16 yrs old and cant quit smoking

Im 16 years old, and pretty much a normal teenage girl, but Im worried because I think my smoking is getting out of hand. I had my first cigarette when I was only 9 years old, and by 12, I was smoking almost a pack a day. Now I smoke nearly 2 and a half packs a day, everyday, and I love chainsmoking so much, its almost all I can think about. If I go more than 6-8 hrs without a cigarette I start to get jittery and have awful cravings, then terrible headaches. Smoking is like, the thing I love most in the world, maybe even more than cool shoes or cute boys; and that's starting to worry me.

I live with my dad, who lets me smoke all I want in the house and buys me 2 cartons of cigarettes every week for making good grades. At first I thought this was really cool, but now Im worried that Im hopelessly addicted for the rest of my life and there's nothing I can do about it.  My chest and throat has been hurting more lately, and I find myself being winded after just a little bit of physical activity, and sometimes I spit up this gross brown phlegm stuff the morning after I stay up late at night chain smoking. Although I really do love smoking, i really dont want to get lung cancer.

Is there anything I can do or is it already too late for me?

[kathyjo]

As a smoker of 40 years I can tell you that it is never too late!
I think that you need to understand your addiction first and then work on quitting. Whyquit.com is a wonderful website that helps you understand your "need" for smokes and explains why so many of us become addicts. Withdrawal from the physical addiction lasts about 72 hours. When you get through that, then you need to deal with the emotional part, which is tougher then the physical aspect. This is why I think that the more you learn about your personal addiction the better your chances of succeeding are.

In retrospect, I can say this with certainty... NO ONE ENJOYS SMOKING all of the time...seriously, count the smokes that you really do enjoy and you will see it for yourself. Maybe the morning one with coffee and the ones after a meal?? .... If we enjoyed smoking, then why can't we do it when WE want to? Why does it CONTROL every aspect of our lives?
When I finally "GOT IT" I realized that the hardest part of quitting was admitting that I thought of smokes as being my best friend. There is an article on why quit.com titles "My Cigarette, My Friend" and that was really what hit home for me.

We will be here for support so if you need it, just ask : )
Good luck!

---
2y 6m 4d 12:04 smoke-free, 20,180 cigs not smoked, $4,843.20 saved, 2m 1w 3d 1:40 life saved

[Calamity2]

No babe it's never too late to quit a bad habit. I am much older than you and I know for certain my skin would be much less aged if I hadnt smoked so much. Like any addiction it is a one day at a time thing. I quit smoking. I went to N.A meetings or AA meetings. My fiance did get lung cancer so I did have to bring him to radiation and kemo. I met a 9 year old that only smoked 6 mos and she had lung cancer. So just know its never too early for you to F up your body and life.

[chrissykay]

hello i hope you can stop smoking because you are young and will have a wonderfull life ahead of you   you dont need ciggies the cause you misery and you will end up paying a fortune out to pay for the so called habit there is a book called easyway by allen carr i sugest you read it and believe what he says i have been a non smoker now for 14 months after being a smoker foe 38 years i wish i had not started i have spent a fortune on ciggies dont you go down that road take a look at what it will do to you it causes all kinds of medical problems and c o p d is one of them put your ciggies in the bin good luck x x

[christinaga]

im 16. im a girl. im a smoker too. start winding down. like count how many you smoke each day and then smoke one less the next day or smoke 1 less every 2 days. try it and see how it works- thats what i did.

[AmNotTheDoctor]

Smoking is certainly not an easy habit to break, especially at a young age.  Luckily though, there are programs dedicated to helping smokers quit.  

My job, a marketing company, recently picked up a campaign for the Ad Council and the American Legacy Foundation called the "Become an Ex" plan.  It's a program that will help you pick your smoking habit apart into little pieces that can be tackled individually.  Once you begin you will start seeing how to quit smoking not as a huge war, but as a series of small, very winnable battles.

Check out the link here for more info:
http://youcastcorp.com/c/100/go/index.php?r=0

[Addie93]

I totally understand what you mean. Im almost 17 and already I feel like Im hopelessly addicted. I started smoking like six years ago when some other girls tried it and I was hooked almost immediately. For some reason now Im like constantly chain smoking, even though I know is so bad for me.

A few years ago my stepdad started letting me smoke at his house, next thing you know, Im totally smoking like 2 packs a day even on school days. Now that its summer, Im so bored and smoking like 3 packs a day, which drive my boyfriend crazy. I suppose I'll have to try and quit sometime before it gets real bad, but for now, I just feel trapped and ready to give up too.

Addie

[kathyjo]

Addie, talk to a doctor and see if there isn't something out there to help you to quit. I started at 12 and after smoking for 40 years, I can tell you that if you don't quit soon, you may end up like me and many others. Because of my smoking I now have COPD and it stinks to have your mobility limited.
You can try reading some of the articles at whyquit.com but mainly, what you truly have to do is just stop smoking and be strong, hang tough.
Good luck!

[spuglise]

Get the electronic cigarette. I got mine from puresmoker.com, got the v3 model I believe, and I haven't smoked another day since. It's worth the money and definitely works :)