In Mali, the future of young people worries a little more every day. It is no longer surprising to see young children smoking carefree in the streets of the Malian capital. Smoking, known for its ability to create a certain dependence, mortgages the future of children when we know that 90% of adult smokers started before the age of 18. Another worrying scientific data indicates that children or adolescents can start to become addicted to nicotine as soon as 3 months after smoking their first cigarette.
Here, the first experiments with cigarettes revolve around 12 to 13 years old. And in a need to assert themselves, most of these young people find themselves trapped and become regular consumers, while subsequently developing an addiction.
Of the 10 young people with whom we spoke, eight of them declared having already “smoked” cigarettes. They are aware of the risks this can have on their health.
These young people adapt to the environment to which they belong. Either they are part of a group of friends or they have loved ones who smoke. For other teens, simple temptation quickly turns into addiction.
It is important to know that adolescents are psychologically vulnerable and that is why at this age, it is easy to fall into the world of “cigarettes” which often opens the door to all other forms of vices: Alcoholism, delinquency and banditry.
The younger you start to smoke, the greater the chances of becoming a regular smoker and the harder it will be to quit. But there is a warning, when we know that, more and more, young people pride themselves and brag about smoking, while they are slowly destroying their health and at the same time reducing their life expectancy.
Adam DIALLO
Source: Bamakonews
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