TEENAGE SMOKERS KNOW THEY'RE ADDICTS.(Living)

Byline: Catherine Clabby Staff writer

It's mid-afternoon. Classes at St. Anne Institute are kaput for the day. Five teenage girls are out on the prowl for treats. You know, the usual: ice cream, soda, candy bars and, most important, cigarettes.

Kid stuff. For too many.

All younger than 18 and veterans of more strife than your average teenager, each smokes and has for years. Newport 100s - "a good menthol" in the words of one - is their drug of choice. They get it from local shops or gas stations where workers are willing to break state law and sell tobacco to minors.

Why? Don't look for rationalizations in this group, willing to linger …