Why is your teenager experimenting with cigarettes?

Most of the teens start smoking at the age of 14-17 years. The teenage is a critical period in the formation of the smoking habit. Globally, smoking is still on the rise among teenagers. The habit of smoking is considered a true drug addiction and is widespread all over the world.

Your teenager may experiment with smoking for reasons mentioned below:

1.      They have seen you/someone smoking: It is said that children imitate you very well than listening to you. It will be hard for a parent to ask your teen to stop smoking if you are indulging in it. Although public smoking is banned but barely followed in India, many people smoke at smoking joints which might influence children.

2.      They are curious to know how it tastes: Teenagers are curious about new things. They may be curious and want to find out what a cigarette tastes like. They want to get into something that thrills them.

3.      They smoke as their friends do it: Friends of the same age or elder to them can influence them to smoke just once. They want to be cooler of their age. When they see their older friends smoke, they may have the misconception that smoking is what mature adults do.

4.      They are stressed: Teens go through a lot during their adolescence, changes like their bodies are growing in ways that are new to them and perhaps no one is ready to explain; they are expected to do things on their own and to perform well in school, sometimes they do not have a cordial relationship with parents. They find it even more important to make new friends. To relieve stress, teenagers may pick up smoking, misled into thinking that smoking can offer some form of relief.

5.      They may do it under pressure: Friends may dare or bully them or rag them to try one and then may start to enjoy the toxic feeling they experience.

Counseling greatly improves quitting rates among teens. Consult a nearby psychologist /counselor if your teen is addicted to smoking.

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