My Parents split up when I was very young. I didn't know why until I found I when I was 13. I'm 14 now and a girl. Since then I was so stressed out because everyone know the reason even my friends before I did. I started to smoke and eventually I told my sister I did. She said that she would buy me ciagettes. So she did. I was off one day and my mum went out, and i started smoking then 10 minutes later she came back in and saw my ash tray and my lighters. She only took my lighters away. I want to tell her I smoke but I don't know how or even if I should at this age. I know its wrong to do it but I can't stop. Help me please!
Sam
Hi there,
Smoking cigarettes can be addictive and it is very bad for your health, but once you start it can be difficult to stop. There is lots of help out there if you do want to quit smoking.
Sometimes people who are married or in a relationship decide to split up. This can have a big impact on young people when it happens. It's important to remember that it is never your fault and you should never blame yourself. Coping with those difficult feelings with something like smoking can cause more problems for you when you decide you want to quit. When you try to stop you may find you have started to rely on smoking as a habit more and more.
When you need to tell someone something difficult, it can be helpful to think about when a good time is to bring it up. A good time could be when you are both able to have some quiet time together and not be disturbed. If you want to stop smoking, asking for help might get a more positive reaction than being caught smoking.
The main things you should think about when deciding if you want to quit are how smoking can negatively affect you. Apart from costing a lot of money which could be spent on other things, it has a huge effect on your health. It can be hard to imagine the problems it causes later in life as it seems so far away, but they are very real. The NHS has a lot of good information about it, as well as help to stop smoking.
If you would like some support you can also talk to a ChildLine counsellor and they could help you to think about what you may want to say to your mum. They can also give you more advice about help that is available to quit smoking.
Take care, Sam
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