1. Watch out for the smokers' cough.

One of the most common and immediate symptoms of

smoking is the persistent smokers' cough. It can appear in as little as a few days after beginning
smoking and can even be present with casual (not heavy) smoking. The cough is usually the
worst in the morning and lessens throughout the day. It is usually accompanied by phlegm
which can be clear, yellow, or even green.
2. Bags Under Your Eyes. It's possible that nightly nicotine withdrawal could be causing you to toss
and turn.
3. Watch for yellowing teeth. Smoking causes teeth to turn yellow over time, so be mindful of this
if your child's teeth start to look more yellow. It's the nicotine in cigarettes that can stain teeth.
4. Yellow Skin. Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide, which displaces the oxygen in your
skin, and nicotine, which reduces blood flow, leaving skin dry and discolored. Cigarette smoking
also depletes many nutrients, including vitamin C, which helps protect and repair skin damage.
5. Also take notice if your child suddenly becomes interested in teeth whitening products like
special whitening toothpaste or whitening strips.
6. Look for yellow stains on your child's fingers. While yellowing teeth may take some time to
appear, smoking cigarettes can cause yellow stains on your teen's fingers and fingernails almost
immediately. The nicotine in cigarette smoke can not only make your teeth brown, it's also
notorious for staining fingers and nails.
7. Thinner Hair. Experts think the toxic chemicals in smoke can damage the DNA in hair follicles
and generate cell-damaging free radicals as well. Smokers have thinner hair that tends to go
gray sooner than nonsmokers. That is, if they have any hair at all. Men who smoke are about
twice as likely to lose their hair as nonsmokers, after taking into account factors that increase
the risk of baldness, such as aging and genetics
8. Premature Aging and Wrinkles. Experts agree that smoking accelerates aging, so that smokers
look 1.4 years older than nonsmokers, on average. Smoking hampers the blood supply that
keeps skin tissue looking supple and healthy
9. Scarring. Nicotine causes vasoconstriction, a narrowing of the blood vessels that can limit
oxygen-rich blood flow to the tiny vessels in the face or other parts of the body. This means your
wounds will take longer to heal, and you'll have scars that are bigger and redder than you would
in a nonsmoking parallel universe.
10. Pay attention if your teen is wheezing. A wheezing sound can indicate several different physical
conditions in your child, but one of them is damaged airways/lungs from smoking.
11. Notice any shortness of breath. Shortness of breath is a tell-tale sign of a smoker. If your child is
suddenly not able to be active for long periods of time or takes longer to catch their breath after
physical activity, you should consider the possibility that they might be smoking.
12. Look for a higher frequency of respiratory diseases. Smokers are more prone to getting certain
respiratory diseases like colds, bronchitis, and pneumonia. If your child is suddenly getting sick
more frequently with diseases like this, you might need to be concerned that these illnesses are
the side effects of a new smoking habit.
13. See if their clothes (or hair) smells like smoke. The smell of cigarette smoke is a scent that lingers
and is hard to get rid of. If your teenager has been smoking, it is almost guaranteed that you will
be able to smell it on their clothes or in their hair (especially if they have longer hair).
14. Sometimes teenagers try to cover up the smell of smoke by overcompensating with cologne or
body spray. You will still be able to smell the smoke, but it might be partially masked by the
perfume.
15. Notice if they start leaving the windows open in their bedroom. Kids will often try to air out or
vent their room by leaving the window open after smoking in their room. It might be normal for
your child to want their window open, but pay special attention if they insist on doing it even
when the weather is unpleasant (too hot, too cold, rainy, etc.).
16. Look for burn holes in the carpet, in their car, and in their clothing. Teenage smokers are less
experienced and have worse hand-eye coordination than adults. So, they are more prone to
accidentally burning things if they start smoking. Watch out for burn marks on the carpet in
their room or on their clothing. Also look for burn marks in their car, as many teens think they
can mask the smell of the smoke more effectively in their car then in their room.
17. Watch out for matches or a lighter in their room or backpack/purse. It may be hard to notice
these tiny objects, but if your teenager has recently started carrying around or purchasing
lighters and/or matches, this may be a sign that they are smoking. They may claim that they only
want it for lighting candles, but notice the frequency with which they use the matches or lighter
to determine if you think they are smoking or not.
 18. Notice if they have friends who smoke. Teenage smokers can be very persuasive, so other
teenagers often succumb to existing peer pressure to smoke. Teens with friends who smoke are
much more likely to start smoking than those without smoker friends.
19. Pay attention if they start using mouthwash or gum more frequently. Smokers can be very
conscious of the fact that smoking makes their breath smell distinctively like cigarettes. So they
often try to counteract this effect by chewing gum or using mouthwash after smoking. If your
child appears to be worrying to an extreme about how their breath smells, they might be trying
to hide the fact that they are smoking from you.
20. Check how they are spending their money. Smoking is an expensive habit. If you have access,
check your teen's online bank account activity and see if they are making frequent purchases at
convenience stores, grocery stores, or smoke shops. If they are buying cigarettes regularly, there

Risk factors

Anyone who smokes or uses other forms of tobacco is at risk of becoming dependent. Factors that
influence who will use tobacco include:

 Genetics. The likelihood that you will start smoking and keep smoking may be partly inherited —
genetic factors may influence how receptors on the surface of your brain's nerve cells respond to
high doses of nicotine delivered by cigarettes.

 Home and peer influence. Children who grow up with parents who smoke are more likely to
become smokers. Children with friends who smoke also are more likely to try cigarettes. Evidence
suggests that smoking shown in movies and on the Internet can encourage young people to
smoke.

 Age. Most people begin smoking during childhood or the teen years. The younger you are when
you begin smoking, the greater the chance that you'll become a heavy smoker as an adult.

 Depression or other mental illness. Many studies show an association between depression and
smoking. People who have depression, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or
other forms of mental illness are more likely to be smokers.

 Substance use. People who abuse alcohol and illegal drugs are more likely to be smokers.

Complications

Tobacco smoke contains more than 60 known cancer-causing chemicals and thousands of other harmful
substances. Even "all natural" or herbal cigarettes have chemicals that are harmful to your health.

Smoking harms almost every organ of your body and impairs your body's immune system. About half of
all regular smokers will die of a disease caused by tobacco.

Women smokers are now at equal risk to men smokers of dying from lung cancer, COPD and
cardiovascular disease caused by using tobacco.

The negative health effects include:

 Lung cancer and other lung diseases. Smoking causes nearly 9 out of 10 lung cancer cases. In
addition, smoking causes other lung diseases, such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking
also makes asthma worse.
  Other cancers. Smoking is a major cause of cancers of the esophagus, larynx, throat (pharynx)
and mouth and is related to cancers of the bladder, pancreas, kidney and cervix, and some
leukemias. Overall, smoking causes 30 percent of all cancer deaths.

 Heart and circulatory system problems. Smoking increases your risk of dying of heart and blood
vessel (cardiovascular) disease, including heart attack and stroke. Even smoking just one to four
cigarettes daily increases your risk of heart disease. If you have heart or blood vessel disease, such
as heart failure, smoking worsens your condition. However, stopping smoking reduces your risk of
having a heart attack by 50 percent in the first year.

 Diabetes. Smoking increases insulin resistance, which can set the stage for the development of
type 2 diabetes. If you have diabetes, smoking can speed the progress of complications, such as
kidney disease and eye problems.

 Eye problems. Smoking can increase your risk of serious eye problems such as cataracts and loss
of eyesight from macular degeneration.

 Infertility and impotence. Smoking increases the risk of reduced fertility in women and the risk
of impotence in men.

 Pregnancy and newborn complications. Mothers who smoke while pregnant face a higher risk
of miscarriage, preterm delivery, lower birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in
their newborns.

 Cold, flu and other illnesses. Smokers are more prone to respiratory infections, such as colds,
flu and bronchitis.

 Weakened senses. Smoking deadens your senses of taste and smell, so food isn't as appetizing.

 Teeth and gum disease. Smoking is associated with an increased risk of developing

inflammation of the gum (gingivitis) and a serious gum infection that can destroy the support
system for teeth (periodontitis).

 Physical appearance. The chemicals in tobacco smoke can change the structure of your skin,
causing premature aging and wrinkles. Smoking also yellows your teeth, fingers and fingernails.

 Risks to your family. Nonsmoking spouses and partners of smokers have a higher risk of lung
cancer and heart disease compared with people who don't live with a smoker. If you smoke, your
children will be more prone to SIDS, worsening asthma, ear infections and colds.

Prevention

The best way to prevent tobacco dependence is to not smoke in the first place.

The best way to prevent your children from smoking is to not smoke yourself. Research has shown that
children whose parents do not smoke or who successfully quit smoking are much less likely to take up
smoking.

Here are steps you can take to prevent future generations from nicotine addiction and the many
diseases associated with smoking:

 Talk to your children about smoking. Tell them about the dangers of tobacco. Encourage them
to value good health. You can be a great influence on whether your children smoke, despite what
they see in movies and on the web.
 Stay in touch with your teens. Studies show that smoking is most likely to become a habit
during the teen years. Ask whether their friends smoke. Those who have friends who smoke are
more likely to start smoking than those who don't. Help them plan ways to handle peer pressure.
Let your child know that other forms of tobacco, including cigars and smokeless tobacco, also
carry significant health risks.

 Promote smoke-free environments. Ban smoking in your home. Support legislation to make all
workplaces smoke-free. Encourage smoke-free public places, including restaurants. Become active
in community and school-based stop-smoking programs.

 Support legislation to increase taxes on tobacco products. Higher prices discourage teens from
starting to smoke. Higher prices on tobacco products, coupled with smoke-free workplace laws,
are the most effective public health policies to reduce smoking in adults and prevent young people
from ever starting.