It is a fact that many teens start smoking because they think it looks cool and makes them appear sophisticated. However, these teens don’t realize that smoking has more disadvantages than benefits. If your teen has already been smoking for some time, it may be rather difficult to get him to stop.
One way to convince your teen to stop smoking is to show him pictures of smokers who have developed cancer due to the vice. There is nothing more disgusting than seeing a person with oral cancer in the terminal stage. For many teens who think that smoking makes them look good, coming down with cancer is the last thing they consider. This alone may convince your teen to stop smoking.
Another way to convince your teen to stop smoking is to reduce his school allowance. Limit the money he can get from you to what he would need to pay for lunch and for commuting to and from school. He will find that he has to make a choice between being able to pay for lunch and a bus ride and being able to buy his smokes. Of course, at the start he will probably want to keep smoking – until his stomach convinces him that he also needs to eat.
Be prepared for your teen to try everything possible to get more money from you for smoking. It is up to you to block his strategies so that he will realize you are dead serious about not giving money for his vice. If he realizes he can’t get money from you for smokes, he may feel the urge to smoke so much that he may steal the money instead. Warn him in advance that if he does that you will end his allowances for good.