Please help me! Help me help my friend stop smoking! She's 13!

[MiniMandaRuth]

Okay, since this seems to be a little bit like the teenaged drama night, I need your help!

i have a friend. her parents don't take good care of her. Lately, I've been noticing a little bit of a smell around her. not like a crappy trailer park smell, but a really bad smell.

i had another friend over last night. Not the smelly one. I'll call her friend B. She told me what was up.

She's smoking. My friend is smoking.

Friend A is smoking cigaretts. She's going to the skatepark and smoking. Cigarettes.

What else, I don't know.

:scared:

Do you guys have any advice. First, it will be cigarettes... then pot... then more drugs.

She's a nice friend, but lately, it's been getting worse. Slutty clothing, she's always tired. I'm really worried.

Please, what can I do?

[Mutley]

1. Is she completely aware of all the health risks associated with smoking?

[MiniMandaRuth]

2. Not all people all smart.

Trust me. I know people that think that world is flat. Their parents are part of that 'World is flat' organization.

So, probably, no.

[Mutley]

7. Educate her, then.

http://www.philipmorrisusa.com/en/health_issues/default.asp

[AirmensMom]

3. Tell her it makes her stink.

Smokers don't realize how bad they smell. Find out if she knows all the health risks. I know it's hard at 13 to think you'll ever get sick, but you don't stay young forever. My sister has smoked for 30 years and can't quit -- just can't do it. The longer your friend smokes, the harder it will be to quit.

One other thing that might make a difference. There are a lot of cute guys who will not date a smoker. It'll be a lot harder for her to quit in 3 years.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes. :hug:

[bigwillq]

4. Show her pictures of diseased lungs

Tell her no boys (or girls, I won't make judgements on her sexuality) will kiss her or want to hang with her.


Tell her it's not "Cool" to smoke.

Basically, there's little you can do to stop someone from smoking. It's their choice.

Tell her not to smoke. I wish I never started.

Good luck.

[Bossy Monkey]

5. Tell her you care, point out the health risks,

remind her that it makes her stink and isn't an attractive habit. Do the best you can and don't beat yourself up if it isn't enough. I could say to you, "Help me get my friend to stop drinking! He's 43!" Trust me on this, life is too short; you can't take everybody else's problems on your shoulders. All you can do is your best.

PS: If it makes you feel any better, smoking at 13 mainly leads to smoking in later life, nothing else. That's bad enough, of course, but I don't think you have to worry about her winding up on hard drugs unless she's hanging out at a lot tougher places than the skate park.

[Guy Fawkes]

6. Getting help...

I can imagine a conversation something like this:
"Don't smoke, please"
"Why not?"
"It will kill you."
"So, I'll die anyway."
"...It's disgusting."
"I don't care. I like it."

And that's the end of the conversation, as far as you're concerned. So what you need to do, is drag your friend down to the student counselor. Most, if not all, middle schools have them. It's their job to care for students.

You can't make your friend stop, and once she's 18, she can smoke as much as she wants. But you *can* show her you care, and that can count for a lot.

[kittykatkoffeekup]

8. Have her read this

http://www.perkel.com/politics/issues/smoke.htm

I'm a twenty year smoker. Everything this site says is true.