Where to go if a child of 14 years old smokes. What if a teenager starts smoking? How to know if a child smokes

Smoking has become an all-encompassing problem, the statistics are disappointing: approximately 60% of adolescents aged 14-17 are prone to this addiction. Moreover, girls take their first cigarette even earlier than boys. Purchase reasons bad habit lots of. One of the main ones is the lack of attention from parents. The rhythm of life, work, everyday worries and constant movement around the city do not leave room for sincere conversations with children.

AT adolescence children are very vulnerable, they may have problems in communication. For the socialization of the individual choose various methods, a cigarette can become one of the ways of self-affirmation in a children's company.

Another reason for smoking is the negative example of parents. If mom or dad smokes, then the child does not perceive this process with a negative assessment. He is not repelled by the smell, he is used to the smell of tobacco from his parents. In families where the father or mother smokes, children have a greater predisposition to smoking.

Psychologists name several reasons for the emergence of addiction to tobacco products:

the teenager does not have constant contact with his parents;
there is no positive example of a healthy lifestyle before your eyes;
false ideals and stereotypes are embedded in the mind (a cigarette is cool);
there are no sports loads;
there is a lack of information about the dangers of smoking;
the presence of smoking relatives.

Beginning smoker symptoms

If parents do not smoke, they will immediately feel the stench of cigarettes. The smell of tobacco remains in the hair, on clothes. If you kiss and hug your son or daughter when you return from work, you are sure to smell new scents. Young smokers give out a dry cough, and if the process is delayed, then yellow fingers and teeth. There are also changes in the behavior of children in connection with the emergence of a bad habit, they become anxious, secrecy appears. Constant chewing of chewing gum that has a strong flavor should also alert parents. A sharp shortage of pocket money is a consequence of buying expensive cigarettes.

Worse, if you observe symptoms that confirm that your offspring smokes spice or weed. Nervousness and sharp drops moods are the first bells of a misfortune that has arisen. A few hours after weed, swelling of the eyelids and redness of the eyes are visible. . But even this sad discovery should not be accompanied by aggression. Show your son or daughter how much pain they cause you, destroying their health. Try to find words that will lead to a joint fight against a bad habit.

Tips for parents

Loving attentive parents do not even have the question of how to find the first cigarette smoked. They will see the change immediately. If the family has a trusting relationship, then the child can tell himself that he tried to smoke a cigarette.

After such discoveries or confessions, it is important not to break loose and not yell: “We raised you, blew off dust particles, regularly took you to the sea so that you could breathe clean air, buy vitamins, and you ruin your health!” Try to ask, without showing emotions, what did the teenager feel after the first puff? Did he experience a sore throat, nausea? Doesn't his head hurt, doesn't his heart ache? Is it difficult for him now to run in physical education classes, is there shortness of breath? Try to ask calmly, like a local doctor at the reception. It is clear that nothing terrible will happen from one cigarette, but your task is to give out the entire list of diseases that smoking causes. Do not be afraid to use stories with a tragic end, tell how the father of a school friend, the uncle of a classmate, suffered from lung cancer. You do not injure the psyche, teenagers are less prone to empathy, but such facts will make many think.

If the student did not like the acquaintance with cigarettes, you need to prove that this is normal, you can tell the company about this. Tell us about relatives, friends who tried smoking and did not like it. Now they are successful healthy people.

What to do if a child starts smoking? If conversations do not help and promises to quit are not fulfilled, you should not drag out the problem and turn it into an open conflict. Persuade the child together to seek help from specialists in the center psychological support"Insight". Here you can visit individual consultations, a club for teenagers. Our psychologists will help children get rid of this bad habit and feel comfortable in the team. Call!

Smoking in adolescence can have the most unfavorable consequences, since the blow to a young body is ten times stronger than for an adult. Smoking among young people is global problem which needs to be addressed at the public and state level.

The harm of smoking on the body of a teenager - what are the dangers of addiction

According to statistics, today about 50% of high school students are addicted to smoking. At the same time, smoking is popular not only among guys, but also among girls who believe that smoking is fashionable and cool. It is comforting that at this age it is still too early to talk about full-fledged addiction, so there is a chance to get rid of bad habit without global harm to the body.

Your prospects if you start in adolescence!!!

Many, but the main ones are:

Desire to stand out among peers.
Imitation of older friends or parents.
Unstable psychological situation in the family.
The influence of bad company.
Teen Crisis.

Many teenagers aged 12-17 consider themselves old enough to make decisions such as starting to smoke. However, their physiology internal organs and the nervous system are still at the stage of formation, and the harm of smoking on the body of a teenager has serious consequences.

At a young age, a large-scale restructuring of the body occurs. In a teenager, active cell division begins, bones and muscles grow faster, and bones begin to form. reproductive system, work is activated internal secretion. And if a child becomes addicted, the consequences are massive.

It is worth noting that much more harmful components enter the body of a child than in the body of an adult. This feature due to the fact that the child has a smaller body weight and a special style of smoking. As a rule, teenagers smoke in a hurry, afraid of being caught off guard by their parents or teachers. Therefore, short, deep and fast puffs are taken, which causes 20% more harmful components to enter the body. Also, teenagers often use unsmoked cigarette residues, where the concentration of toxic substances simply rolls over.

The effect of smoking on the body of a teenager - which organs suffer the most

Influences and formations of diseases

An absolutely childish hobby can cause irreparable harm to a young body, which teenagers, of course, do not even think about. In order to understand how strongly tobacco affects the body, you should familiarize yourself with the medical facts:

Young smokers are 15 times more likely to get lung cancer. The first sign of a serious lung injury is a dry and prolonged cough.
When the lungs are clogged, the load on the heart, blood vessels and thyroid gland. The vessels lose their elasticity, the heart muscle weakens and wears out.
When smoking up to the filter, it penetrates into the body maximum amount carcinogens, in addition, there is a risk of burning the larynx.
Smokers have a strong intracranial pressure leading to decreased visual acuity and glaucoma.
Many teenagers may suffer from hearing loss due to the destruction of the auditory cortex.
From the side nervous system there is a deterioration in memory, a decrease in concentration, irritation, depressive states, sleep disturbance.
The young body is deficient in vitamins, which leads to a slowdown in growth and development.
The mucous membrane of the growth cavity and teeth suffer significantly.
Smoking teenagers leads to deterioration of mental and physical activity. Children begin to lag behind in their studies, they cannot pass physical culture standards.

All these violations lead to serious chronic diseases many of which are incurable. Smokers are often thin, pale and nervous. They constantly have obsessive thought about smoking, which prevents you from fully resting and doing business. Quite often, teenagers try to fraudulently extract money from their parents for cigarettes and may even commit rash acts.

How can a teenager quit smoking and how can parents help?

Youthful maximalism, the desire to enter into adult life and unwillingness to listen to the good advice of parents and teachers, and lead to such frightening statistics. As a rule, "knowing everything" teenagers look down on various morals and medical facts. And this is understandable, since young people and girls see a lot of smoking people around them. different ages who try to talk about the dangers of smoking.

This situation was perfectly determined by A. Dzhigarkhanyan, who said: “You can whole hour a child to lecture on the norms of behavior and decency, and then blow your nose in front of him. And the child will remember only yours last action, and not a word from the lecture. Thus, you need to understand that children best understand the actions of adults, but not the words.

Try to build in front of your child a system of values that he can lose because of smoking and concomitant diseases. Values can be buying a car, sporting achievements, a good career.
Protect the child from the bad example of adults. If there is an adult smoker in the family, tell the teenager what health problems the relative has.
For girls, a good incentive to quit smoking will be the loss of beauty, reduced breast growth and the effects of nicotine on reproductive system. It is worth telling which one arises at the planning stage of conception.
Form self-sufficiency in the child so that he learns to resist the crowd, not be afraid of peer ridicule and motivate refusal nicotine addiction bright prospects.
Traditional propaganda can also contribute. Talk about the dangers of smoking, show an instructive film, organize your child's leisure so that he does not have the desire and opportunity to join a bad company.

Parents need to understand that no scandals, threats, blackmail and boring lectures will help in this situation. The child must understand why smoking is dangerous in adolescence, and it can only be helped with adequate arguments.

In order to get rid of a bad habit, a teenager needs to understand what prompted him to such an act. Perhaps it is simple curiosity, the desire to lose weight, find a solution to reduce stress, or just be like everyone else, not stand out from the crowd. There are reasonable explanations for each of these factors:

Curiosity is satisfied quickly, just a few cigarettes. Well, then you need to think about the consequences and leave this lot to people with weak force will.
Excess weight is removed very quickly proper nutrition and sports. Fill your child's diet healthy food and offer to do the sport that will be interesting: swimming, fitness, morning run, martial arts.
Smoking to relieve stress is stupid, as stress is relieved by determining the cause of its occurrence. Determine what caused the stress and eradicate the problem.
Being like “everyone” is not fashionable now, it is fashionable to be an individual, a non-standard personality and not follow the call of the crowd. Teach your child to be proud that he is not like everyone else, that he is better than smoking peers and dreams of a brighter future.

Parents and society need to understand that many teenagers, at heart, would like to quit smoking, excel academically, and be number one in sports. But often they are afraid to admit their own problem, as they may face aggression from their parents and ridicule from friends. To help own child It’s not enough to be a parent, you also need to become an understanding friend who will not judge and will assist.

Hello Nina! My son is in 7th grade. I have a suspicion that he started smoking. I don’t want to scold him without evidence, and in general, scolding him in this situation is probably not right. He after all so can be offended and contrary to me to begin to smoke? How to instill a healthy lifestyle in him and help him quit smoking?

Hello, thanks for your question.

You, to this day, have no evidence that the child smokes. However, the voiced question does not allow you to sleep peacefully. To calm yourself and find out the truth, you need to initiate a confidential conversation with your son on an exciting topic. If you and your child, in principle, have a trusting and respectful relationship, then it will not be difficult. In the conversation, do not begin to blame the child, shame him, or manipulate him. It is better to talk about your own feelings and concerns about this (use I-statements). Then listen carefully to what the child says in response (active listening will help you here). And if your fears are confirmed and the child really smokes, then it is important to focus on finding the reasons, and not on “what he is, in essence, bad boy". Because, just realizing why he needs smoking in this moment you can help him. And your relationship will only get stronger. If you start to put pressure on him and prohibit smoking, then you will not achieve anything other than resistance and rooting of the habit. In addition, the reason, the true problem will never be understood, and the child will be left alone with it.

What are the causes of smoking in teenagers:

The influence of the environment. Maybe his buddies and friends smoke and he doesn't want to stand out. Maybe a healthy lifestyle in his environment is not held in high esteem, but a sign of masculinity and adulthood is the number of cigarettes smoked. Smoking can also give him confidence among his buddies. In this case, you should pay attention to the environment. Of course, you should not forbid communicating with these guys, you will become an enemy. It is better to help your son create a new environment, values that you share. You can offer trips to the sports section. The guys who live there usually have other values - health, sports, correct image life, but smoking is just not held in high esteem. Your child will join new team, will make new friends and acquaintances, will accept new values. And the need for smoking will disappear by itself.

It is also worth paying attention to emotional condition son. Perhaps he has stress. Think about what is in your family, in his school life, in relationships with peers or with members of the opposite sex, could cause this very stress, tension and desire to smoke. Or rather, ask him yourself. Adolescents have many interpersonal problems that they are not yet very good at coping with. Conduct a conversation without pressure, but in a friendly way. If it really turns out that the child is going through a difficult period in life, then it is worth giving him support, sympathy, and acquainting him with other ways to relieve stress. Discuss with him what can be done in this or that difficult situation, share your experience, help find a way out. It is enough just to listen to a teenager so that his problem ceases to be acute. And feeling your support, resources to overcome it will increase.

And perhaps everything is much simpler and closer, and Does anyone in your family smoke?. Then the ban on smoking will be incomprehensible and outrageous for a teenager. After all, the example of parents is what educates, forms a system of values and a set of norms and rules of behavior. If the argument against smoking in such a situation is something like “You are not yet grown up, and dad is already an adult,” then do not expect understanding. Because a teenager already considers himself quite an adult. Of course, you can forbid and threaten with punishment, but then you will force the child to deceive you. And there will be one more problem in your relationship! It's up to you to decide what example to set for your children. If the family smokes, then morality is about healthy way life and the dangers of smoking look at least ridiculous, but at the most hypocritical.

Of course, there are many other reasons why children start smoking. And your task is to kindly learn about them (do not forget about the techniques of I-statement and active listening). And then help to cope with the problems that the teenager is still coping with by smoking.

If you can’t get to the bottom of the reasons yourself, contact a child or adolescent psychologist. I provide face-to-face and skype consultations.

To consult a psychologist on parenting issues, child development, mental health, etc. click here < >

P.P.S If you have a question for a psychologist, write it to me at [email protected] website or leave a comment below this article. I will post the answer on the website.

beach modern society. Let them tell us about drugs and smoking from TV screens, constantly increase the cost of cigarettes, alcohol and other "nasty things" and actively promote, there are no fewer smokers. Where one cigarette goes out, two are lit on the other side of the world. The statistics are not encouraging.

The problem of smoking is especially acute for the younger generation. The age at which teenagers start smoking is getting smaller and smaller every year. Girls try their first cigarette by the age of 13, and boys have smoked almost since the first grade. And you won’t explain the frightening statistics to them, you won’t cite the lungs of a smoker as an example, and you won’t tell them about dead horses and aesthetics, because children and teenagers have their own point of view on everything and begin to think about the consequences only when they feel the whole thing in practice. But what about parents? WANT.ua will tell you what to do if a child starts smoking!

HOW TO KNOW WHAT YOUR CHILD IS SMOKING

Attentive parents will immediately notice the signs of a smoking child, but this is only if they themselves do not smoke. The smell of cigarette smoke eats into the skin, hair, clothes. A person who has recently started smoking has, gradually his teeth and nails turn yellow, the color of his face and hands changes. These signs are especially characteristic of those who smoke cheap cigarettes.

The psycho-emotional state can also give out a smoker. When a child cannot get rid of your presence for a long time or leave to smoke, he begins to get nervous, pull his nails, snap, and behave aggressively.

If a child smokes not cigarettes, but weed or spice, he begins to become unstable emotional behavior He goes from one extreme to another.

Besides, you will definitely someday stumble upon a pack of cigarettes from a child, a lighter or tobacco in a bag or pockets. Constant chewing of gum can also lead to the thought of.

WHY THE CHILD SMOKES

When you find that a child smokes, you should not rush from one extreme to another, get nervous, scream, punish and force him to smoke 5 packs of cigarettes in a row, hoping that this method will completely turn him away from addiction.

Best sit down and calm down, think about why he started smoking. Even better, call the child to a frank conversation to find out the reason for smoking, and start from it, solving this problem.

There are many reasons why children smoke:

The child became interested in what cigarettes are and he could not stop;
Bad example- relatives, parents, acquaintances and friends smoke;
It's just that with a cigarette he looks older and "cooler";
Pressure from friends;
Colorful advertising and drawing of prizes from manufacturers;
To the evil of parents, because they control every step of the child;
the Forbidden fruit- sweet;
Boredom, lack of impressions, a lot of free time, inability to realize oneself in society;
The need for self-expression, independence, independence in decision-making.

Once you figure out the cause, you can fix the problem. There is no point in telling a child about the dangers of smoking, giving him frightening documentaries, show pictures of a smoker's lungs if you smoke yourself. The best way show your child the dangers of smoking - a personal example.

WHERE TO RUN AND WHAT TO DO

You don’t need to run anywhere - that’s exactly, exactly the same as grabbing a child’s belt or collar with screams. The problem must be approached seriously, thoughtfully and carefully. Not a single cry and punishment has had an effect on the child for a long time.. All for the time being. Locking him at home won't accomplish anything either - you won't be able to lock your child up until their 18th birthday, right? Sooner or later, house arrest will have to be canceled and it is not a fact that the child will not return to cigarettes again.

It is important for children to be given the right to choose - this often works. Some children, through smoking, want to draw their parents' attention to themselves, to feel their need and parental indifference.

If you give your child the right to choose by talking about possible consequences(without intimidation, of course), there is an option that the child himself will refuse cigarettes.

Some parents, having learned that a child smokes, begin to give him money for cigarettes, so that he does not smoke all sorts of filth and are allowed to smoke in their presence. It's pretty controversial method talking about permissiveness: the child can go further, since his right to smoke was recognized. Still, it’s better not to give money for cigarettes, and even more so not to buy smoke. Let him invest in his new "hobby" pocket money that you usually give him - when he feels that for the sake of cigarettes he has to deny himself other pleasures and purchases, he will smoke less, or maybe even quit.

You can introduce the child to an authoritative and not smoking person who he will listen to. The opinion from the outside works much better than the conversations of the parents.

Pay attention to the situation in the family. Trouble, quarrels, scandals can become one of the main reasons for a child smoking - this is how he tries to relax, take off emotional stress and forget. The situation will improve, the child can and will quit his addiction.

If your child smokes to hang out with cool kids, teach them other ways to communicate. It might be worth enrolling your child in communication training if you don't have enough personal experience. Help your child discover their talents personal qualities and virtues that will help gain credibility with peers.

Give your child more freedom of choice in terms of clothing, hair, music, hobbies, friends, books, then he will not have to defend his freedom in this way. Permanent bans do not lead to anything good.

The problem of nicotine addiction all over the world is quite acute. Perhaps the most unpleasant thing in this medical and social phenomenon Children are becoming more and more smokers. According to statistics, boys smoke their first cigarette at the age of 10, young ladies - closer to 13 years.

And although the initial experience usually does not give any pleasure, the child continues to smoke "for the company", fearing to stand out among smoking peers. According to narcologists, dependence is formed after the fifth cigarette smoked.

Not surprisingly, many parents are concerned about what to do if a teenager starts smoking.

It is not very difficult to identify a smoker in a child, because teenagers usually do not know how to pretend, hide their hobbies. Therefore, the main features smoking children visible to the naked eye:

And, of course, the most obvious indicator is if you caught a child smoking a cigarette. Here, as they say, do not turn away. But the stories of "well-wishers" who allegedly saw your offspring smoking should be treated with a fair amount of skepticism.

But this information should not be discounted either, you just need to take a closer look at your son or daughter.

Why does a child start smoking?

If a teenager is addicted to smoking, first of all, parents need to understand why the addiction arose, where the legs come from the first cigarette smoked. If you have a trusting relationship with a child, it's best to just talk.

In the case of secretive behavior of the offspring, you need to analyze your relationship, remember the circle of his friends.

Why does a child start smoking? Psychologists and narcologists distinguish the following reasons the emergence of such a habit:

the child takes an example from smoking parents;
interest in cigarettes, that is, simply wanted to try;
imitates smoking friends;
smoking is fashionable, from his point of view;
started smoking on a dare, because his friends claimed that he was a weakling and a sissy;
the child focuses on smoking characters in movies, music videos;
"pecked" at the bright commercials demonstrating the approval of this lifestyle;
children protest against parental diktat in such a way, that is, the child starts smoking to spite his mother or father (this is from the series “no one understands me”);
boring and monotonous pastime, lack of other hobbies, for example, playing sports;
desire to taste the "forbidden fruit".

As you can see the list possible causes pretty impressive. However, the most significant and obvious motive is the personal example of smoking parents.

By the way, if you smoke yourself, it will significantly complicate the process of weaning your child from this addiction.

Before discussing the fight against this bad habit, it is necessary to dwell on how harmful nicotine is to the developing human body.

The modern child has a better attitude towards scientific facts, than to many hours of parental notations, not supported by anything but emotions.

most great danger nicotine contained in tobacco products, represents for the nervous system. This chemical compound easily depletes nerve cells manifested by fatigue, irritability, excessive excitability. Young smokers are always nervous and irritable.
Suffer from smoking and major mental processes. Memory is rapidly deteriorating, thinking also begins to malfunction. And the more a child smokes, the more clearly negative tendencies appear.
Another suffering side respiratory system. Imperfect until the respiratory organs can't process tobacco smoke and the resin, methane, nitrogen contained in it. Most of these chemical compounds settles on the lungs, which provokes numerous colds. Then smoking adolescents begin to change their voice, shortness of breath and a barking cough appear.
suffering from smoking and tooth enamel. You must have noticed that many smokers yellow teeth. This is due to the temperature difference: the air inhaled by the child is colder than cigarette smoke leading to the destruction of tooth enamel.
A teenager addicted to cigarettes often gets worse skin. Numerous pimples pop up, the skin begins to shine. With excessive enthusiasm for this habit, a distinct yellowness of the skin and nails is observed.

Adults, upon discovering that their child smokes, most often react very sharply and impulsively, even if they themselves are heavy smokers. Consider the most common and controversial parental reactions to childhood smoking.

Advanced adults allow their offspring to smoke at home and even with them, arguing that they do not want him to puff on a cigarette somewhere along the doorways. Some children, embarrassed and feeling guilty, throw the pack away, while others perceive the permission as a guide to action and start smoking even more, gradually moving on to harder drugs.
The other extreme is to force the child to smoke the whole pack, so that he will literally feel sick afterwards even from the cigarette smell. On many forums you can find similar stories: "And my father made me smoke 20 cigarettes." However, for some reason such revelations are written by heavy smokers who continue to smoke. In addition, this method is simply dangerous for the health of the child, there is a high probability acute intoxication body and even death.
Another method is prohibition. Parents, demanding to quit nicotine, forbid the teenager to communicate with the “bad” company, go out in general, deprive him of pocket money and other privileges. The most common child reaction to such a parental step is a demarche, a rebellion, that is, the child will do everything out of spite: “They oppress me - I will smoke even more!”

Of course, the possibility of getting a reaction from a teenager does not mean that adults should not try to solve the problems that have arisen. Just parents should be guided by common sense and respect the child's personality.

The statistics are relentless - most often children start smoking in those families in which one or both parents also like to smoke a cigarette. Therefore, the very first way to prevent this bad habit is your own parental example. Agree, it is useless and even immoral to talk about the dangers of smoking or undesirable consequences holding a cigarette in hand. What else needs to be done?

It would seem banal advice, but many parents neglect it. It sounds simple - try to spend more time with a teenager, more often and sincerely be interested in his successes and failures. Try to share his hobbies: if he loves cycling, keep him company. Of course, you should not try to replace your peers and become "one on the board", you must remain an authority.
So that the child does not say: “No one listens to me and respects me,” provide him more freedom when choosing clothes, literature, musical preferences. So you reduce the risk of a bad habit due to teenage rebellion and the desire to act out of spite, showing your adulthood and independence.
If your child is unsure of himself and tends to act “for the company”, being a leader in life, try to teach him to defend his own point of view and have his own position. Explain that you should not be like peers, smoking because friends smoke cigarettes. After all, a mature person knows how to resist the opinion of the crowd.
Conversations about the dangers of nicotine should be started not in adolescence, but even in childhood, when kids first start asking questions about "smoking sticks", "rings of smoke coming from their uncle's mouth." Here it is important to observe moderation, that is, you do not need to brush off the curious toddler, but you should not intimidate him with scary stories and pictures. Consider the age of the child!

The best “vaccination” against smoking is sports.

First, the child develops a negative attitude towards cigarettes, which can destroy him. sports career. Secondly, physical exercise contribute to the production of endorphins - hormones of happiness, which also resemble a kind of drug, but, of course, are good for health. And thirdly, sports activities accelerate physical development, so there is no need to show your adulthood with a cigarette.

What if a teenager starts smoking?

So, you found out that the child tried to smoke. What might be your reaction? Of course, this news will upset you, and it is even more likely that you will fall into irritation and even rage. The most common reaction is a quarrel, scandal, hysteria (if the mother starts the conversation), slaps and slaps. However, as psychologists assure, shouting will not help.

First of all, accept this news, try to “digest” it, calm down a bit, and only then start talking with your offspring and thinking about what to do in similar situation. And in fact, there are a lot of options for behavior. The choice of the most suitable one depends on several factors: the characteristics of the teenager, the reasons for his action, the psychological atmosphere in the family. What to do if the child tried to smoke?

First of all, try to find out why he started smoking, what became the main motive for this behavior. However, it is important not only to get an answer from the child, but to find out whether he himself understands what caused smoking, how dangerous it is for his health.
There is no need to start a serious conversation with an appeal to his age, they say, "you are still too young to smoke and generally decide something." This is the most unproductive beginning of the conversation, as the child will start doing out of spite to prove his adulthood. On the contrary, talk to him like an adult, making arguments.
If the reason is the desire to appear more mature, then try to prove that this is possible without nicotine addiction. An example would be some authoritative character - a musician, actor or a great athlete who does not smoke and actively spreads about it.
If you yourself are constantly smoking, it is time to end your addiction to cigarettes. You can offer your child to do it together - quitting smoking is always easier in the company. Tell him that it is much easier to give up the habit at first, give examples of acquaintances who successfully coped with addiction, discuss that the unwillingness of adults to fight the habit shows a weakness of character.
Present reliable medical data that clearly show the dangers of nicotine for children's lungs and other organs. Watch documentaries, look at pictures (it is advisable to do without the "darkness"). The word "cancer" doesn't mean anything for kids yet, so focus on the implications for vocal cords, skin and tooth enamel.
If your child started smoking out of boredom, find something to do with him that will keep him busy. most his free time, so that there will be no time left for the desire to raise a smoke. Be sure to find out what is interesting to the teenager himself - for example, music, drawing. best way out, as we wrote above, go in for sports, because athletes simply cannot smoke. And the time left from training can be spent on joint trips and travels.
Be sure to keep track of your offspring's friendships. However, you should not forbid seeing the company, otherwise you will achieve the opposite result. It is better to find out what attracts the child to communication with these specific children. By finding out why he strives specifically for them, you can direct his energy in the right direction and along the way change your behavior. It is no secret that it is parental employment that often pushes teenagers to try something new and the desire to stand out in the crowd of peers.
An alternative way is to give the teenager full responsibility for their own health. Did you know your child started smoking? Pretend you don't care and let him make the decision to smoke cigarettes. Usually children, having heard such words from adults, almost immediately refuse to bad habit, because now it has become permitted, open, which means that now this fruit is no longer so forbidden and sweet.
Analyze the family environment, since emotional distress in the home is often manifested by children's addiction to cigarettes. Even with an external gloss, the child feels his uselessness, dissatisfaction with his role in the cell of society. He probably started smoking or is just trying to smoke to get your attention. This is a kind of return to early childhood, when the baby is outrageous in order to stay longer with you.
If, after a constructive conversation, a teenager has promised to quit smoking, give full support. Regularly ask how he feels, if he wants to pick up a cigarette again. Encourage and praise your child for every day they go without nicotine. This is his and your small victory!
If none of the suggested recommendations help and you are afraid that the child may become addicted to more than just cigarettes, do not hesitate to seek qualified psychotherapeutic help. The psychologist will analyze your situation and give specific advice that is right for you. Just do everything carefully so that the child does not perceive your desire negatively.

Only a friendly attitude and your patience will help to find the right approach to a teenager who smokes. Refuse screams and scandals, punishments and curses, it is better to establish the cause, and then proceed to eliminate the consequences.

Hello, I'm Nadezhda Plotnikova. Having successfully studied at SUSU as a special psychologist, she devoted several years to working with children with developmental problems and advising parents on raising children. I apply the experience gained, among other things, in the creation of psychological articles. Of course, by no means do I pretend to be the ultimate truth, but I hope that my articles will help dear readers deal with any difficulties.