teenagers' smoking behaviour influenced by firends/parents' smoking habits

India
April 15, 2013 6:41am CST
Smoking habit in school going teenagers (girls and boys) is increasing gradually. It is fact that the company you keep in junior high school may have more influence on your smoking behavior than your high school friends. The reason may be that friends’ or parents’ cigarette use behavior may have a stronger influence on youth who start smoking at a younger age. what is your experience? please share
8 responses
@dream_ozn (1754)
• Singapore
16 Apr 13
HEy chouksey, I do smoke but i'm already trying to quit. I've actually stop smoking for about 6 months then i went out clubbing with my friends one day, had a few drinks and since a few of my friends lighted up i went over and ask them for one stick too. which was a very very bad decision. I'm not too sure who have a strongest influnce on me. i'll share my story and maybe i can get a better picture at the end. I live in a smoking environment since i was young. My dad smokes and my godparents smoke. When i'm not at home, i'l usually at my godparents place when i was young. since everyone around me was smoking, i already was preapred to start smoking or at least try my first puff when i was 18. Then, i met my ex-boyfriend when i was 16 years old. he was already 23 at that time and he smoked. Being very curious, i decided to tell him that i wanted to learn how to smoke and ask him to teach me. that was how i started somking. i was with him for a total of 6 years and during that period i smoked. Although i was not a heavy smoker, there is still no excuse, a smoker is a smoker regardless of how many sticks. then, i broke up with him and it took me some time to quit smoking. I managed to do it after about 2 months but then i went for a study abroad program and then now it starts again :( my parents still have no idea that i smoke (or maybe they do) but when i'm home, i do not smoke and do not display any signs of wanting to smoke too. I know i need to get rid of this bad habit quick because it is definitely harming my body.
• United Kingdom
16 Apr 13
Yeah, I totally agree with you! My brother started smoking when he was in high school, also during that time he learned to play network games, and he got carried away with those games so much, that he even been expelled for school, which made my parents heart-broken. Many years later, when we talked about the life in high school, my brother always felt regret and told us frankly that, during that time, there were many friends all doing the same things, smoking, playing network games and something else not really good, he couldn't help to do with them. But he doesn't blame his friends, who else doesn't have a period of lost when he was a teenager.
@May2k8 (17978)
• Indonesia
15 Apr 13
as a teenager I certainly do not get carried away by my friends, there is also usually want to know how it feels to smoke but I only try it twice not more. My parents smoked, while my brother and I do not need it. I think smoking is burning money and money is hard to find.
@jaiho2009 (39142)
• Philippines
15 Apr 13
I think it depends on the individual. My grandfather is a smoker and I have friends who smoke too. But it never occurred to me to follow them or been influenced by any of them. Today, youngsters are easily influenced by friends than by their parents. Too bad because they're following the bad steps more than the good advices.
@grvdubey11 (1879)
• India
16 Apr 13
Well it happens with teenagers ,even youngsters in early twenty's.If you are in company of guys who smoke and drink they insist you a lot to join them and since they are friends people find it difficult to refuse such a request.However best thing to do is that even if you are giving them company ,you should avoid doing it a lot to make sure that you don't get addict.In some other cases ,it becomes a style statement to smoke and drink, people do it just to present themselves cool and all that.
• Pakistan
16 Apr 13
yes this is bad habit at teen age though some one says that smoking is to chonic habit people like smoke but why teen ager avoid because of dislikeness parent,parent understand what is better for their children loke same way when an infiant came on road every one trying to take and handing safe place
• Indonesia
15 Apr 13
Well, many of my high school friends does smoking. I it was generally influenced by friends, they who have did smoking persuade their friends by saying it is cool if you go smoking, it is like a condition in one group that all the member must do smoking.. But maybe some influenced by their parents.
@mariaperalta (19073)
• Mexico
15 Apr 13
I think at a young age it does. But when we get older.. we smoke because they want to.