered at Long Hollow Baptist Church. They were there to get straight facts on the effects of teenage smoking and drinking.

School personnel, local professionals and a group of students from Hendersonville, Gallatin, Beech and Station Camp high schools led individual programs designed to bring the message home about peer pressure and substance abuse.

The teens program is in its 13th year in Sumner County schools.

Susan McDaniel, prevention coordinator for the five middle schools, said tobacco and alcohol usage is more of a problem in high schools but that bad habits have trickled down into the lower grades.

“Sadly, sixth grade is when so much of that starts — tobacco and alcohol are already being introduced to them,” McDaniel said. “I think the (sixth grade) kids really look up to the high school kids who tell them why they have chosen to sign a pledge to be alcohol- and drug-free. It’s good for them to hear kids that they admire talk about what fun they have without using.”

McDaniel said older students, who represent STARS — Students Taking a Right Stand and Noah’s Promise — No Alcohol in High School, enjoy talking to the younger children.

In a 30-minute class that focused on the devastating effects of tobacco, a glass jar full of tar — a component of cigarettes — is passed around for students to see.

The high school students explained other deadly components found in cigarettes are nicotine, arsenic (used to poison mice), formaldehyde (used for embalming) and hydrogen cyanide (used in gas chambers). They also said that a typical smoker spends approximately $11,000 over a five-year period on the habit.

“That’s enough to buy a car, guys,” Gallatin High School student Stuart Brown said.

Students from Hendersonville High School put on a peer-pressure skit that explained how cigarette smoking could lead to alcohol use and how teens can get into trouble just hanging out with others that drink. The sixth graders were shown how it’s possible to give in to peer pressure at a party .

Dr. Chad Swan, a Gallatin vascular surgeon, also spoke to the group.

“If you are already smoking, set a date and quit,” Swan said. “Then deal with the problems like withdrawals and then you have to stay quit. If you have an older brother or uncle that smokes, talk to them about quitting.”

Other organizations represented in the workshop included the Sumner County Anti-Drug Coalition, Sumner County Health Department, Sumner County Sheriff’s Office and the Highland Gymnasts from Portland.

McDaniel said when the younger kids see the older students fitting in with peer groups without using tobacco or alcohol, it can often make a lasting impression.“We tell them if they will go on and make the decision that this is not something they want to be a part of and surround themselves with others who feel the same, it will just be easier,” McDaniel said.

Reporter Sherry Mitchell can be reached at 575-7117 orshmitchell@mtcngroup.com.

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http://www.tennessean.com/viewart/20130123/GALLATIN01/301230105/Teens-get-firsthand-lesson-pitfalls-tobacco-alcohol