Jump to full article: Politics Daily (AOL), 2010-03-17
Author: Rachel Leavitt Contributor
Intro: It's easy to dismiss as just a phase the drinks and smokes you have while 19 and "having fun." But according to a University of Arizona associate anthropology professor, Dr. Mimi Nichter, the detrimental habits that develop throughout college are alarmingly capable of turning into lasting problems, especially when the habits reinforce each other.
Dr. Nichter and her colleagues wanted to "unpack" the issue of tobacco use in association with alcohol because, as she said, "It's only when you start to understand why people do something and how they talk about it that you can begin to address some of the issues." The most pressing issue being the role of alcohol in tobacco adoption and addiction.
In an article titled "Smoking and Drinking Among College Students: 'It's a Package Deal,' " Dr. Nichter, along with Mark Nichter, an Arizona regents' professor of anthropology, and their colleagues explain the research they conducted, primarily focusing on "party smokers" and the "perceived social and physical utility functions of smoking and drinking at parties." . . .
Dr. Nichter said some people smoked and drank to keep from doing other things. They don't want to do drugs but they want to be with their friends, so they resort to smoking and drinking, considering them "the lesser of two evils." But the magnitude of tobacco's harmfulness should not be overlooked.
"Tobacco is the biggest preventable cause of death," she said. "It's one of the biggest public health problems that we have on the planet."
The various reasons for smoking do not counterbalance the destructive and addictive effects of tobacco. Even at very low levels, you can become addicted to tobacco.
"Don't think that smoking at parties is no big deal," Dr. Nichter warned, "because it is a big deal."
Jump to full article » |