To Assist a Teen Stop Smoking, Here are Some Tips
More and more teenagers are engaging in smoking. In every four teens there is one who is a smoker this is according to statistics. These statistics studied the high school senior students. In spite of the efforts by the parents, government and healthcare services a to reduce and eliminate teenage smoking, it is still gaining popularity. The smell might have hit you when they passed you after they came home from you or you may have found them with a cigarette in their mouths. Most parents claim it is an uphill task to make them quit. Reading this article will give you good tips to help them quit smoking.
Ensuring you remain calm once you find out that your teen is smoking is the first step in dealing with this situation. To prevent your first reaction being angry and furious which will prompt you to yell or even mention obscenities this first step is a prerequisite. The point is to bring them closer and helping them understand the various disadvantages so as to help them quit and such a reaction will only push the teen away. It is important that parents are aware of the addictive nature of nicotine therefore they should be very understanding when helping the teens to quit.
Supporting them in quitting is recommended. This is important because nicotine is a very addictive drug and influences their young developing brain. When you support them, they feel free to speak out thus helping know when they get their cravings and what you can do about it. To replace nicotine due to the adverse effects of withdrawal considering alternatives is important. For a nicotine replacement, vaping and the use of e- cigarettes is best as they do not have the harmful substances such as tar that cigarettes have. The smoking behavior is usually passed from parent to child when the parents are smokers and to help the teen quit it is good to quit together as this will be a good way of supporting each other.
The other tip is to educate them of the health risks associated with smoking. Respiratory problems are the effects on the short term and cancers, strokes and heart attacks are the effects on the long term. It is also important that you get to know the underlying factor that led your teen to start smoking. Stress is a major reason and nicotine acts as a good relaxer though its addiction will cause more stress. Considering therapy to help them quit is also a great step to take. To be patient during the whole process is crucial. Quitting is not easy and this should be understood.