Though fewer people smoke today than at any other time in recent history, plenty of GLBT teens still do, and gay teen smoking is a pretty common thing. In fact, one study found that teenage lesbian or bisexual girls smoke more than any other group of young people! But boys aren't off the hook on this one. Smoking is still a big problem in the GLBT community, in general.
In fact, a new report by the National Youth Advocacy Coalition (NYAC) called, "Coming Out About Smoking: Tobacco Use in the LGBTQ Young Adult Community" discovered that stresses related to being a GLBT youth were directly related to high smoking rates. Some of these included being rejected by family, having suicidal thoughts and homelessness.
Additionally, the study found that GLBT youth often smoked to fit in. As it reported:
The most common theme was the idea that smoking is a social activity that is embedded into the fabric of the LGBTQ young adult community. One young person reported," It's a thing gay people get together and do - It's a social event!"
Quitting Tips
Everyone knows that smoking isn't good for you. But quitting is one of the toughest things you can do. The Gay American Smokeout website offers these tips for quitting:- Set a Quit Date. Make sure it is within the next 30 days.
- Call your friends. Tell them you are going to quit and ask for their support.
- Smoke fewer cigarettes per day or take smaller puffs.
- If you break down and have a cigarette, don't worry! It takes several attempts for most people to successfully quit!
It is also really hard to quit smoking if everyone around you is doing it. This can be really tough for gay teens who might have recently found a welcoming community. But with high levels of smoking in ther GLBT community, friends who finally get you, might also be getting you into cigarettes.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't hang out with gay smokers! But you should be aware of your habits and try to check yourself if you think you are slipping into an addiction.
And if you think your parents don't have a clue, think again. Research shows that most parents have a pretty good idea of how much their teens smoke!
