Smoking: The Toxic Truth

“I plan on, like, stopping when I have kids,” says Sophie, a teen smoker who claims she's “not addicted.” One of twenty teens, representing a wide variety of ethnicities and backgrounds, interviewed for this somewhat melodramatic, but creative anti-smoking program, Sophie started smoking because it was “cool” and to “fit in,” and like most of her peers buys into the myth that she can quit whenever she wants. Surprisingly, most teens are aware of the health risks and drawbacks--smelling bad, shortness of breath, cancer, etc.--but don't fully grasp the consequences. Some of the other teens interviewed are non-smokers who discuss why and how they've resisted smoking-related peer pressure, including the son of a lung cancer victim who talks about how his dad's tracheotomy has affected the whole family. Viewers not only witness the father's checkup in all its gory detail, but when he hisses through the gaping hole in his throat, “Don't smoke; it's not worth it,” they might well believe him. Other visual motivations to quit include the teen smokers getting a close-up view of an oozing black smoker's lung in a plastic container, and Sophie getting a professional makeover to highlight the excessive wrinkling her skin will most likely suffer if she continues smoking. Yes, the program employs shameless scare tactics, but it's potentially effective, especially since the majority of voices heard on this video are from the target audience's peers. Recommended. Aud: J, H. (E. Gieschen)