why cant my son stop smoking he's nearly sixteen?

Question

and his granny's been in hospital with chronic lung disease "emphysemia"for weeks and she's nearly died and she's still there been two months now.

Answer 1

Most teens have a sense of immortality, or "it can't happen to me". In a teen's mind, things like cancer, emphysema and heart attacks happen to old people, not to kids like them. What might be more effective would be to see someone his age with lung cancer, oral cancer or whatever, than to see his grandma dying.

Teens also tend to become addicted to substances more easily than adults for reasons unknown. So couple a stronger addictive process with "It can't happen to me" and you've probably got your son.

Now...it is illegal in most places for kids under 18 to purchase tobacco-so how is he obtaining his cigarrettes? Stopping his access to the cigarrettes is probably the first step.

Answer 2

He probably can't stop because he's addicted to the nicotene all you can do is try and educate him about the dangers but at that age reprecussions are only for the old folk not youngsters you can get some pretty nasty looking pictures off the net of lungs that have emphysemia and cancer maybe its worth trying to shock him, young adults can also get smoking cessation help from their local NHS in the UK. Plenty of adults smoke and you would think they would be wise enough to realise the dangers and give up but they don't so its always going to hard with youngsters!

Answer 3

Cigarette's are addictive, and very difficult to quit.

There's also the psychology of youth. Most children believe, on some level, they're invincible. Diseases, injury, retirement, are so far away as to not even be considered.

I started smoking just before my grandfather died of lung cancer. Even having him warn me against it didn't do enough to convince me. Now years have passed and I still occasionally get the urge for a cig.

A surprisingly small amount is the physical addiction to nicotine - the hard-core want for a cig passes after 2 or 3 days. The worst part is the awkwardness with your hands. It sounds weird to non-smokers, but trust me on this. You'll go outside with 10 minutes to kill and feel like you *should* be doing something. You just feel off when you're not occupied with the habit of smoking.

You start associating breaks, or after-meal/morning routines with smoking, long drives, hanging out with friends, etc.

My suggestion: talk to your son not only about the dangers of smoking (odds are pretty good he knows), but also his motives for smoking. Ask him if he's tried to quit and if there's anything you can do to help him.

You know your child better than any of us will, so pick a course of action that works well with his personality. Maybe he'd respond to rewards (you get the car on the weekends if you haven't smoked all week), or to compromise (I'll give up chocolate if you give up smokes), or help keeping his mind off of it (let's go fishing this weekend, smoke free).

You get the idea.

Good luck,
Odd

Answer 4

He's addicted isn't he? It's not as simple as just giving up. Also, he'll be thinking it's cool to smoke and diseases such as cancer are for older people. He won't associate what his granny has with what he does.

Maybe you need to try some shock tactics. Take him to see his Granny and the others in the ward. Tell him that this is what smoking can (and more than likely will) do.

Do you smoke? If so, why not quit with him?

Answer 5

age has nothing to do with smoking and the ability to quit. I started when I was 15 and I'm now 21 and in the last 5 years I have tried to quit multiple times. My dad was a smoker, and died of cancer but I still cant manage to quit. It is extremely difficult. You have to get him to want to quit otherwise it wont work. From my quitting experiences, if I quit when I'm not ready, I dont even last a day. I've quit when I've felt ready and lasted up to 6 months.I would suggest when he is ready, try to get him on the patch or to try the nicorrette gum. Good luck

Answer 6

He isnt busy enough - he needs something to distract him to take his mind off the need to smoke. Keep him busy, get him to raise money for the hospital ward his granny is staying in and make sure he visits her and talks to her about how she got there & how much pain she is in.

Answer 7

It's tough to see a child smoke and it's even harder to help them quit unless they want to. I had an aunt who snuck in her child's room and put that nail bitting stuff on the filters it made them taste bad and she quit soon after. There are no easy fixes to an addiction unless the person wishes to quit, but you can make the experience unpleasant and hope it works.

Answer 8

Two reasons, smoking is very addictive, it's a drug, and people get dependant on it.

Also teenagers think they are indestructible, and they'd never get a disease from smoking, that's just old people.

So you're butting up against both those things, good luck!

Answer 9

he shouldnt of even started tut tut. oh yeah and if you in the uk you only have to be 16 peeeps. lol

he will give up when he wants trouble is he dont and he might buts its so hard.

I have asthma and also smoke I want to quit but its so hard especially if theres part of you that doesnt want to quit or you enjoy it

Answer 10

the reason he cant stop is because he has a nicotine addiction and it is very very difficult to quit even if his grandmother is in hospital.my mother has lung cancer and most of my family cant quit but we all know"sadly"the danger to ourselves but we do not smoke in our mothers presence as we go outside for a smoke