Consequences of smoking during puberty
A decisive period in the life of a person is adolescence or puberty. In this phase of life the danger of starting smoking is particularly high and the consequences of smoking in adolescence are also more serious than in adults. This is because in adolescence and especially in puberty one is more susceptible to the harmful influences, as the body is in an important phase of development.All organs and also the central nervous system are in constant reconstruction and growth, so that particularly far-reaching consequences of smoking can be seen here.
The brain is more susceptible to damage. The occurrence of depression and attention deficit disorders is more frequently diagnosed in people who smoked in adolescence. Also, adolescents are more susceptible to nicotine and thus become addicted more quickly than adults.
The physical consequences of smoking can also be observed more strongly in teenagers and children during puberty. There is an increase in high blood pressure, declining performance during sports, and poor lung capacity and function, as the delicate lung tissue cannot develop well. The consequences of smoking during puberty can thus be chronic bronchitis and COPD at a relatively early age.
In general, all consequences of smoking occur earlier in people who started smoking in adolescence or puberty than in late entrants, since the total dose of cigarettes smoked plays a major role in the development of the consequences. Risks for cardiovascular diseases and also cancer are greatly increased. A further consequence of tobacco consumption, which is more severe in adolescence, is the reduction in bone density, which in some cases can be objectively demonstrated in 18-year-old smokers.
As a result of smoking in adolescence and puberty, the bone substance steadily decreases and thus leads to osteoporosis and possibly growth or developmental disorders at an early age. Last but not least, smoking has been proven to cost years of life; the earlier you start, such as in adolescence or puberty, the more you lose. It has been calculated that people who started smoking at the age of 14 live up to 20 years less than non-smokers. This is all the more tragic because adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18 are often not yet good enough to reflect on their own decisions and assess the consequences. Therefore, prevention by parents, school and society as a whole plays a major role in avoiding the consequences of smoking.
