Teenage Smoking

We all are aware of the fact that smoking is injurious to health it damages the inner systems of our body and brings us closer to death. But what if we find our younger sisters and brothers smoking or our sons and daughters smoking. What effect will they have of taking cigarettes puffs? This fact is not hidden from any of us that teenagers do smoke. According to the surveys done by Health Promotion Unit in 1998 found that 57% of Irish adolescent boys smoked regularly. There is no doubt in the fact that smoking kills but the more earlier you start smoking the more you are ruining your life.

Teenagers are called as the future of tomorrow But is this the future we are building for our country. Smoking is by far the greatest cause of death in developed countries. It poses a big risk, especially among those who start smoking cigarettes regularly in their teenage years. If they keep smoking steadily, about half will eventually be killed by tobacco (about one quarter in old age plus one quarter in middle age).

Unfortunately, teen smoking can set a pattern for later in life. Even though most high school students think that they will quit, more than 60 percent of them are still smoking seven to nine years later. This means that there are some very serious health risks that can result from teen smoking.

If you are still confused, why your teen smokes let us know some of the experiences and facts

The motivation for any adolescent behavior is complex. The reasons they smoke are no less so but may include:

• Parental negligence
• Cigarette advertising. The advertisements shown on TV or newspapers are highly attractive and glamorous.
• Imitating their parents. Some teenagers see their parents smoking and want to do everything like them. So they also start taking up this habit
• Boredom. Many teenagers are pissed of their life. They have no one to talk to and share their feelings sitting alone at home and smoking out their problems is the only option left for them.
• The need to experiment. Teenagers are also curious to know and try out a new thing. So they start it just for trying and when it becomes their habit, they are also not aware.
• Self-image. Some feel that they look cool and hot when they smoke.
• Peer Pressure
• The main reason behind teenage smoking is that children have little or no parental support or guidance. To make the right choices—choices that affirm life, choices that fly in the face of peer pressure—children need to feel loved and cherished. They need to experience a sense of competence and a feeling of hope about the future. Children need to be in the care of adults who accept them completely and champion their best interests, so they learn to care for themselves. Those children have little or no parental support or guidance. The problem with media campaigns and educational programs is that they focus on WHAT NOT TO DO and put responsibility for not smoking squarely in the hands of children who are unable to make this decision without the love and guidance of adults. Let us put the issue where it belongs. Let's focus on what to do and DO it. What can you do right now to change your child's experience, so he grows up valuing the gift of life?
• It is very necessary as a parent that we take a good step and teach our children about the ill effects of smoking. The foremost cause of teenage smoking is the insecurity young people often feel. They are at redefining and difficult age. They are no longer children, and hence the ways in which they have behaved in the past are inappropriate. On the other hand, they are not yet adults; still, they do not know the ways of the adult world. This conflict can end up in feelings of insecurity. For one thing, if children want attention from their parents or a toy or sweet, they can cry to draw attention to their desires. For teenagers, however, crying will be labeled childish and they will be told to “act their age.” More often than not, the teenager does not know how to act his or her age.Since teenagers do not know what to do, they ultimately turn to smoking as a way to hide their nervousness and insecurities.
• While it is true that teenagers are attempting to become adults, this effort is often not fully conscious and they view the adults closest to them, their parents, and teachers, as enemies. With that in mind, they turn to their peer group for support. We are all familiar with the teenagers who want to look, act, and dress exactly like all of the other teenagers. This peer group conformity can exert such an extreme pressure that often teenagers do things in the group that they would not normally do. One of these things is smoking cigarettes. Imagine a group of guys playing pool together after school. One says to the others, “I’m going to buy a pack of cigarettes. Do you want to smoke with me?” The peer pressure here is so great that most normal boys will fail to resist and succumb.

Respiratory problems. Smoking causes all sorts of respiratory problems. There are many illnesses that can result from smoking- including cancer in the throat, mouth and lungs. Smoking can reduce the effectiveness of the immune system, leading to an increase in colds and other sickness and leading to overall reduction in health. It is often seen that when girls start out smoking at an early age they have problems in their pregnancy and this also effects their menstrual cycle. Boys are also not safe here it reduces their sperm counts and increases chances of their impotency. Circulatory and hear problems. Smoking can increase the changes of heart attack. Teen smoking is most often associated with respiratory problems, but it can affect circulation as well. Smoking can increase the chances of blood clot, and this can in turn cause stroke. Shortness of breath. Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen that your body is getting. This means that you may need to breathe more rapidly in order to get the oxygen that you need. This can lead to shortness of breath. Poor lung function. Also connected to shortness of breath is poor lung function. Smoking reduces your lung capacity and can even damage your lungs. This makes it more difficult to breath. This difficulty can mean that you have less success and ability in sports and other activities.

Addiction is the main cause of smoking once nicotine gets into your head you will always feel the urge of another cigarette at times when level of nicotine falls down. It is a state in which you need something to function properly, or you body goes through troubling and unpleasant symptoms when you stop using it. Teen smoking can lead to nicotine addiction, especially in cigarettes. Additionally, there can be a psychological addiction to the practice of smoking. To make the future of our country bright and healthy it is very necessary that problem of teenage smoking is reduced to a vast extent. It should be noted that using other types of smoke tobacco- such as bidis, kreteks, and hookahs- could also be detrimental to health.