LOUISE Laird smoked her first cigarette when she was 11. Recently, she was smoking 20 to 30 a day at a cost of pounds-30 a week.

Five weeks ago, the 15-year-old gave up.

"It's going quite good, " says the Shetland teenager. "It was really hard at the start, but I'm getting used to it now. The hardest part is in the morning, when I'd usually have a fag, or when I go out at weekends."

Giving up cigarettes is something usually associated with adults' well-meaning but poorly executed new year's resolutions, not with the age group that most readily takes up smoking - teenagers. But more and more teens are looking to kick the habit.

"I decided to stop smoking because it was costing me so much money, ruining my life and making me reek, " says Louise. "It was so bad. My hands started turning yellow - and my teeth. Now my hands aren't yellow, I feel a lot cleaner, my teeth are starting to go back to their natural white colour, and my skin has got a lot better since I quit."

Jenny, also from Shetland, is giving up this Monday. She smokes 20 a day and will spend the weekend "saying goodbye in the proper way - a big smoking spree". But despite this last nicotine hurrah, Monday morning can't come quick enough for the 16-year-old.

"I'm looking forward to it because I'm really unhappy from smoking, " she says. "I'm spending too much money on smoking as well, but it's more for the health reasons - most of my family has died to cancer from smoking-related illnesses."

Jenny and Louise are not alone in their battle against this addiction. They are being helped by a scheme designed especially for young people who want to kick the habit. The Shetland scheme is called Smokin'-at-Pace, but there are similar projects all over Scotland (see below). Audrey Smith, who runs the centre where Jenny and Louise receive help, says teenagers face more problems than adults do when giving up.

"The main difference is that often their parents don't know they smoke, " Audrey says.

"There is a tendency for young people to let their parents take a lead in their healthcare. So if parents don't know they smoke, you have to make a service available that teenagers can access under their own steam."

Tina Burgess, who runs WI Quit, a similar project to Smokin'-at-Pace in the Western Isles, says that weight is a big issue for teens wanting to quit: "It's bad enough being an adult, but teenagers are terrified to stop smoking because they think they'll put on lots of weight.

"Another problem is that young people don't feel like they are addicted so they aren't taking any measures to stop."

It was only when she started having cravings at school that Louise realised she had a problem. "Even with a teacher in my face, I was still dying for a fag, " she says. "You think you aren't addicted but then you start getting cravings and start to go mental."

Jenny also thinks her friends don't realise how addicted they are. "They think they are invincible, " she says. "Some have tried to quit but then they realise the addiction they are fighting and they can't."

So what incentives are there for young people to quit? Realising the financial cost of smoking helps, says Tina, "particularly if they are going on to be students".

Then there is the cost to your looks. "Young women don't like to smell of smoke, and they don't like what it does to their skin, " she adds.

But what Jenny is looking forward to most is having her health back: "I used to play hockey and do it quite well, but now I can't do it for more than five minutes without feeling out of breath. Even just walking short distances leaves me short of breath. I just want to get back to what I used to do."

Roll on Monday.

Quitting made easier

Helen MacKenzie from Fag Break in Elgin offers these practical tips for giving up:

Text or phone a friend rather than having a cigarette Keep a stash of healthy snacks, water or fruit juice to take your mind of your cravings Find out about nicotine replacement therapy Think about why you smoke, listing good and bad things about it Find out where you can access support, either locally, by telephone or on the internet.

Smokers who have support increase their chances of quitting Enlist the support of friends and family Set a realistic quit date and work towards it Think positive, keep busy and take things one day at a time Limit alcohol consumption in the first few weeks - people tend to forget they've quit when they go out and have a few drinks For loads more tips, go to www. nosmokingday. org. uk

Yellow teeth, gum disease, bad skin . . . the real price of smoking

SALLY Haw, NHS Health Scotland's senior public health consultant in substance misuse, points out the main cosmetic effects that smoking can have on you. And they ain't pretty . . .

Wrinkles around the eyes and mouth Squinting in response to the irritating nature of smoke and puckering your lips when drawing on a cigarette cause wrinkles around the eyes and mouth. Recent research has also shown that the skin-ageing effects of smoking may be due to increased production of an enzyme that breaks down collagen in the skin. Collagen is the main structural protein of the skin which maintains its elasticity. So the more a person smokes, the greater the risk of premature wrinkling.

Leathery, dry skin Smoking affects your skin in two ways. First, the tobacco smoke released into the environment has a drying effect on the skin's surface. Second, since smoking restricts blood vessels, it reduces the amount of blood flowing to the skin, thus depleting the skin of oxygen and essential nutrients.

Yellow teeth The tar in the cigarette smoke stains your teeth.

Gum disease The prevalence and severity of oral problems in their various forms (gum disease and bad breath are just two) are higher among smokers than among non-smokers.

Bad breath See above.

Cataracts The more you smoke, the greater your chance of developing cataracts, an eye problem that can cause blindness. Even former smokers have a 50-per cent higher risk of developing a cataract.

Dry, matted hair Smoking restricts the flow of blood to the scalp, so your hair receives less oxygen and fewer essential nutrients.

Fresh cuts

Want to stop smoking?

Here are some organisations set up to help young people quit

ARGYLL AND CLYDE CATCH - Service for young pregnant women Paisley
catch@rah.scot.nhs.uk

GLASGOW L2Q (Learn to Quit) Easterhouse Health Centre 0141 232 7214

GRAMPIAN Fag Break The Smoking Advice Service Union Street, Aberdeen, or High Street, Elgin Freephone 0500 600332

ISLE OF LEWIS WI Quit Lewis Castle College Stornoway Contact Student Services on 01851 700000

SHETLAND ISLES Smokin'-at-Pace www.smokin-at-pace.info or call Shetland Youth Information Services on 01595 692002

WEST LOTHIAN Cloud Nine Livingston 01506 430225

NATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

ASH Scotland www. ashscotland. org. uk 0845 1304672 Smokeline Information, advice and counselling and encouragement to stop smoking from noon to midnight 0800 848484 Health Scotland's e-smokeline No Smoking Day www.hebs.com/topics/ smoking/e-smoke.cfm
www.nosmokingday.org.uk

'Girls need a fag because they get stressed'

ACCORDING to statistics, one in four girls smoke compared to one in seven boys. So freshsat down with a group of 14-year-old girls to hear their story behind the figures, and to puncture some popular misconceptions.

What is your attitude to smoking?

Danielle: I hate how people think they're cool when the smoke, but they're not. What scares me? Every time you take a smoke it takes a minute off your life.

Emma: Smoking is going to kill you. Even if you stop smoking when you are young, it will still kill you.

WRONG: After 10 years a smoker who has given up will have the same risk profile as a non-smoker.

Do, as the figures suggest, more girls smoke than guys?

Danielle: Most people at my school don't smoke, but more lads smoke than lassies.

People started smoking because everyone thought it was cool. No one thinks that now.

Samantha: Guys smoke hash - that's why they don't smoke fags as much. And girls get stressed all the time so they need a fag to calm down.

WRONG: Nicotine increases blood pressure and heart rate can cause stress.

Is controlling your weight a reason to smoke?

Danielle: You see lassies walking along with a fag in their hand. They are good-looking lassies and they've good bodies, but they still want to be thinner so they smoke.

It's just daft.

Emma: My uncle smoked for 30 years and when he stopped he put on loads of weight.

WRONG: Average weight gain is 2kg - exercising and not snacking can help.

What would make you want to give up?

Samantha: Iused to smoke but I gave it up because it was wasting my money and it got boring. You would get pure embarrassed getting someone to go into the shop for you.

Emma: I smoke. I don't know if I will give up.

Probably. I think my parents know, but I'm not going to talk about it with them.

Chantel: Most of us are thinking of our future and just don't want to be all smelly.

Danielle: If you smoke and your mates don't they are obviously not wanting to talk to you. They don't want to stand beside you because you smell of smoke.

Chantel: And because of the age we're at, and because the legal age is 16, we're have to hide behind cars to smoke. It's stupid.

Can teenagers be as addicted to smoking as adults?

Samantha: Nobody gets addicted. They just keep on buying fags. And keep on doing it and doing it and don't stop.

WRONG: Nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs - it acts directly on the same areas in the brain as heroin and cocaine.

Chantel: It's only psychological. Some people say: "I can't give up, " just for attention. But it's so easy to do.

WRONG: Nicotine has a physiological addiction.

Emma: I don't know if I'm addicted. Itried to give up because it was wasting all my money. I tried the chewing gum but it didn't work.

FACT: Research shows that young smokers show signs of addiction even before they are daily smokers.

What do you think of anti-smoking ads and lessons?

Samantha: The smoking ads that were on a few years ago were just cheesy.

Danielle: I'd listen to my mum and dad about not smoking. My mum has smoked since she was 14. She'ssmoked for 20 years and has now given it up for nine months with no patches or chewing gum.

My grandad gave up straight away as well.But anti-smoking campaigns don't work. Nobodylistens to them ortakes them in.

WRONG: When smoking ads targeting young people were on air, approximately 50% of calls to Smokeline were from people under the age of 16.

Chantel: When teachers tell you to stop and then they smoke themselves they pure contradict themselves.

Data courtesy of Health Scotland THE FIGURES -per cent of those reporting smoking daily in Scottish schools In 1996: Boys - 30 Girls - 30 In 2002: Boys - 16 Girls - 24 5.5 minutes of a life is lost for every cigarette smoked Smoking 20 a day costs pounds-1500 a year In 2003 8-per cent of 13-year-olds and 20-per cent of 15-year-olds smoked regularly