Currently, tobacco consumption is normalized and the worst thing is that cigarettes cause many health problems worldwide, being the leading cause of preventable death. In Spain there are no less than 55 thousand deaths due to tobacco every year. It is normal for parents to be concerned about this issue and for this reason, we want to give you prevention tips so that your adolescent children do not fall in tobacco dependence.

It is more harmful in adolescence

When a person starts smoking in adolescence, they are more likely to develop cancer or respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. This is why it is so important to prevent tobacco use. In addition, the adolescent brain is still developing which will make it much more vulnerable to nicotine use.

Because of this, the adolescent mind will be more prone to suffer from some type of depression. A teenage smokeris likely to continue to be a smoker into adulthood, and will be at higher risk for serious health problems as well as emotional problems.

As if that weren’t enough, The lungs in adolescence are not at 100% capacity and if a teenager starts smoking they will begin to have mild obstructions in the airways, causing lung function to decline. If an adolescent smokes, they will not reach their respiratory potential and therefore they will be more likely to suffer from respiratory diseases in the future.

Prevent your teens from smoking

It is common for teens to start smoking because of social acceptance or as an act of rebellion against society. So that adolescents do not fall into this addiction, it is important to warn them about the danger of tobacco from a very young age. So that your children do not smoke, it is important that you remember these tips:

1. Be the best example. If you tell your child not to smoke, but you smoke… then will see it as normal and will be more likely to smoke. If you smoke and have young children, it is better to stop and tell your children that it makes you feel bad and that it is better to quit as soon as possible. Let that be your courage to quit smoking now.
2. Let them play sports. Sports are essential for adolescents not to smoke because their lung capacity will be more important than smoking a cigarette.
3. Talk about the health consequences. Smoking has terrible health consequences and it’s important for your children to know about them. To raise awareness, you can tell them about someone close to you who has gotten sick or even died from smoking. Do not wait for adolescence to do it, the sooner you make them aware, the better. The best age to talk about this is from the age of six. In addition, it costs a lot of money to buy tobacco.
4. Physical appearance deteriorates. Tell your adolescent son that when he smokes his breath smells bad, more acne breaks out, his hair is damaged and skin and will have a bad smell in general. A teenager likes to look good, so he or she is likely to think twice before lighting up.
5. No one smokes in the house. If you smoke, never at home or in front of your children. Do not allow visitors to smoke in front of them either inside the house or in outdoor areas. Let your children see that smoking is a bad thing and you don’t want them to be harmed.
6. Teach your children to say no. It is important to offer children tools and social skills to learn to say no. Teach your child assertiveness and never do anything they don’t really want to do.
7. Don’t scold them. Teenagers don’t like to be scolded, so it’s best to avoid the sermons. The best thing is that you speak to them with empathy and remind them that smoking is not healthy, that people do not smoke at home and above all, ask them, listen to them and spend time by their side.