How to know if my child smokes

Studies and statistics show that most smokers start to consume tobacco between 11 and 14 years of age, so that smoking has a fairly direct relationship with the adolescent stage. Despite all the information available on the harmful effects of tobacco on health, many young people who start smoking at an early age and many parents, although they know how to identify when a person is a smoker or not, there may be certain aspects related to smoking. their children that are overlooked. Therefore, in the following article we show you some tips that can help you to know if your child smokes or not.

one

Smell of tobacco

Tobacco emits a very unpleasant odor that easily permeates both smokers and passive smokers, causing our body odor to be altered. Therefore, the smell can be a main indicator to know if your child smokes . If you notice that when you get home, your clothes and hair have a smell of tobacco, it may mean that the young person has been smoking, or that he has been related to friends and people who smoke.

However, in many occasions, young people resort to techniques to camouflage and disguise the smell of tobacco, as it could be to use perfumes or deodorants very often. It is advisable to be attentive if upon arrival, it gives off an intense smell of perfume or deodorant that did not give off before leaving home.

two

Ventilate the room

This is another indicator that can help you find out if your child smokes or not. If the young man, even though it is cold or hot, continually leaves the window of his room open, it could mean that he is smoking in the window to prevent the smell of tobacco from invading the entire space and passing into the other rooms of the home.

3

Oral health

The consumption of snuff has very harmful effects on oral health, among which stand out: appearance of spots on the teeth, reduction of taste sensitivity and quality of saliva, aggravation of diseases affecting the gums, etc. That is why if your child smokes it is likely that they begin to have their teeth stained or that little by little they will acquire a more yellowish color. In addition, it is also likely that to hide the smell of tobacco, begin to wash your teeth more regularly, even without having previously eaten.

4

Bad breath

Halitosis is a very common problem in chronic smokers, as the consumption of tobacco increases the concentration of bacteria in the mouth that cause bad breath. Therefore, the breath can be a fundamental indicator to find out if your child smokes. Pay attention to whether your breath gives off the smell of tobacco or if, on the contrary, you have suddenly started or spent most of the day chewing gum or eating menthol candies.

5

Increased risk of respiratory diseases

As we know, tobacco is one of the main causes of many respiratory diseases and, therefore, smokers are more at risk and are more prone to suffer from colds, flu, bronchitis, pneumonia, etc. Therefore, it is important to be aware of your child's health at all times. Also, the sudden onset of frequent coughing, when no other disease is suffered, can also be a symptom of tobacco use.

6

Sports performance

Finally, sports performance can also help you know if your child is a smoker . In case the young person has reduced the practice of physical exercise or dedicates himself to a particular sport in which you have noticed that his performance has decreased, it could be a symptom that he is a smoker.

7

Despite having the option to implement all these tips to know if your child smokes or not, it is always convenient to deal with the issue directly with the young person, trying to dialogue in a relaxed manner so that he will be confident to take the step and tell us who is a smoker. In this way, we can inform you about all the negative effects of tobacco on health and help you in the task of quitting smoking.