According to the American Cancer Society, more teens are hooked on smoking than adults. In addition, out of an estimated 71 million teens who smoke in the U.S., nearly all tried their first cigarette before high school graduation, and about 1-in-4 children above the age of 12 currently lights up each day. It's not easy to prevent teens from smoking, but you may have more influence on your child than you think.
Step 1
Talk to your teen about the health hazards of smoking. More importantly, show them. You could recite page after page of facts and statistics about the health risks of smoking, but teens tend to think they're invincible from cancer and other diseases. However, if you have a friend, relative, neighbor or colleague who has experienced health problems due to smoking, point it out to your child. A real-life example is much harder to ignore or dismiss.
Step 2
Give your teen the right tools to resist peer pressure to try smoking by helping him practice saying "no." The opportunity for "role rehearsal" might arise while observing an actor smoking in a movie, a scene that often portrays smoking as being "hip" or "cool." Watch your teen's reaction to seeing other kids smoking, too, and ask how he would handle an invitation to smoke. It's important that you understand how important image and acceptance among peers are to your teen, but you should also stress that his health and self-esteem are far more important. So offer suggested responses your child can use when peer pressure knocks, such as "No, thanks, I don't smoke."
Step 3
Avoid doling out threats, ultimatums and other extreme, negative responses to smoking, especially if your teen already has started smoking. Such tactics often bring out the rebellious streak in a teen and make the problem worse. Instead, try to get to the underlying reason why your teen was attracted to smoking in the first place. For instance, she may be concerned about her weight, or experiencing academic problems at school. Offer your full support and help your teen find ways to stop smoking.
Step 4
Address smokeless tobacco and other alternatives to traditional cigarettes, too. According to the Mayo Clinic, many of these products and devices are just as addictive because they still deliver nicotine. In fact, some of these products provide more nicotine and carbon monoxide than cigarettes. They also can cause cancer just like cigarettes and cigars.
Tips and Warnings
- Set a good example. If you smoke, quit. Insist on a smoke-free home. When guests who smoke come to visit, ask them to smoke outside.
