Teen Smoking

It is not easy to quit smoking. This article talks about the importance of getting treatment for teen smoking and treatment program options for teenage smoking. Learn how you can help and support adolescents that want to stop smoking.

Treatment for teen smoking can be a daunting challenge. Because tobacco is addicting, treatment for teen smoking can be hard to come by. However, there are treatment programs available to help with teen smoking. They vary from programs that are similar to other 12 step ways to get rid of addiction to medical help to hypnosis.

The importance of getting treatment for teen smoking

It is important to get treatment for teen smoking. Smoking can be very dangerous to one’s health, and can result in terminal illnesses. Even if one does not get cancer from smoking, tobacco use has more immediate health effects including:

• Coughing and hacking.
• Respiratory problems.
• Blood clots.
• Increases risk of heart attack.
• Increased risk of stroke.
• Addiction to nicotine.
• Psychological addiction to the pleasures associated with smoking.
• Poor lung development and function.
• Lowered immune capability.

In order to help prevent a variety of diseases, as well as boost one’s overall health, it can be important to quit smoking.

Even when they know how important it is, though, it can be very difficult to get a teenager - or anyone else, for that matter - to stop smoking. This is why different treatment programs may be of assistance in kicking the habit.

Treatment program options for teen smoking

There are many different options for the treatment of teen smoking. What works best for your teenager depends largely on what sort of person he or she is. But first and foremost, your teen has to want to stop smoking. Once that intent is established, there are programs that can be of help.

Quitting cold turkey.

This can be very difficult, but those with strong wills can manage it. This is when a person simply stops smoking. Okay, so it’s not that simple. Withdrawal symptoms can result, and craving can be very strong. However, there are some things you can do to help if your teen decides to stop smoking cold turkey:

• Provide distractions.
• Offer to go for a walk or do some other activity.
• Offer gum or a piece of hard candy when a craving comes on.
• Be available to talk.
• Recommend water to flush out the chemicals.

Support groups and programs.

As there are for addictions to alcohol and drugs, there are groups that address smoking. Your teenager can attend a support group to help him or her find the strength to quit. These support groups can often provide your teen with access to others who know what he or she is going through with regards to smoking. These support groups and programs can also be coupled with therapy, medical help for other problems and even with therapeutic boarding schools.

It is also possible to find support groups and programs on the Internet. These can offer the opportunity to chat with those who understand, as well as offer tips for staying strong. However, it is important for parents to monitor participation in online support groups; they can be targets for some pedophiles looking for vulnerable minors.

Pharmacological help for quitting teen smoking.

It is also possible to get help through medicinal means for quitting teen smoking. Often such treatment regimes require doctor oversight, however. But they can be helpful. Products like the nicotine patch work by helping the smoker slowly recover from a dependence on the nicotine in the cigarettes. The patch (and some pills that are designed for the same purpose) deliver a certain level of nicotine. Every few days, you reduce the amount of nicotine your body is getting. Stepping down allows you to overcome cravings by slowing weaning the body off of the addictive substance.

It is important to note that while these programs can help overcome an addiction to nicotine, it does not address some of the psychological effects that can come from smoking. In some cases, counseling may be needed in order to get past the desire for cigarettes - a desire that can beyond the nicotine in the body.

Hypnosis for treating teen smoking.

Another method of treating teen and adult smoking is hypnosis. In this method, the smoker is put into a state in which he or she is suggestive. The practitioner (make sure you see a valid license) creates the suggestion that the smoker wants to quit, and implants the idea that smoking is not desirable. Some psychologists and psychiatrists are practiced in this technique, and combine it with counseling and even with pharmacological methods.

It is important to note that such hypnosis does not work in real life as it does in the movies. Often more than one session is needed, and other support may be needed. Additionally, hypnosis requires that the subject trust the practitioner, as well as have a suggestible personality. Due to the headstrong tendencies of many teenagers and their unwillingness to trust adults, it can be difficult to get hypnosis to work in terms of teen smoking.

There are many treatments, and combinations of treatments, that can be used to help quit teen smoking. Carefully consider your options before deciding on any one.