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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to ask what stopped you smoking cigarettes as a teenager

122 replies

norbettsauntie · 19/05/2012 16:49

This is in the hope that you can give me some ideas on how to discourage my DS 15 from smoking cigarettes. I think he has one on the way to and from school and then one when he makes some excuse to "just pop down the shops" during the evening. (he's been spotted by my friends). DH and I don't smoke and he's not flush with money.

OP posts:
BertieBotts · 19/05/2012 22:04

I didn't like it as a teen. Started when I was 18. I smoke on and off, it's not a big deal IMO.

joanofarchitrave · 19/05/2012 22:12

Me personally - too square, plus my dad smoked and I would have done anything at all not to be like him in any way.

mindgone · 19/05/2012 22:22

Tried them several times, just didn't like them! Stuck with chocolate (and alcohol!) :)

Hownoobrooncoo · 19/05/2012 22:30

My mum was a chain smoker. Chain smoked all through her pregnancies, smoked while feeding her babies, the house stank, we stank, I was always a sickly child with colds and coughs. She died a few years ago from lung cancer and it wasn't pretty. I always hated it. None of my friends smoked and I thought smokers were stupid, bowing to peer pressure and were complete sheep. It still looks skanky and stupid and can't understand why people do it and choose to smell the way they do, they'd be mortified to smell of BO but happy to stink of fags which is no worse.

thenightsky · 19/05/2012 22:37

My parents used to take us on holiday by coach. Smoke filled coach. I got travel sick.

Smoke made me feel sick and migrainey.

quickhide · 19/05/2012 22:43

How does he pay for it? I think the money would put me off these days tbh!

I know it's easy to say when I haven't got teenagers but he'll probably grow out of it- I started smoking at the back of the bus when I was 15. I gave it up when I was 23 and got contact lenses- it hurt my eyes too much! It's not had a lasting effect on my health.

quickhide · 19/05/2012 22:43

How does he pay for it? I think the money would put me off these days tbh!

I know it's easy to say when I haven't got teenagers but he'll probably grow out of it- I started smoking at the back of the bus when I was 15. I gave it up when I was 23 and got contact lenses- it hurt my eyes too much! It's not had a lasting effect on my health.

Francagoestohollywood · 19/05/2012 22:48

Most of my friends started smoking at 14. I didn't, as I thought they were being silly and pretentious. I started at 17 Hmm.

HandMadeTail · 19/05/2012 22:51

Too late or you, but my DDad told us, if we wanted to smoke, he'd buy us some cigarettes and we could go and smoke them at the far end of the garden, to see what it was like.

So, we didn't get the chance to be rebellious, it was handed on a plate.

diddl · 20/05/2012 08:16

My children also don´t want to smoke.

Daughter doesn´t want to smell bad/smoke breath/yellow teeth & fingers.

Son can´t see the point/waste of money.

They are teenagers, have no friends who smoke & "look down" on the kids they know who do.

They don´t see it as cool/rebellious-more sad/pathetic.

CogitoErgoSometimes · 20/05/2012 09:00

Several things... lack of cash, the bus-ride to school and my friend's mum's yellow smoker's fingers. If you can imagine the top-deck of a morning bus in the 1970's packed with workers and school kids it was chokingly, eye-wateringly thick with smoke. That and my friend's mum's right hand looking like she wore Marigolds on two fingers... bleurrrgggghhhh......

Bunbaker · 20/05/2012 09:20

The other thing that made me so very intolerant of smoking is that as a family we never had much money. We grew up without a TV or car - all the spare cash was spent on fags.

CruCru · 20/05/2012 11:28

My mother used to buy my fags for me. There's no rebellion in that so I never really kept the habit.

cece · 20/05/2012 11:32

I never even tried smoking as a teenager.

  • I grew up in a very anti smoking house. My parents would let visitors smoke but as soon as they left the whole house would be aired and cleaned until the disgusting smell had gone. I think this rubbed off on me and I hate the smell of cigarettes.
  • I once kissed a boy who smoked. It was disgusting, he tasted like an ash tray
  • None of my firends smoked either.
  • I just never fancied it, thought it looked stupid and a waste of money. Plus it made you stink.
Krumbum · 20/05/2012 11:37

If he has already started then nothing will stop him. I smoked about 5-10 a day throughout school no matter what the teachers and parents did or said. Me and my friends would always find ways to smoke. When I went to uni i stopped smoking and havnt since, I found giving up
Incredibly easy whereas my 2 friends that I started smoking with at school are now heavy smokers. Its weird how it works out. So he may give up when he gets older, I've known other ppl that have too.

TruthSweet · 20/05/2012 11:51

I have asthma so I did not want to kill myself quickly as just being in smoky places made me wheeze let alone deliberately inhaling it!

My grandmother died of lung cancer in 1954 when my mum was 10y old. They knew then her 40 roll ups a day was killing her but she didn't/couldn't stop (she also only had one lung as the other was lost to TB).

I grew up knowing that cigarettes took my mum's mum away from her when she was little so there was no way I was going to be that stupid - my brother did smoke for a bit though and my mum hated but he was over 21 by then (no, I have no idea why he started so late but I thought he was mad and told him so).

countless · 20/05/2012 12:28

pregnancy Grin

LittleWhiteWolf · 20/05/2012 12:35

My mum smoked from the age of 14 to 35, when she was told that if she didn't stop she'd die within the year. I was 10. My mum had all sorts of issues due to her smoking culminating in a lung transplant 3 years ago. The underlying problem for my mum is alpha-1 anti-tripsin deficiency, however as a 10 year old I learned that smoking=bad. My sister did try it once, but hated it.

Smokedsalmonbagel · 20/05/2012 17:14

It was my Grandparents house that stopped me.

My Grandad was a heavy smoker. The living room was foggy and the walls yellow. Grim! Although I loved him dearly.

It completely put me off and I never tried it.

Do you know any heavy smokers you could visit? Although it was more about me growing up with it.

sashh · 21/05/2012 06:15

For me it was the smell, my parents stank. The house stank. The walls were yellow.

The only thing I can think of is, if someone he fancies leans in for a first kiss and then coughs and says, "sorry, I don't feel like snogging an ash tray"

quirrelquarrel · 21/05/2012 15:49

My dad told me not to smoke in my room. That was that. He was sad and stressed at the time and I wasn't addicted or anything.
And my grandmother told me how worried she was that my aunt was smoking after my grandfather died of cancer (v. heavy smoker), so there were pricks of conscience at that.

EssexGurl · 21/05/2012 15:52

The cost! I indulged sometimes with a couple of friends but never regularly. I think it was my trying to be cool phase. But could never take it up properly - too much money!

bachsingingmum · 21/05/2012 16:57

My sister's son 17 has just started and after he came home reeking of it she made him strip to his pants in the hall (with 3 siblings listening on), put all his clothes in the washing machine and go and have a shower as he "stank, and I'm not having that smell in my house". No idea if it's worked yet.

Bellakins · 21/05/2012 19:24

I hated the smell of it and that was enough to stop me smoking.

My Dad had smoked my whole life. He stinks of tobacco, the house and car stink. I hate it and I don't even like hugging him now because of the smell. Ugh.

Now that I have my own child, I hope to discourage her from ever taking it up. Wrinkles, smelling bad, expensive ... what is there to like about it or even want to try? Can't get my head around it.

blueballoon79 · 21/05/2012 19:32

Nothing stopped me from smoking as a teen. None of my family smoked but nearly all of my friends did and I stupidly started too at the age of 14.

I always thought that I'd give up once I was older, but still haven't apart from during my two pregnancies, even then I was staright outside the hospital smoking again sfter just giving birth.

I'm going to make a concerted effort to quit this year as it is a totally disgusting habit and has had a huge impact on my health and looks.

I used to be evry athletic and was in the cross country team at school, the hockey team and the rounders team.

I also used to run 5 miles before school every morning.

Plus I used to have teeth so white that people would often comment on them.

Nowadays I'm out of breath walking up a hill. I wake up each morning coughing and struggling for breath. My clothes stink, my hair stinks and my breath stinks. My teeth are yellow and brown now and no amount of expensive tooth whitening toothpaste can change that.

I seriously wish I'd just given up as a teen.

Challenge your son to go a week without cigarettes and see if he can do it. I was always so confident that I'd be able to stop when I was older that I just carried on smoking.

I think if I'd have tried giving up for a week when younger and before being so addicted I'd have realised actually how hard it is to stop and perhaps had a real think about whether it was worth ever smoking again.

I'd also show your son this thread. There's so many heartbreaking tales on here from other people who've had to watch loved ones die from smoking related illnesses. :(