How quickly do children get hooked on smoking?

Answer 1

If peer pressure is a factor it can happen pretty quickly. I don't think anyone tried their first cigarette and said, "Hum, that was pretty good." It is something that you have to get used to before you "like" it. Nicotine is very addictive. Once you have it in your system you will want more. I started out smoking when I was young. It did not take long before I was addicted. It took a long time to quit. I have been smoke free for about 13 years now and every now and then I think I want one. But I know better. It was hard to quit. Smokeless tobacco is the same as cigarettes. I recently quit that. They are both very addictive and bad for you. Smokeless tobacco is a growing trend today with the young people. It's just as addictive. If you haven't started either yet, don't start. If you have, see your doctor and they can help you quit. Some people never get hooked at all -- they don't have the receptor sites that lead to nicotine addiction and they'll always be able to "take it or leave it." If you're one of the people who does, it usually takes several years after you've smoked your first cigarette to become addicted, because most kids smoke only occasionally at first. But if you smoke a lot from the start or if you're a pre-teen it can happen a lot faster than that.

I'd say that if you get to the point where you're smoking more than four or five a day, there's a good chance you're going to end up hooked. But, as I said, pre-teens get hooked faster. And when I was a kid I smoked about a half a pack a day for several years and I was still able to go without. It wasn't until I got older and started smoking more that I got hooked.