New York State Smokers' QuitLine is a free and confidential service, providing effective services to New York State residents who want to stop tobacco use. This includes motivational coaching, free nicotine patches, an online smoke-free community, educational fact sheets, materials and videos.
Additional educational tools and cessation resources for healthcare providers, employers, educators and others are also available at NYSmokeFree.com.
To Quit Smoking
To Talk to Your Kids
One of the most important ways to reduce smoking among youth is to have a conversation with your kids – early and often. Here are our top five tips to help:
1. Direct conversation.
Direct conversation. It is important to have a dialogue about tobacco usage with your children at age 5 or 6 – and continue the conversation into their teens. Use time in the car, at the dinner table or even draw attention to no-smoking signs in public places to reinforce disapproval.
2. Emphasize consequences.
Emphasize consequences. Tell kids how smoking can cause fatal diseases (cancer, heart disease, lung disease, emphysema and more) and have immediate effects like bad-smelling hair/clothing/breath and proneness to acne. You can also point out that smoking can negatively impact sports performance and athletic endurance.
3. Be the example.
Be the example. Set a smoke-free policy at home and for friends/family around your children. If you are currently a smoker, try to never light up near your children, and explain to them that it was a mistake to start and how difficult it is to quit.
4. Discuss responses to friends.
Discuss responses to friends. As kids grow up, the pressure from friends at school may increase. Equip them with appropriate responses, should they find themselves in a situation where they are offered tobacco. For example:
- "I don't want my clothes to stink like smoke."
- "I'm trying to stay in shape for soccer."
- "I heard those make you sick."
5. Explain different forms of tobacco and smoking.
Explain different forms of tobacco and smoking. Be sure to discuss that the many different types of "smoke-free" alternatives are all still dangerous. Electronic cigarettes (vaping, electric hookahs) still use nicotine and other chemicals that are harmful to health, and smokeless tobacco ("chew") contains nearly 30 cancer-causing chemicals and is highly addictive.