Smoking: The Truth Unfiltered

When you're a 12 or 13-year-old, it's hard to believe that the choices you make can affect you for a lifetime--after all, you're practically immortal at that age. Tobacco companies know this, and therefore hard sell cigarettes to younger and younger kids, as uncovered recently in the ongoing tobacco lawsuits. This and other truths about smoking are presented in this straightforward, creative, and convincing episode from the PBS-aired award-winning series In the Mix. Combining testimonials, statistics, expert opinions, and--most effectively--peer presentations, the program focuses on the story of Andrea, a 19-year-old who started with "only a few cigarettes" when she was 16. Already, she suffers from shortness of breath, frequent coughing, and damage to mucus membranes. Luckily, she's young enough to possibly reverse these effects, but only if she quits. At a meeting for teen smokers trying to kick the habit, she (and we) not only learns from her peers about what addiction is, but receives practical advice on quitting, with an emphasis on accountability (something kids need more of anyway). The young host is rather wooden and unconvincing, but--to be fair--I suppose it is a bit nerve-wracking when your co-host is supermodel Tyra Banks and you're a teenage male. Highly recommended. Aud: I, J, H, P. (E. Gieschen)