Despite most parents advising their children against smoking, recent statistics indicate that most high school seniors are smokers, this is despite the several efforts by the government, parents and health care providers to warn teenagers about the consequences of such habits. If your high school teenager has already started smoking most likely you have noticed the warning signs. Even though your teen has already began smoking, you should make the right decision and help them to quit as early as possible.
Where do you begin? Many parents find helping their teens to quit smoking as an impossible task. Here are some guidelines that will assist you to support and also convince your teenager to quit smoking.
1. Remain Calm
When you discover that your child has begun smoking, you will feel let down, disappointed and upset. You will most likely feel let down especially if your child has observed a friend or family member succumb to death due to smoking related complications. While you may want to first ground them or even lecture them, it has been discovered that such a strategy won’t work.
2. Support Them to Quit.
Although it would be great to just tell your teenager not to smoke, rarely will it work out like that. Your teen may start regretting having started smoking, and it’s important for you to understand that cigarette smoking is very addictive because it contains nicotine and it can have a profound effect especially on a young brain.
3. Consider Substitutes
It’s a well-known fact that when quitting cigarette smoking, going cold turkey and quitting cigarette smoking is not an easy task. Vaping is a popular cigarette alternative that most people are using today by using ejuice.
4. Plan and Quit Together.
In case you are also a smoker, then chances are that your teenager is copying your habits. In case you notice that your teenager has also started smoking, then it is a wise decision to quit smoking together, and this will help you both by encouraging each other.
5. Teach your Child on Some of the Health Complications Emanating from Cigarette Smoking.
A major reason as to why people stop smoking is because of the numerous health hazards that are linked to smoking. Many high school seniors get into cigarette smoking without the full awareness of the health risks of smoking cigarettes, and such education may be all they need to quit smoking for good.
6. Consider Rehabilitation.
To stop cigarette smoking behavior, professional assistance can go a long way. When you find that your teenager is still unable to quit cigarette smoking even after providing them with cigarette alternatives and your full support, a professional therapist may be what you need.