Ninety percent of all smokers take up the habit in their teen years, according to Teen Help. Kids Health reports that nicotine can be as addictive as cocaine and heroine. It's a drug that affects mood and can cause chronic illnesses that damage the heart and lungs. Smoking causes cancer and kills more than 440,000 Americans every year. Kids that smoke come from different socioeconomic backgrounds. It's a habit available to any ethnicity and gender. When trying to help a young person with an addiction, there's no one approach that will fit every situation.
Step 1
Talk to your child's doctor or a youth counselor about the safety of nicotine replacement therapy, known as NRT. Patches, lozenges and other NRTs are only tested on and sold to adults. Prescription medications used to minimize smoking withdrawal symptoms might cause suicidal thoughts in children. But young people older than 18 years of age may qualify for treatment with an NRT under a doctor's supervision.
Step 2
Encourage kids to join a team sport or club that appeals to their talents. Kids are often tempted to smoke when they are around certain other youths. In one article about why kids smoke, author Kelly McGonigal explains that for some kids, smoking is a bonding ritual with other adventurous young people that helps them get labeled as risk takers in their cliques. By encouraging kids to join a drama club or basketball team, they can become involved in supervised activities that may prohibit smoking for members.
Step 3
Spend more time together as a family or one-on-one time with the young person who smokes. A young person won't smoke when she's at the zoo with her family or having dinner with an adult role model. It's also a good time to discuss the dangers of smoking. Kids Health suggests approaching the young person in a way that does not make her fear he'll be punished or judged. Ask her what she finds appealing and unappealing about her habit. Listen to her answers.
Step 4
Explain the cost of smoking. In 2010, New Yorkers are paying $11 for a pack of cigarettes. Even in a state where the cost of cigarettes is moderately low, a $5 pack of cigarettes can become a $1,300 a year habit. Talk about other ways she could spend that money including helping her to buy a car or college tuition or items that are more instantly gratifying such as new clothes and video games.
