Stop Smoking
with LifeSign®
For Teens and Young Adults

Congratulations! Thinking about purchasing LifeSign is a wise decision and you obviously love your teenager very much. LifeSign is a great present and you are wonderful to consider buying it for the special adolescent in your life, whether son, daughter or grandchild. We wrote this booklet for you-to give some tips and ideas for making your gift a great success!

If you don’t smoke, especially if you have never smoked, it may be hard to understand why your teenager does. But if you’re going to help your teenager you must first recognize the reasons why he or she began smoking in the first place.

Reasons why Teens Smoke:

  • The Tobacco Industry: Through advertising the tobacco industry has linked smoking with being cool, taking risks and growing up. Cigarette companies use various promotional tactics that have proven effective in reaching young people including the use of cartoon images, free cigarette giveaways, sponsorship of events that especially appeal to teens and the use of cigarette logos on youth-oriented products.
  • Peer Pressure: Teens are strongly influenced by social pressure, how they see themselves and how they want others to see them. It’s because of this desire to fit in that teenagers have a difficult time resisting doing what their friends do.
  • Low self-esteem: Teens often start smoking because they think it will make them cooler, more attractive or more popular. Teens with a low self-image do not possess enough confidence to say "no" when a cigarette is offered to them.
  • Desire to keep weight down: This is most common with teenage girls. Often times young girls believe that smoking will suppress their appetite and therefore keep them thin.
  • Parents/Relatives smoke: Teenagers emulate the actions, whether bad or good, of the adults that are close to them.

    • Three Ties: Physical, Mental, and Social.

  • The physical tie is nicotine, a powerful drug that affects the body in many ways, including narrowing blood vessels and increasing heart rate. The physical effects of inhaling smoke are very pleasurable for most smokers. Conversely, when the smoker stops smoking, the body goes through an extremely uncomfortable process of withdrawal.
  • The mental tie to smoking is strong. Your teenager connects smoking with various activities, such as talking on the phone, hanging out with friends, driving in the car, and so on. It’s hard for your teenager to imagine doing so many of life’s little things without smoking.
  • The social tie to smoking may be the most difficult one when a teenager is trying to quit and stay quit. These ties not only consist of all occasions when your teenager is relaxing and having fun, but it also encompasses the peer pressure that your teenager deals with on a daily basis. Teenagers who have just quit smoking find it hard to be around others who still smoke.
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    You can see why quitting is so difficult and why it takes most teenagers two or three attempts before they can permanently quit.

    With LifeSign, the whole quitting process is made easier. And you are making it easier still. There is no better way for your teenager to achieve something this difficult than to have help from a concerned and loving family member.

    Before You Give LifeSign…

    It’s best to know your starting point. There is a three-stage process that everyone goes through when they are trying to change a habit.

    The first stage of the process is "Contemplation"-thinking about making a change. This stage is often the show stopper. People have a very hard time making the leap from "thinking about a change" to "making it." Actually making the change-the "Action" step-is the second stage in the process. And once the change is made, you have to "keep doing it," or it isn’t really a change-which brings us to the third stage, "Maintenance."

    Unless your teenager is currently trying to quit, he or she is in the Contemplation stage. Your task is to help your teen make the leap and decide to move to the Action stage.

    How close to this decision is your teenager? Look at the following descriptions and see if your teen falls into one or more of these groups- understanding how your teenager is thinking about his or her smoking habit will help you know just what to say when you give LifeSign.

    Does One or More of These Describe Your Teenager?

    The Doubter This adolescent is removed from reports about the health hazards of smoking. Studies show that about two-thirds of teenage smokers view the health risks from smoking as not very important. Adolescents in this category think that the tragic consequences of smoking are a long way off and being cool is currently more important. These teens may also seem resentful whenever someone suggests that they quit.

    The Stickler This teenager talks so convincingly about the pleasures of smoking that quitting sounds impossible. Teenagers in this group live life for the moment and would rather "enjoy life now", even if it means losing a few years in the end.

    The Hesitater This teenager says that it would be better to quit smoking, but feels too addicted to do it. They are afraid to give it up: "Smoking helps me when I’m stressed." Teenagers in this category may have tried and failed to quit in the past. Others think that they will not be able to handle the cravings, urges, withdrawal symptoms and possible weight gain.

    The Procrastinator This teenager is well aware of the health risks of smoking and is tired of the burn holes in their clothes, and frowns from their non-smoking peers, but isn’t quite ready to give it up. At this point, these teenagers talk about quitting and they obviously think about it a lot but they can’t quite make the leap. They often say they are waiting for "the right time," thinking that a different time will improve their chances of success.

    Cliffhanger This teenager is ready to quit but says, "I’m not sure how or what’s the best way." Cold turkey seems harsh (and it is), and unfortunately there are few alternatives for teens. These teenagers are right on the edge and it will be easy to help them along with a proven product like LifeSign.

    All teenagers, no matter what they think about smoking can quit with help from a family member who they love. You can help your teenager to make the decision - to take the leap - to quit smoking.

    What To Say When You Give LifeSign…

    Be positive. Be confident. Be direct. Be approachable. You are doing something that shows you care about the well being of your teenager and that is what you want to communicate.

    Every person that gives this gift of life should be sure to say something along the lines of:

    Quitting smoking is an extremely hard task, but I am going to be very supportive and stand by you -your adolescent needs to be reassured that you will be supporting them through every stage of the program

    I don’t want you to smoke- your teen will appreciate your honesty and guidance

    I have no tolerance for cigarette smoking-believe it or not, your teenager wants a family member who takes a firm stand against cigarettes, it lets them know that you care

    If you need to talk remember that I am always hear to listen-your adolescent needs to know that if they are having difficulty with the program they can talk to you and you will listen without judgement

    Initially, your teenager may give objections that you’ve heard before. Here are some answers that you can give.

    Your Teenager Might Say This You Might Say This
    The Doubter "Smoking isn't that dangerous, besides I'm young and healthy my body can handle it." "Please don't kid yourself about the dangers of cigarette smoking. Smoking affects both the young and old. In fact your body is still developing and the 4,000 chemicals (200 of which are known poisons) in cigarettes can adversely affect your growin process. Besides even if you think you won't be the one to get sick, why take the chance? I'd rather be sure that you are taking the best care of yourself that you can. Please try this LifeSign. It's gradual and it could make quitting easier for you."
    The Stickler "Smoking is relaxing" "Life has many things that are relaxing and won’t hurt you. We could do some together, like take a walk, go to the movies, plan a trip…"
    "I think (work) better when I smoke." "Though you may believe you are sharper, in reality smoking deprives your brain of oxygen. In fact you might be even sharper than you think and the only way to discover this is to stop smoking."
    "Smoking is one of life's pleasures. Other people have their bad habit, this happens to be mine." "Life is full of wonderful pleasures. Let's make a list of the pros and cons of smoking and a list of other pleasure. Maybe we can increase other pleasures to make up for giving up a pleasure that also harms you. LifeSign is a very personalized way to quit smoking. The program is based on your unique smoking habits, making it easier for you to give up something that you like to do."
    The Hesitator "I’ve heard that people who attempt to quit, have headaches, feel sick, and irritable. I’m afraid these things may happen to me." "The symptoms you just described occur most frequently when smokers quit cold turkey because their body is in shock from the abrupt removal of nicotine. However, LifeSign will gradually wean you off of cigarettes so that your body has time to slowly adjust to not having nicotine in its system. In addition, I’m here to offer you help and LifeSign has a support line of trained individuals to assist you in getting through difficult stages of the program."
    "I’ll gain weight." "While it’s true that some people gain weight when they quit smoking, most only gain 4 or 5 pounds. With this LifeSign program, there’s an exercise plan to help you keep from gaining weight. I’ll take the walks with you. It’s only a few minutes each day and it will be beneficial to both of us."
    "I’ll have urges that I won’t be able to resist." "That probably won’t happen while your quitting with LifeSign because you slowly cut down on the number of cigarettes you smoke each day. The LifeSign program has tips for resisting urges. And if you still have urges after you quit, I’ll help you until they go away completely. Thousands of people have quit using LifeSign and you can too."
    The Procrastinator "It’s not the right time" "There’s never a perfect time to quit smoking. There will always be a reason to wait a little longer. But the sooner you stop the quicker your body can return to normal."
    "I can’t start right away." "You don’t have to start immediately. With LifeSign, you spend the first week just pressing a little button every time you smoke. Then the computer creates a quit program based on your personal habits. You smoke only when the computer prompts you to. The LifeSign program is gradual; it will ease you into quitting. I know you can do it. I’ll help you."
    "What if I want more cigarettes than the computer tells me to smoke?" "The program is flexible. The computer adjusts if you have trouble and it lets you smoke extra cigarettes if you need to, as long as you record these cigarettes by pressing the button. LifeSign is really geared to help each individual quit smoking at his or her own pace."
    "What if I start and can’t stick with it?" "If that happens, you can put the computer away for a while and then try again. But let’s try it: you might find that you can be successful the first time, especially when I’m behind you all the way."
    The Cliffhanger "I want to quit, but how do I know this is the best way." "Unfortunately, for teenagers there are very few quit smoking programs available and quitting cold turkey is harsh and extremely difficult. However, LifeSign offers you a safe, easy alternative to quitting cold turkey. But you won’t know until you try. Keep in mind that half a million people have used this program to quit smoking. And LifeSign was developed in part with support from the National Institutes of Health."

    These are all general suggestions that respond to comments made in letters and phone calls to our offices. If these responses don’t free your teenager from whatever barriers there are to quitting, try to think of similar positive and supportive responses that will help your adolescent to "take the leap."

    Keep in mind that some teenagers may not be receptive to receiving LifeSign as a present – even though it is given with the best intentions. For these teens, it may be best to leave LifeSign lying around the house – so that it arouses curiosity. Given a little time, this approach may generate enough interest to start a conversation that will lead to a good decision, or they may just start using it!

    Once your teenager says "Yes!" there are some things you can do to help make quitting a success!

    How Can You Help When Your Teenager Is Quitting…

    During Stage 1:
    What Your Teenager Does What You Can Do
  • For the first 7 days your teen will smoke at a normal pace. He or she will simply press the "Smoke" button every time a cigarette is lit.
    Express support. Avoid being overly involved. Listen carefully to see if your teen wants you to make comments and participate, or just be a "quiet partner." Remember that your teen is not cutting down cigarettes during this stage of the program.
  • Begins to take walks. Starts with 5 minutes and gradually increases to 30 minutes a day.
    Offer to join your teenager for the walks. (If you haven’t been exercising, you could start to feel better too!)
  • Starts to cut down on caffeine (soda and tea), salt and fats because these items make quitting more difficult.
    Offer to cut back also, or at least avoid having these items in front of your teenager.
    During Stage 2:
    What Your Teenager Does What You Can Do
  • Smokes only when the computer sounds a tone and shows the "Do Smoke" sign.
    Express support. Ask what you can do to help. It may be no more than showing a little extra thoughtfulness, or your teenager may prefer you to be very enthusiastic. Be sensitive to what you teenager prefers. And be sure no to nag your teen while he or she is trying to quit. Let the computer do its job. Your role is to be supportive.
  • Continue to take walks.
    Walk too. Chances are your teenager will appreciate the company.
  • Continue to aviod snack foods and caffeine.
    Help your teen to think of good alternatives, such as drinking plenty of fruit juices, eating fresh fruits and vegetables.
  • Avoids situations that might tempt he or she to smoke at times other than when the computer says to.
    This may mean helping your teenager to avoid boredom. Think of some fun things to do – keeping busy may help your adolescent to stick to the LifeSign program.
  • Plan ahead for the Quit Day and what to do to celebrate.
    Help your teen decide on something that will be fun and rewarding for such a great accomplishment.
  • May have headaches, a dry mouth, feel lightheaded, tired, constipated, and hungry. These are all normal signs indicating that their body is starting to heal.
    Be sympathetic. Unless you are an ex-smoker avoid saying that you know how it feels. Be patient if your teen gets irritable. Count to ten and keep your commitment to be supportive. You might offer special care, such as decreasing chores and having siblings make an extra effort to be nice and helpful.

    Also help your teenager begin to see him or herself as a nonsmoker. Use your imagination to help your adolescent think of him or herself in a new way.

    Finally talk about the benefits of quitting (if your teen seems receptive): mention that he or she will sleep better, have more energy, breathe easier, be able to smell things more readily, have more pocket money, have clothes that smell clean and fresh and be healthier!

    How You Can Help Your Teenager To Stay Quit

    1. Celebrate! Make a big deal out of the Quit Day.

      2. Help your teen to feel a sense of accomplishment! Go out to dinner or to a show. Give a congratulatory card. Let your adolescent know that you recognize this achievement.

    2. Help your adolescent think through times when smoking again might be a temptation.

      3. Difficult times might include stress at home, school or when they are around friends who still smoke. Help your teenager to think of ways to avoid taking "that first cigarette." This is very important, because it is easy to fall back into the habit even if they just smoke one.

    3. Offer to "be there" if your teen wants to talk about urges or cravings.

      4. Research shows that urges do linger for several months after teenagers quit smoking. At first, your teen may have strong urges which will gradually become weaker and fewer in number. But some smokers report a return of strong urges between 2 and 3 months after they quit. Talk about this with you adolescent and promise to be supportive and helpful in the event that this happens.

    4. Compliment your teen on not smoking – even months after he or she has quit.

    Nothing reinforces success better than encouragement. Don’t be hesitant to say, "It’s so nice that your not smoking anymore." During the first few months compliments may help your teen avoid cigarettes until it seems natural to them not to smoke.

    Finally, give yourself a pat on the back. You didn’t just love your teenager. You loved them enough to give the gift of life.

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