Unit 4 Tobacco, Alcohol, and Other Drugs Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 290 Young people may worry that not using tobacco products means others will not like or accept them. If someone pressures you to try a cigarette, vaping device, or smokeless tobacco, that person is not really your friend. Real friends do not want their friends to engage in unhealthy behaviors. You can use positive peer pressure to encourage your friends to practice healthy behaviors. Media Messages The media is a factor affecting tobacco use. Originally, tobacco companies advertised their products on television, the radio, and in magazines and newspapers. After scientific data demonstrated the serious health consequences of tobacco use, bans forced tobacco companies to stop these types of advertising. Today, tobacco companies still cannot advertise on TV or the radio, or in print publications. Instead, they try to avoid these laws by using social media. Some tobacco companies pay ambassadors and influencers to post content and link followers to tobacco products. Sometimes, posts by influencers do not CASE STUDY Kevin’s Decision to Vape Kevin did not think it was that big of a deal when he tried vaping for the first time. It was at the beginning of last school year. He was waiting after school for his mom to pick him up, and an older group of boys dared him to vape. His friend Max was standing next to him and he chose to walk away. Kevin recognized two of the boys from his neighborhood, so he did not think it was a big deal. Secretly, he hoped that he would fit in with the older boys and maybe they would think he was cool. The older boys did ask Kevin if he wanted to hang out with them several more times during the school year. Kevin always said yes. Sometimes they would just hang out, while other times they would vape or do other stuff that Kevin never would have done with his old friends like Max. Today, Kevin is grounded and his parents are so disappointed. Kevin and the older boys were caught vaping at school. Upon investigation by school administration, they uncovered that the group of boys were also selling vaping devices at school. Kevin knew it was a bad idea but went along anyway. He was suspended from school and eventually confessed everything to his parents. Kevin was tired of keeping secrets. If he could go back in time, he would not have given into the pressure to vape. Instead, he would have just walked away with Max. Thinking Critically 1. Why does experimenting with one risky behavior, such as vaping, often lead to other risky behaviors? 2. Kevin wanted to fit in and be accepted by older boys. What are positive ways to fit in and feel accepted within a group? 3. If you were Max, what could you have said to Kevin before he accepted the dare to vape? 4. What are two ways that Kevin could have respectfully and assertively refused vaping? iStock.com/yacobchuk