While adult groups are notoriously poorly attended, school groups are different. They are students and don't have a choice--they have to attend the program. In a few hours I am lecturing to 600 high school freshman. I have 45 minutes to cover smoking. That is not a whole lot of time.
When I am dealing with kids of this age group, generally fourteen or fifteen I think, I have two target audiences. Those who have not started smoking yet but are at risk of taking it up one day, and those who already smoke.
What I try to emphasize in programs with limited time frame is why kids should not take up smoking. I make it clear that I am not there telling the students not to smoke, but just trying to show the students what the implications and dangers are of smoking. I often have very little time to cover quitting techniques with these groups.
So for students who are looking for help quitting, I refer them to WhyQuit.com and by default, to Freedom. Kids who don't smoke sometimes have parents who smoke and might be pushing them too to look at the site. So there is a chance that over the next day or two we will be having lots of extra lurkers--many of them quite young.
I often hear people who quit smoking say that they wished somebody had told them when they were kids what they know now, that it might have avoided a lot of trouble in their lives. Well you might have the opportunity to tell a bunch of kids over the next day or two what you know now and you may help some of them avoid the pitfalls you faced because of what you didn't know at their age.
So while posting the next few days, be cognizant who might be reading. I know I feel good when I can prevent kids from facing the kind of life that long-term smokers often face. You might just feel good yourself by knowing you helped some kids today. Your stories and insights just might help influence them to know that to never get hooked on nicotine or to get off now before the damages get significantly worse is as simple now as knowing to never take another puff!
Joel