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The majority of adult smokers today started smoking when they were teenagers, and despite curbs on tobacco advertising targeting the young, millions of teenagers are still taking up the habit. So, why do teens continue to be drawn to this harmful habit, and what can be done about it?
First we should look at what makes a teenager take up smoking in the first place. Many teens see taking up smoking as a way of showing others that they can do what they want, that they are in control. In truth, this is a false belief. They are not in control when they become addicted to nicotine. They have been used by the big tobacco companies to do exactly what they want them to do: become an addicted smoker.
It is difficult to get teens not to start smoking by telling them they could develop lung cancer or heart disease in later life, because they simply don't think that far ahead. Most teenagers have a carefree attitude, as they haven't yet been exposed to some of the more grim realities of the real world. They take up smoking in the belief that they won't become addicted, and that they will stop when they feel like it.
When asked, only about 5% of teens predicted they would still be smoking 5 years down the line. The problem is that they are not immune to the addictive effects of nicotine, as they may believe they are, and within a couple of weeks are hooked. In reality, around 75% of teen smokers are still smoking 5 years on.
With the restrictions placed on tobacco advertising that targets teens, you may wonder how they become allured by tobacco in the first place. Well, parents are the single biggest influence on a child. If the parents of a child smoke then there is a very good chance they will take it up too. Telling a teen how bad smoking is and that they shouldn't try it, when they themselves are a regular smoker, isn't going to work in convincing them not to start lighting up at some stage.
So, the single best way for a parent to stop a teen becoming a smoker is not to smoke yourself. And if it's too late for that, the best way to get your child to quit is to set an example by quitting yourself. Educating teens as to the effects of smoking will also aid in helping them make the right decision.
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