How to find out if a child smokes?
In order to understand that a child smokes, you do not need to organize investigative activities and resort to clever tricks; as a rule, it is enough to show a little attention. Of course, the most obvious evidence is to see a teenager with a cigarette, but this rarely happens, since children carefully hide smoking from their parents. The following signs indicate the presence of a bad habit:
- Smell. Tobacco smoke is very persistent and absorbs quickly, so a child who smokes will smell of tobacco not only from his mouth, but also from his hair, skin and clothes. It’s worth thinking about if a teenager starts brushing his teeth frequently, actively wearing perfume, and constantly chewing gum.
- Cough. It all starts with a morning cough, which turns into a wet cough with sputum production.
- Breathing becomes hoarse soon after the child starts smoking, even slight physical exertion leads to shortness of breath.
- Harmful substances contained in cigarettes provoke a weakened immune system , so one of the symptoms of smoking can be called increased colds.
- Yellow plaque on the teeth, yellow skin on the fingertips, inflamed, reddened eyes, increased tearing.
Smoking teenager
Also, among teenagers who are addicted to smoking, there are significantly more of those who experience emotional instability, frequent mood swings, and increased irritability.
Reasons for teenage smoking
There are many reasons for teenage smoking. Most often, teenagers are drawn to cigarettes for the following reasons:
- the desire not to stand out from the general mass of smoking peers, to increase one’s authority;
- curiosity, desire to try something new;
- the desire to imitate adults, to look older than one’s age;
- social problems, difficulties adapting to a team or communicating with classmates;
- the influence of advertising and films where smoking is presented as an attribute of success;
- genetic predisposition and example of family members (children of smokers are much more likely to start smoking at an early age).
Another reason why children start smoking is the desire to attract attention and please members of the opposite sex. More often than not, girls light up for this reason because they think that with a cigarette they look mysterious and more mature.
The dangers of teenage smoking
Smoking in adolescence poses a serious danger, first of all, to the development of the child, which, under the influence of toxic substances entering the body, slows down significantly.
If a teenager starts smoking, then due to physiological characteristics and the specific development of the psyche at this age, addiction forms very quickly, and it is much stronger than in an adult. So anyone who starts a bad habit early is likely to remain a smoker for life.
Smoking at an early age significantly increases the development of later serious diseases and their transition to the chronic phase. Moreover, even if after some time the teenager is able to give up the bad habit, the predisposition to a number of specific diseases of the smoker will persist for a long time.
Possible consequences
Smoking is very harmful to young people. Girls and boys who start smoking at an early age acquire many diseases that they are not even aware of. It has been proven that smoking has a particularly detrimental effect on children, so for those who start smoking too early, life expectancy is reduced several times. Teenagers begin to have heart problems, memory deteriorates, and visual pathologies appear. Smoking at an early age can lead to problems with hearing and the nervous system. Adolescents who started smoking at a young age experience:
- increased fatigue;
- decreased performance;
- deterioration in information perception;
- disruption of the respiratory system;
- diseases of the endocrine and digestive systems.
The harm of smoking to a teenager's body
Smoking has a complex negative effect on a teenager’s body, affecting all systems and organs.
- The cardiovascular system. The walls of blood vessels become less elastic, the vessels narrow, and become clogged with atherosclerotic plaques. The blood supply to organs is disrupted, hypoxia occurs. The load on the heart increases.
- Respiratory system. The impact of harmful tars and nicotine on a child’s body primarily affects the condition and performance of the lungs. Their volume decreases, dirt accumulates on the walls, breathing becomes difficult, and less oxygen enters the body.
- Brain, nervous system. Circulatory disorders and oxygen starvation of brain cells lead to deterioration of attentiveness, memory, and ability to concentrate. As a result, the teenager remembers and assimilates information worse. The nervous system also suffers, children either become too emotional or, on the contrary, become withdrawn and become depressed.
- Hormonal system. Suffers primarily from nicotine. The functioning of the thyroid gland is disrupted, and disruptions in the production of hormones occur.
- Reproductive system. Smoking causes irregularities in the menstrual cycle in girls and can negatively affect the ability to conceive and bear a child. In young men, the use of tobacco products can lead to problems with potency, and subsequently to infertility.
Effect on the body
In addition, smoking greatly weakens the immunity of minors. The body becomes vulnerable to various infections and viruses.
Impact on a young body
Smoking takes a greater toll on a teenager's body than on an adult's body. The earlier a teenager begins to get involved in cigarettes, the more serious health problems he may develop. Because of nicotine, the body of schoolchildren begins to wear out.
Atherosclerotic growths form in the vessels. Symptoms of ischemic diseases become noticeable. Failures in fat metabolism occur, and the amount of cholesterol increases. Because of smoking, teenagers fall into the group of people who suffer heart attacks and strokes in old age. In addition to the fact that changes occur in the cardiac system, the immune system weakens. Teenagers suffer from colds and allergic reactions.
Smoking during adolescence leads to infertility problems in women and men. Smoking for more than three years reduces stamina, causing him to have shortness of breath and find it difficult to withstand physical activity.
One puff of a cigarette can completely change a teenager's life. The character of the young man changes for the worse. The perception of the surrounding world is disrupted. Smoking causes a teenager to no longer be able to remember the required amount of information, he is tormented by constant stress, and his academic performance is significantly reduced.
Smoking is good for a teenager's body
What do young smokers get sick with more often?
The harmful effects of nicotine on a teenager’s body most noticeably affect the respiratory system. Young people are much more likely to be diagnosed with diseases of the respiratory tract, larynx, and nasopharynx. The lungs of a smoking teenager gradually lose their ability to cleanse themselves and function worse and worse, which leads to the appearance of diseases such as:
- obstructive bronchitis;
- bronchial asthma.
Young people who smoke are getting sicker and sicker from pneumonia. They are less susceptible to viral diseases, such as influenza.
Consequences of smoking during adolescence
Smoking is dangerous for a teenager’s health, primarily due to the fact that the body is in the formative stage and is not able to adequately respond to incoming harmful substances. Nicotine addiction that appears at an early age causes many problems in the future:
- chronic diseases of the respiratory system;
- diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- reproductive dysfunction;
- deterioration of vision, smell;
- hormonal imbalances;
- cognitive impairment;
- insomnia;
- high risk of cancer;
- kidney and liver pathologies;
- nervous exhaustion, mental disorders;
- poor physical endurance, low performance, lack of energy.
Smoking is dangerous to your health and greatly affects your appearance. Over time, this becomes more and more noticeable. Young smokers look much older than their peers. They have bad teeth, brittle and dull hair, unhealthy sallow skin, with acne and rashes.
How to explain to a child that alcohol and smoking are harmful
The public association “Azamattyk kogam ortalygy” continues to inform the population on the harm of tobacco and alcohol consumption.
Smoking and drinking alcohol in adolescence is quite a serious problem, not only from a medical point of view, but also from a social point of view. And it becomes more acute every year.
Statistics from most countries show that fifteen-year-olds who smoke and drink make up approximately a third of the total number of adolescents, and a significant proportion of them began smoking and drinking from the age of seven to ten. It is a sad fact that in recent years the number of girls who smoke and drink has been increasing, and is outpacing the number of boys who smoke and drink. Young people are not aware of the dangers associated with alcohol and smoking, as they regularly watch their elders casually drink alcohol and smoke. This is why many parents don’t know how to explain to their children that alcohol and smoking are harmful.
Pushing factors for children are:
- Advertising of cigarettes and alcohol creates the opinion among teenagers that smoking and drinking is fashionable;
- Peer pressure - if you don't drink or smoke, you're weak;
- Unfavorable social conditions;
- Either just imitation or curiosity.
A teenager is not yet a fully formed copy of an adult in all respects. All his systems and organs are still in the development stage and have their own characteristics, as well as the metabolism in the body. Therefore, the body of a teenager is much more vulnerable and sensitive to the effects of any harmful substances, including alcohol and tobacco poisons, than the body of an adult.
In a child who smokes and drinks alcohol, the function of the cardiovascular and central nervous systems primarily changes. In such children, first of all, rapid excitability, short temper, irritability, and inattention are observed.
Naturally, addiction gradually develops. And if there are no cigarettes or there is no opportunity to drink, then discomfort appears, which is often expressed as anxiety.
American scientists have found that young men who smoke remember material worse during their studies and have difficulty memorizing texts. It has been established that half of schoolchildren who smoke do not study well.
In the body of a teenager who smokes and drinks alcohol, metabolic processes are disrupted, the absorption of vitamins A, B6, B1, B12, and vitamin C is generally destroyed. This causes inhibition of overall development, slower growth, development of anemia, as well as myopia. Smoking can cause inflammation in the nasopharynx. Also, smoking at an early age impairs hearing, as a result of which children who smoke hear low sounds much worse.
The lethal dose of nicotine for an adult is a pack of cigarettes smoked at once. And for a teenager, half a pack is enough!
How to explain to a child that alcohol and smoking are harmful so that he does not develop bad habits?
Here are some tips:
One of the mothers said she caught her daughter and son smoking in the kitchen. She found cigarette butts and empty cigarette packs in the trash can. Alarmed, the mother informed her husband, who is also a non-smoker, about this. In order to wean their children from the addiction, parents enrolled them in a support and rehabilitation program.
If you suspect your children of smoking or drinking alcohol, but you can't catch them doing this activity, you need to try to find out where they spend time after school and with whom they communicate. Someone will tell you for sure whether your children’s friends drink or smoke.
Asking your daughter or son not to hang out with their friends who smoke or drink alcohol will most likely not give you any encouraging results. Instead, try inviting their friends to your home and showing them videos, either online or via video, that reveal details of the irreversible effects of smoking and alcohol on the human body.
Also try giving them books about the dangers of alcohol and smoking, or organize a lesson at school with the participation of a medical professional, or discuss the dangers associated with smoking and alcohol at a parent-teacher meeting. Mobilize parents and ask school leaders and teachers to begin the fight against smoking and drinking alcohol. There should be no smoking areas and no smoking areas in the school. To do this, you need to categorically ban smoking completely. If protests arise, you should explain that sometimes, in order to be kind, teachers and parents must be stern and strict. Moreover, smoking and drinking alcohol can cause fatal diseases.
We must be relentless in our efforts to combat smoking and alcoholism among adolescents. Young people who smoke and drink will smoke and drink as adults and are likely to suffer the consequences of bad habits in the future. Instead of waiting for disaster to strike, start the fight today. If you really love your children, make a strong decision. Rest assured, someday your children will thank you for your efforts and perseverance now to help them break deadly and terrible habits.
Try to follow these rules, and you will protect your loved ones and yourself.
The teenager also needs to know:
Despite all the media advertising, TV series and films in which the main, beloved characters may be smokers or drinkers, the majority of young people, teenagers, athletes and adults do not smoke or drink alcoholic beverages.
There are more interesting activities, for example, physical exercise or a favorite sport, or competitive dancing. The benefits of these activities are triple – health benefits; having a great time; and there is also an opportunity to find friends with common interests.
There is no need to spend money on “smoke” and alcohol. It is better to save them and spend them on something more useful and interesting, for example, on a new computer game, or on new clothes, or on a disco.
You need to be free from tobacco and alcohol and manage your life yourself. Don't let a cigarette or a bottle control your life.
But if you have already started smoking and drinking regularly or occasionally, then it is time to quit. The benefits are double: invaluable for your health and you'll save a lot of money. In addition, non-smoking and non-drinking people have a beautiful and healthy appearance. There is a pleasant smell from clothes, hair and breath, as well as a snow-white and radiant smile.
You should always make healthy choices!
Author: Inna Dvirnyk
How can a teenager quit smoking and how can parents help?
Despite the rapid formation of addiction, a teenager is quite capable of giving up a bad habit. Parents can be of great help with this. Many begin to panic and do not know what to do if a teenager smokes.
Quitting cigarettes
The main thing is not to reduce everything to prohibitions and scandals, since such tactics will not help wean a teenager from smoking, but rather will have the opposite effect. We need to communicate and explain. You should not put pressure on a teenager, but at the same time you must strictly adhere to your position regarding the harm of smoking.
Some tips on how to help a teenager quit smoking:
- prove in practice that he ceases to control the process and has fallen into the power of a bad habit (for example, by suggesting not to smoke for several days);
- explain that addiction to cigarettes does not make him special or cool, but makes him dependent and weak;
- use shock therapy - show examples of what smoking can lead to;
- involve in sports (constant exercise will help you get rid of the craving for smoking faster).
If parents smoke, then the first thing they need to do is set an example for their child by giving up smoking.
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Some students of one of the Vologda schools can now smoke with the written permission of their parents. The scandalous receipt from mom and dad was issued at the request of the teachers. Why did teachers need this? And is there a way to influence adults who are not at all involved in raising their own children?
The statements were written by the parents of 12 students of Vologda school No. 26. The director admits: she is tired of fighting smoking. Until recently, the school yard turned into a smoking room. Now the school has a special access regime - students can leave the building only with the permission of the class teacher. But this did not stop the most heavy smokers.
Then they asked the parents for a scandalous receipt. The measure is dubious, but forced, teachers admit. Without the help of parents, they say, it is impossible to cope with the bad habits of students. And they simply refuse to help.
The school does not say who exactly submitted such applications. According to the director, these parents have not been interested in how their children study and behave for a long time. As a rule, they do not attend parent-teacher meetings and sometimes it is not even possible to call them to school. Other parents, having learned about what was happening, were outraged. Firstly, those who are essentially allowed to smoke will have a bad impact on those who are currently non-smokers. And secondly, how can you refuse responsibility for your own child?
“These are people who, apparently, believe that there are already many problems in life, and I won’t take this on myself. Or they think that their son or daughter is old enough. There must be responsibility, and not only moral,” says the father of a student at school No. 26, Igor Odintsov.
Doctors who have to help children get rid of nicotine addiction blame both teachers and parents. But first of all, of course, moms and dads, who often prefer to simply turn a blind eye to the problem.
“If it’s just a trial, but it’s not supported by parents or teachers, then it might not catch on. But if this is supported at home - they just smoke at home, if it is, let’s say, not prohibited at school, it becomes a habit. And the sooner, the harder it is to get rid of it,” says psychiatrist and psychotherapist Maxim Sadkov.
School No. 26 assures that before being asked to sign statements about smoking, parents were repeatedly asked to influence their children. And only after receiving another refusal, they decided to draw up such receipts. It is not yet known how the city education department will react to this document—whether it even has the right to exist. The guardianship authorities should also have questions - according to the law, it is the parents who are responsible for the health of their children, and judging by the text, they do not intend to fulfill their duties properly.
Smoking prevention
The problem of teenage smoking is becoming more pressing every year. Therefore, preventive measures must be carried out both at home and at school. Considering the specifics of age, it is advisable to approach the issue wisely:
- information about the dangers of smoking in general and in particular during adolescence should be presented in accessible language, always accompanied by real stories and films;
- avoid prohibitions and moralizing, focus on the advantages of living without cigarettes;
- give examples of famous people (preferably idols of the younger generation) who do not smoke;
- involve your child in sports;
- diversify the teenager’s leisure time so that he never gets bored and has no time left for bad habits.
All these recommendations will help you cope with the problem, and possibly prevent it from occurring.
What to do if a child starts smoking - a reminder for parents
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How to understand that a child has started experimenting with cigarettes, and how to behave in order to prevent teenage curiosity from developing into a bad habit—many families ask these questions. Novosibirsk News, together with the Public Council on the Problem of Teenage Smoking, has compiled a memo for parents.
Novosibirsk news
16:45, 25 August 2020
Why do teenagers start smoking?
Typically, children become interested in smoking at the age of 12-14 years. At this age, schoolchildren need to stand out from the crowd, they really want to do what children are not allowed to do, they strive to break prohibitions. For such children, a cigarette becomes an indicator of adulthood.
The company also has a big influence. If all my friends start smoking, then “I can’t lag behind,” the teenager believes. The example of parents can also be contagious. According to statistics, in families who smoke, the likelihood that a child will become addicted to this bad habit is approximately 20% higher.
The availability of tobacco for children also plays a huge role in this issue. If there is a place in your area that sells cigarettes to minors, rest assured that all local schoolchildren will know about it.
Today, legal retail adheres to the rules for selling cigarettes much better than 10-15 years ago.
But the situation is complicated by the fact that illegal tobacco products can also be found on store shelves. Counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes are low in price (from 50 to 70 rubles), and those from whom you can buy them often ignore the ban on selling goods to minors.
The Public Council on the problem of teenage smoking conducted an experiment in Novosibirsk. Activists staged raids on stores selling illegal products, and in nine out of ten cases, dealers calmly sold cigarettes to a teenager without asking for a passport. The volume of the illegal market is growing every year. Today in Novosibirsk and the region it is 25-27%. And the more illegal immigrants work, the more accessible tobacco is to minors and the more children start smoking.
How to tell if your child smokes
The first thing that may alert a parent is the smell of tobacco emanating from the child’s clothes and hair. Of course, the teenager will immediately answer you that this is only a consequence of the fact that his friends are smoking, and he is just standing next to him. But if the smell comes from the fingers, this is already a clear sign that the child is experimenting with cigarettes.
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This can also be indicated by the child’s attempts to hide the smell using all known methods: frequent showers, mouth rinses and mouth fresheners, excessive use of perfumes and flavors.
Excessive worry, anxiety, and looking for reasons to leave home (walk the dog, run to the store, and so on) can cause alarm. A teenager who is interested in smoking may have matches, lighters and traces of tobacco in his pockets. In addition, with the advent of this “hobby,” the child may begin to ask parents and other relatives for money more often.
How to behave as parents
If you suspect or already know that your child smokes, do not try to immediately stop his attempts with severe punishment. Read publications about the dangers of smoking for a teenager's health and bring this information to his attention.
Take care of the atmosphere of trust in your relationship with your child. Having learned about the emergence of a bad habit, do not humiliate the teenager, do not pretend that you no longer love him. Choose the right moment and discuss the problem with your child in a calm, confidential conversation.
Try not to use reference to the child's age as an argument - this may cause a backlash, stimulating his desire to smoke to prove his adulthood. Focus on the harmful effects of cigarettes and the development of addiction to them.
Pay close attention to the teenager’s relationships with peers, try to be aware of how the child spends his free time. Teach him to say “no” and resist the influence of friends, because the ability to defend one’s opinion is a more significant indicator of maturity and strength of character than smoking.
If a child has been smoking for a long time and regularly, it may not be possible to overcome the addiction right away, so be patient and do not try to solve the problem with strong pressure or punishment. Don't neglect the help of specialists. Many smoking cessation techniques will help change a teenager’s behavior and attitude towards the addiction.
And, of course, remain a role model for the teenager, instill the values of a healthy lifestyle, spend free time with the child, being sincerely interested in his life.
If you see that suspiciously cheap cigarettes are being sold somewhere (there are no legal cigarettes cheaper than 70 rubles), and the sellers do not ask young buyers for documents, inform the regulatory authorities. The fewer places where a teenager can buy cigarettes, the more likely it is to protect him from this bad habit.
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