How to Enhance a High School-Based Smoking Cessation Program

Many people are first introduced to smoking as teenagers, in high school. Whether it's due the stress of youth, the hormones, or the incessant supply of peer pressure, that first cigarette will inevitably lead to a large number of health problems later on. As older smokers are well-aware, it is difficult to curb an addiction to smoking, which is why a smoking cessation program is important to support them in this effort. Here are some ways to improve the one in your own school.

Instructions

• 1

  Be proactive during recruitment. Handing out pamphlets and fliers is helpful, but teen smokers must be sought out and personally asked to participate. Provide incentives for participants, such as credits and time off from classes. They should also know that the counseling is confidential, and no information they share will ever be released to others.

• 2

  Give the students a variety of ways to get in touch with your program. Most teens have cellphones and computers, so doing the counseling through these platforms will make it easier for them to participate in the program. It also gives them control over the length of counseling sessions, lessening the pressure on their part.

• 3

  Use motivational interviewing, which puts the students in the driver's seat of their desire to quit. Do not pressure the students to quit smoking, since adolescents are typically resistant to authority. Adopt a non-confrontational approach, reflecting the student's own words back at him, making him realize why he should quit and giving him the determination to do so.

• 4

  Give the students the cognitive behavioral skills needed to quit. Engage in productive anger management, assertiveness training and relaxation or stress management development programs. By helping them cope with daily events without having to rely on an artificial substance, these programs will allow students to control many of the impulses that would trigger smoking in the first place.