Smoking can start with undemanding interest or peer pressure, but when you begin to smoke, it can become a horrible routine that will eventually be hard to give up. You may want to put off taking that first puff in order for you to have a better life ahead. Sometimes, you may feel that smoking can be a form of revolution, or a way to fit in with others. Maybe you smoke in an attempt to diet or cheer up. Or maybe you tend to smoke so that you can become popular or feel free. What are your true thoughts on smoking? If you’ve already started, you may want to think about quitting or refraining from such a habit. Always remember that you have control over the decisions you make and how these decisions will determine the outcome of your future.

Regardless of how uneasy you feel about talking to your parents about smoking you should do so anyway.  Despite what your friends say, smoking is not something most parents permit and you doing so will have more of an impact on them than you think. According to one study, teens who think that their parents disagree with smoking were less than half as likely to smoke as those who thought their parents wouldn’t care. Your parents shouldn’t smoke inside the house, in the car, or right in front of you. They also shouldn’t forget to keep the cigarettes from your inquisitive hands. If your parents smoke, they should try to quit. Quitting may be hard if you start and it will sometimes make you feel miserable during the process of trying to quit. Smoking is not attractive and it can bring damaging and unpleasant results such as bad breath, smelly hair, and yellow teeth. Smoking is an unclean and foul habit, and can also leave you with a constant cough and less energy for sports and other activities you may have once enjoyed doing.

Another issue is the cost. Smoking is pricey; so calculate your weekly, monthly, or yearly cost of one-pack-a-day smoking routine. Consider what other things you can purchase instead.  Consider buying practical devices, clothes, and other important things you may need instead of cigarettes.

I know you are exposed to peer pressure. Your friends who smoke can become very persuasive. You should possess the courage you need to reject smoking. One essential that should be practiced is “Saying No in a Nice Manner.”

You may think that you can quit smoking anytime you want. But sadly, you become just as addicted to nicotine as adults, often rapidly and at quite low doses of nicotine. And once captivated, it will be harder for you to quit. Due to lack of experience, you also tend to believe that bad things only happen to others. But the long term costs of you smoking are things such as cancer, stroke, and heart attacks.  These are all serious things that may be “too real” for you when you grow a bit older.