A big number of teenagers have taken up smoking. One teen among four is a smoker, this is in accordance to statistics. These statistics studied the high school senior students. This is a prevailing situation despite the fact that the parents, government and healthcare services are making efforts towards eliminating it. It might be you knew this when you caught them with a cigarette or when you caught that smell when they passed you after coming from school. It is not an easy task to make them quit according to most parents. Reading this article will give you good tips to help them quit smoking.
When you find out that your teen is smoking it is important that you keep calm as this is the first step required when dealing with the situation. Your first reaction will be to be angry and furious and this will prompt you to yell or even mention obscenities and therefore this first step is crucial. A negative reaction will prevent you from getting them closer to you and helping them understand the various disadvantages so as to help them quit 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. It is a must that you support them because nicotine influences their young developing brain and it is very addictive. 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. Nasty withdrawal symptoms are the result of dropping smoking and considering alternatives to replace the nicotine is vital. 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. Parents who smoke mostly pass this behavior to the kids therefore quitting together is a good idea as it will enable support that will be key in quitting.
Educating them on the health risks associated with smoking is a great tip. Respiratory problems are the effects on the short term and cancers, strokes and heart attacks are the effects on the long term. The underlying factor that led your teen to start smoking is crucial to be known. Nicotine acts as a good relaxer when stress is the reason behind but its addiction will result to more stress. It is important that therapy is also considered in the quitting process. To be patient during the whole process is crucial. Understanding quitting is hard as important.