Smoking

Starting to smoke when you are young a teenager can lead to a habit that will last for your whole life and be very difficult to stop. Tobacco contains nicotine, which is highly addictive. Nicotine works just like addictive drugs such as heroin. It makes the body and mind become used to having it that you start to need nicotine in order to feel normal.

The most obvious things you will notice if you smoke are that your:
• clothes, hair and skin will smell of smoke
• fingers will get stained yellow
• teeth will get stained and long term smoking can cause your teeth to rot if not looked after
• breath will smell
• skin will be dry and break out – when you smoke it restricts your blood vessels so blood, nutrients and oxygen don’t get to your skin
• fertility (the ability to have children) will be reduced.
• you can start to cough a lot.

Years ago, the risks of smoking were not as well known and you could buy and smoke cigarettes or tobacco almost anywhere, including in hospitals!

Some the health risks cased by smoking include:
• Cancer (90% of lung cancer is caused by smoking)
• Emphysema and other lung diseases
• Heart disease
• If you have asthma, this can make it worse

If you hang around people who smoke and breathe a lot of smoke in, even if you aren’t actually smoking, this can also cause health problems.

If you are worried about smoking or want to talk to someone about it, you can talk to ChildLine at any time on 0800 11111, online in a 1-2-1 chat or send us an email. You could also post a message on the ChildLine message boards.

The hardest step to quitting is to make the decision to stop smoking.  There are lots of different ways that you can stop smoking, from gradually reducing how much you smoke to using substitutes like nicotine gum, inhalers and sprays. These reduce your craving for nicotine in the cigarettes and you gradually reduce how much you have until you don’t crave it any more.

There are also alternative therapies like hypnosis and acupuncture which can be used to help stop smoking. You could join a support group as it can be really helpful to stop smoking along with other people who are going through it too. 

Where can I get help to stop smoking, and how can I help someone else quit?
Once you have decided to quit, there are lots of places you can get help and support. You can talk to your doctor, visit an NHS Stop Smoking Service or go to your local pharmacist to ask for advice. 

If you have a parent, friend or relation who smokes and you want to help them quit, you should talk to them about it.  They need to make the decision to stop, but if you tell them the reasons why you want them to stop, it might help them make the decision to quit smoking. You can point them in the right direction to people who can help them stop smoking:

• Your doctor - Your doctor can prescribe the best treatment to help you quit and continue to offer support and advice to you as you stop smoking.
• Your pharmacist- You can buy lots of over the counter treatments to help you stop smoking which your pharmacist can advise you about.
• NHS Stop Smoking - The NHS has trained smoking advisers who can help you find the best way for you to stop smoking.  www.nhs.uk/smokefree
NHS Smoking Helpline: 0800 169 0 169
• Quit - An independent UK charity with friendly, trained QUIT counsellors who will answer your call 7 days a week from 9am - 9pm and can support you throughout your quitting process.
www.quit.org.uk
stopsmoking@quit.org.uk
0800 00 22 11

Cannabis is a plant which can be smoked in a similar way to tobacco.  Cannabis is sometimes called weed, hash, skunk, pot or puff, but there are lots of other names for it too.

Cannabis is a mild hallucinogen (meaning that you might see weird things happening). People smoke it for the same reasons as cigarettes – to fit in and look cool etc, but also because it can make them feel relaxed and happy. If you smoke cannabis you may feel chilled out or relaxed, but it can make some people sick. 

The side effects of cannabis can cause people to feel panicky, paranoid and anxious.  Smoking cannabis can still cause lots of health risks just like cigarettes.  If you have mental health problems, it can make these worse.

Cannabis is a drug and is illegal.  If you are caught with cannabis, the police will take action, even if you only have a small amount.

If you are worried about drugs or have a friend who is taking drugs, you can talk to ChildLine at any time on 0800 1111 or online in a 1-2-1 chat.

To find out more about drugs, visit our drugs information page.

If you want to talk to ChildLine about smoking, you can call us on 0800 1111 or come online for a 1-2-1 chat with a counsellor. Talk to other young people about smoking on the ChildLine message boards.