After reading the Connecting with Kids article about smoking addiction, I had to throw in my two cents worth.  For those of you who haven't read it yet, it stated that some parents don't worry about their kids experimenting with cigarettes as much as they do about them experimenting with meth, etc.

Having spent the past year watching my mom battle lung cancer, I can honestly say that I'm just as terrified of my son smoking cigarettes as I am of him becoming addicted to any other drug or alcohol.  After undergoing major surgery to remove two wedge sections from her lung, six months of chemo, 33 radiation treatments to her chest and 13 radiation treatments to her brain, this woman STILL smokes!  The addiction is overwhelming.

At a follow up visit this week with the doctor who was responsible for her radiation treatments, he told her that he has seen patients come in who are addicted to heroin and also smoke.  They were able to quit heroin, but were unable to quit smoking.  He said the same thing about some alcoholics he has treated. 

I realize that people quit smoking every day so it can be done.  But I wanted to stress to parents not to take lightly any experimentation their kids do with nicotine.  My mom started smoking at age 12 and has been addicted ever since.  Sad.