What to do if your teen is smoking cigarettes

What can you do if your teen is smoking cigarettes? Psychologist, author, and speakers Michael J. Bradley, EdD offers tactics for parents of teenagers who have tobacco addiction.
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What to do if your teen is smoking cigarettes

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If your kids start smoking cigarettes in these day of age, it likely mean something different than it did to you as a child. Because they heard so much of the literature of how dangerous cigarettes are for them. But we have found the most efficient way to get kids to start smoking cigarettes is to show them on screen figures smoking cigarettes. We use to think it was parents who smoke, peers to smoke, social economic class, it is not and made a study that turned out kids watch a lot of on screen smoking, like in the violent videos and such they try out the smoking cause it look so cool. So understand there is a link to the electronics, what do you do? You sit down, don't get crazy with them, talk with them, ask what the pay off is. Teen brands are much more driven to get rewards than to avoid risks. Neurologically, that's what they do, so ask, "What's the pay off Sweetie? What do you get out of these"? If you can find out why she's doing it, what the pay off is see if you can find another way to get the pay off. If she's trying to look cool, pay for the better clothes, if the kid is trying to get a risk experience, talk them into sky diving or scuba diving, find some other ways for getting the reward. Finally, if your kid is smoking a lot, understand that 14 year old get more heavily addicted quickly than any other age group. It happens in a New York minute, so if they are smoking daily, get to the pediatrician talk about a smoking cessation program. But you have got to reward the kid to fight the battle, go for bigger rewards than the cigarettes provides your child.
TEEN, Substance Use, Tobacco Use

What can you do if your teen is smoking cigarettes? Psychologist, author, and speakers Michael J. Bradley, EdD offers tactics for parents of teenagers who have tobacco addiction.

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Michael J. Bradley, EdD

Psychologist, Author & Speaker

Michael J. Bradley, EdD, award-winning author, has counseled adolescents and their parents for over 30 years and currently has a private practice in suburban Philadelphia. As a recognized specialist in adolescent behavior and parenting, Dr. Bradley is in demand as a speaker and facilitator for mental health professionals, educators, and parenting groups. He has appeared on over 400 radio and television shows, including CNN, The Today Show and Good Morning, America, and has been interviewed by numerous magazines and newspapers such as USA Today, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Parents Magazine. His website forum is a great source of advice and encouragement to parents.

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