There are many reasons why teenagers start smoking - regardless of what has prompted the behavior in an individual adolescent, the fact of the matter is that more and more parents are faced with this problem.

Some of the factors that contribute to the advent of smoking in the teen ages include lower self-esteem, the absence of parental support or involvement, parents who smoke, siblings/peers who smoke or approve of the habit, low socioeconomic standing, and tobacco cost and availability http://www.familyfirstaid.org/teen-smoking.html.

Smoking is a difficult habit to shake off ideally because of the nicotine content in tobacco; nicotine is highly addictive and once a person gets used to it he/she will constantly need cigarettes if only to feel okay http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/tobacco/smoking.html.

People find it hard to stop smoking because they develop an addiction to nicotine http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/tobacco/quit_smoking.html?tracking=T_RelatedArticle. This is the reason why despite people knowing how harmful smoking is to their health, and all the measures put in place including smoking restrictions/bans in public places and legislations against ads by cigarette companies, they will continue to light up http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/tobacco/smoking.html.

Nicotine is a chemical found in smokeless tobacco and cigarettes and it has stimulant and depressant properties. At first nicotine hastens the heart beat thus causing a feeling of alertness in users but afterwards it causes depression and fatigue and it is these feelings that prompt smokers to light up one cigarette after another. The addictive nature of nicotine is said to be equivalent to that elicited by heroin or cocaine http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/tobacco/quit_smoking.html?tracking=T_RelatedArticle.

The general and nasty effects of smoking include bad breath, smelly clothes and hair, yellowing of fingernails and teeth, wrinkling, pale and sickly looks, chronic cough and phlegm, and reduced energy levels, not to mention a waste of money as smoking is expensive http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/teen-smoking/TN00016 http://www.familyfirstaid.org/teen-smoking.html.

Teenage smokers will commonly display the following:

• An effort to conceal their smoking habit
• They will regularly perform poorly in school
• Failure to attend classes
• Isolation from other students and feelings of not being part of the school
• Feelings that they have little chance of joining college
• Relatively poor performances in sporting activities
• Resorting to tobacco use as a relief from pressure experienced at home and at school
• Experimentation with and use of alcohol, drugs and other illicit substances

http://www.teendrugabuse.us/teensmoking.html

The following apply prior to the onset of adolescent smoking:

• Parents and guardians should accept the reality that is teenage smoking and the fact that their children can succumb to the habit – only then can parents appreciate the need to put in place appropriate preventative measures
• Parents should be on the lookout to detect signs of teen smoking including declining academic performances, evidence of smoking in their children’s rooms, sudden increases in expenditure, isolated behaviour etc
• To be effective at curbing smoking in their teenagers parents should lead by example – teenagers whose parents don’t smoke are more likely to never take up the habit
• Teenage smoking is in most cases prompted by peer pressure. Parents should therefore help to instil self respect and self esteem, as well as other positive social traits, in their teenage children such that they won’t need to seek external approval by becoming smokers
• Parents should also candidly express their feelings and disapproval of smoking such that their teenage children fully understand that smoking isn’t an option they have

http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/teen-smoking-prevention-5082.html

Parents can do the following to help their teenage children quit smoking:

• Start by encouraging smoking teenagers to write down a list of reasons why they need to stop the habit – this list will keep them resolute when the urge to smoke arises
• Encouraging teens to decide on a date to quit the habit. The date should preferably not fall during hectic occasions like exam time
• Motivate their children to find new friends and activities that will help him/her to quit smoking for good
• Help their teenagers learn to resolutely decline peer pressure offers to smoke
• Help teenagers get used to withstanding nicotine cravings until they pass – perhaps by keeping their mouths busy with sugarless gum or toothpicks etc
• Together with their teenagers they can visit tobacco-cessation specialists for advice on how to quit smoking
• If necessary they can invest in quit-smoking products including nicotine nasal sprays, inhalers, patches and gums, as well as medications like vareniciline and bupropion, subject to professional medical advice
• Encourage teens to join support groups aimed at stopping teenage smoking

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/teen-smoking/TN00016/NSECTIONGROUP=2