How to stop teenagers from smoking...Just a thought...

That could work Terry and I'm sure when they see what their lungs could look like then I'm sure they would have second thoughts. I'm praying my hubby gives up smoking not only for his health and diabetes but for the sake of my son. He keeps imitating him and saying that he's going to smoke like his daddy one day - gets me all riled up and when I tell the hubby he just laughs. Not funny I say. He says he is trying to quit but I don't see him trying. All I can do is pray about it and hopefully when he really gives a hoot, he will do something about it. I just hope something scarey doesn't have to happen in order for him to wake up!!!

Well given that I've been smoking for 20 yrs I think your idea is retarded. I never smoked to be "cool" or anything like that and frankly I knew the risk of smoking. Fact is they already know the risk, and THEY DON'T CARE. Here's an idea if you wanna save kids lives.. TEACH THEM THE DANGERS OF DRINKING AND DRIVING... thats killing more teens then smoking ever will.

Such an item would be a biohazard and most likely more dangerous that the smoking. I am appalled that anyone would suggest such a horrible thing to put a child through. Can we say instant Child Abuse charges?

When my younger brother and sister mentioned something about smoking a couple of weeks ago, I made them do something I saw Dr Oz on Oprah do. I said 'breathe in as deep as you can. Can you breathe in any more?' They shook their heads and their eyes were opened up wide. Then I said 'Ok, without letting go, try to breathe in a little bit more.' They tried and tried before letting their breaths go in relief. I then told them "that's what it feels like to try and breathe when you have emphysemia".

I think that teens start smoking because its "cool" to them or they see other people doing it. I also think that if they were more educated at a younger age or their parents were more involved then smoking could be avoided. My grandmother is breathing on a ventilator in the hospital because of the damage smoking has done to her lungs, I have seen it. My husband stopped smoking 2 years ago when our daughter was born because of her breathing issues. We have discussed smoking and health and all of this will our children and will continue to do so. I think that your idea would probably help for some too bad that it is completely unrealistic.

Most kids start smoking nowadays because they see someone that they love and admire doing it or peer pressure. If you want to set an example for these kids don't do it. I started smoking because my father smokes and I do look up to him. My mother and my brother come down really hard on us and say that we should quit and we are hurting ourselves. Sorry they are wrong. It entices us more to do as no one will do something just because you say so. As well we are healthy and the doctors have both said my father and myself are in good shape and have good lungs. Better than some non smokers. All of our bodies are different and we all react to things differently. But to make a kid wear a vest with bad lungs on it is not a smart way to go about it. You want to set an example tell them the facts and someone that you know that they know and care about what happened to them. They have to see first hand and not in a picture. Here in Canada (Manitoba) we have commericals on our packs and T.V's of this. I am totally appaled by this as children will see this as they show them on primetime and get disgusted by these.

Kids know smoking is bad. How could they not? As someone who picked up smoking as a teen, I know that its bad, I've seen the commercials and the diseased lungs. People make decisions for themselves. Just because its dangerous doesn't mean people don't enjoy it. Smoking is and will always be cool.

I think it would be a grand idea! It would give them something to think about in such a huge way and I bet there would be less and less smokers in our world. If only they knew how hard it was to quit once they start and carry on for a time, they may think twice about starting to begin with as well.

That sounds pretty good. Kids thinking that it is not harming. For one is stunting the growth of the organs in the body. It is alos just damaging the brain cells, and just messing up the system. Personally I really think that smoking is bad for the body. For one it is toxic to the body.

That's a fairly way out suggestion! The problem is that kids think they are immortal. I remember some of the things I did as a kid, and I'm surprised I got out of it all so easily. You have to try things out when you're young, test rules, boundaries. That's how you learn. The important thing is that adults have to be there for their young ones to show, teach, mentor. If kids have bad or indifferent role models, it's not surprising they go wrong sometimes. But it's certainly difficult - some kids take wrong turns when another kid wouldn't -it's just the way things go. Every human being is unique, after all. The best you can do is do the best you can!

i am a smoker before, it's hard to resist the urge of using this stuff. but i did fight until i won the game. first thing you do, keep away from the smokers...never stay long with them if they asking you to smoke because the the long you stay the higher possibility you will smoke with them. i leave immediately the crowd if my friends ask me to smoke. sad to say many people didn't mind the cancer they will get from smoking.

I can't really some much. I am a smoker myself. I do tell my children not to take up this habit. I know its bad for me but its hard to quit. But you're right, I probably started because I thought it was cool. If I had it to do all over I wouldn't have started.

When I have children, what I plan to do when they even have the slightest thought about smoking is by showing them an actual smokers lung that is green and oozing yellow pus. It is bile. I saw one in high school and I tell ya', I am afraid to smoke and be around second hand smoke. I just don't understand why people keep smoking knowing what it does to them. My boyfriend just lost his mother to lung cancer and she was a long time smoker. When she found out she had lung cancer, she stopped briefly. While on chemotherapy,she started smoking again and the cancer spread. She looked horrible and thats another thing that you want to show kids nowadays - someone battling lung cancer. That should really scare them straight.

Most of my friends started to smoke when they were young (grade 3!) cause they were stupid and thought that they were cool. Now they know that it's really bad for you (videos and presentations, etc.) and started to noticed they can't breathe as good and cough all the time and want to quit, but is too hard. I've heard maybe 5 of my friends that say they want to quit smoking, but quit after a week. Some just don't care and keep smoking anyway because they think that it's too late and so on. Really.. it isn't too late; I learned in gym (health block) that after quitting for a month or 2, you'll start breathing better, taste food better, and chances for lung cancer is dropped by.... I forget, but the point is that it drops.

Hi there. There is this simple fact that "If somebody wants to smoke then nobody will ever stop them, parent or not" they have got to want to stay away from smoking or whatever it is or you just can't do anything at all. I am no Parent to anyone but I know that it's fact that if someone wants to do something then they will do it and that's all there is to that and nobody no matter what they try will stop them. Good luck trying to get them to give up. I wouldn't like to be in a Parents Shoes that is trying to get someone to give up. Catch ya later.

Nothing can speak louder than self-experience of viewing or knowing people whoare suffering from smoking. They got to realise it's ill-effects in the near future thanfantasising it as a hobby. I think it's the duty of the people know about it's impact on people should help them see and understand about it to quit it.

It is hard to ask somebody to stop smoking as smoking is an addictive stuff. Proper guidance is the best thing to do educate them about the effects of excessive smoking.

I think that the society should be responsible for this bad habit,it is the bad atmosphere that makes smoking very commom nowadays--as you can see,a great number of people engage in smoking.perhaps corresponding department should set up some relevant exhibitions to tell the public,notably kids, the considerable side effects that smoking brings on when they are smoking,as is known to all,it is better to kick smoking ealier than later!