Factors that Encourage Smoking among Teenagers
There are a lot of factors that encourage smoking Winston and other smoking brands in teenagers. Unfortunately, no matter what the reason, once they have started, it can be very difficult to lose the smoking addiction and, before they know it, their health is at risk and their bank balance is suffering. Keeping an eye on factors that could influence a teen’s smoking habits may help with cutting down on the possibility of them smoking in the first place.
*Peer pressure
Most teenagers start smoking because their friends encourage them to have a try, or their rivals tease them for not smoking. Once they have tried it, they continue, wanting to look cool. During their teens, young adults are easily influenced and they are still working out who they are and what they want from life. As a result, they often make decisions that they may not have made if more mature.
*Parental influence
Having parents or close family members who smoke can influence a teen in one of two ways – they may think that it is fine to smoke because others do, or they may resent the fact that their family members smoke and become violently anti-smoking. Unfortunately, many teens take the first route and become as addicted as their parents from an early age.
*Celebrities
Every day, there are pictures of celebrities tumbling out of night clubs, or having a cheeky cigarette in between shoots. Many teens associate this with looking cool and want to emulate their favourite celebrity. They are more concerned with the way that they look than they are with any of the results of smoking – addiction and spending.
*Desire to stay slim
There are a number of slim, willowy supermodels who are believed to smoke because it helps them keep slim. Whether this is true or not is irrelevant. The fact is that many young girls in particular are concerned about their weight and think that by smoking, they can keep control of their weight and look like their idols.
*Teenage rebellion and boredom
Teenagers want some excitement in their lives and they often feel they don’t have enough. Smoking is a way of telling their parents that they are now grown up and can do as they please – this is particularly useful if parents are anti-smoking. The thrill of doing something they shouldn’t is enough to keep them at it.
*Misunderstanding of the risks
Some teens simply don’t know the risks of smoking or, if they do, they deliberately choose to misunderstand them. Often the risks seem to be associated with older people and so teens, thinking they are invincible, just don’t let it worry them. They may see their habit as something that they can stop any time.
Ultimately, if a teen wants to smoke, there is little that parents and authority figures can do to stop them. However, ensuring that the risk of some of the above factors may just be enough to stop one or two from succumbing and that has to be worth the effort.
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