Most people know that smokers have a variety of problems that they have to deal with in both the short and long term, most of these being health problems. However, there are other issues that they might end up suffering from if they are not careful. For instance, if you are a parent, you may not really want to expose your children to secondary smoking, since this is associated with the same risks as smoking. In addition to that, in some cases it might encourage them to start smoking, which is something that most parents who are smokers don’t want.
This means if you are a parent and a smoker, you will need to find ways of reducing the amount of smoke that you expose your children and even spouse to. Some of these include:
Quit smoking
Of course, the most effective way to protect them is to stop smoking. However, this is one of the most difficult things to do especially if you are a chronic smoker. A majority of the people who try to stop smoking end up relapsing at some point in their lives. This means that if you make up your mind to do this, you need to have the will to go through with it. You may also need the support of your friends and family members, especially during those times when you develop a weakness and start craving a cigarette.
If you manage to go through with it, however, it’s something that you will be immensely proud of especially given the many benefits that you will get.
Use electronic cigarettes
Another very effective way of protecting them is through the use of electronic cigarettes. The fact that these do not emit any smoke means that you could smoke them around your family members, and none of them would be affected by them. However, it is very important that you keep the electronic cigarette starter kits away from any curious children, since they are likely to get harmed if they decided to try them out. The nicotine contained in the vials is also likely to harm them since it is easily absorbed and can cause poisoning in children.
Make a point of not smoking when you are home
Smoking only when you are not home is also a viable option for when you need to protect your kids. However, this is normally not very easy for most people to do, especially if they have been smoking for some time. For instance, if you come home in the evening, it means that you may not smoke for the entire time you are there. If you are used to smoking every hour or every two hours, it may be very difficult for you to go through with this. One way of going round this problem is by getting nicotine patches or gum that you can use when you are home. This way, you will get the nicotine you need to get rid of the craving without producing any smoke that might harm your kids.
This strategy is also very useful if you are interested in not showing your kids that you are smoker for fear of encouraging them to also try it.
Designating your own ‘smoking area’
Most of the restaurants and other facilities usually have areas where people can smoke without causing any harm to any people who are around. You could also use this concept at home by designating a smoking area in your home. If you have the funds, for instance, you could convert an unused basement into a room where you can go to have a smoke. Of course, you will need to make sure that your kids are not allowed in this room if you don’t want to expose them to the smoke.
Walk out when you need to smoke
The commonest strategy that most people use to reduce secondary smoking at home is to simply walk out of the house when they want to smoke. You could try it out as well. The only problem with this is that if you are the kind of person who smokes a lot, you will need to keep walking out a lot, and this can disrupt the quality time you need to spend with your family member. If this is dear to you, you should try out the ones above before this one. For additional information on ways to lessen the negative effects of secondhand smoking, visit this website: https://newstable.org/
In summary, protecting your kids and other family members from secondary smoking when you are a smoker is a responsibility that you should always take seriously. The strategies above are just a few of the ones you can use in a bid to do this.
Jayne is a health blogger who has helped many people cope with issues such as smoking, diabetes and hypertension. She has advised many people to buy electronic cigarette starter kits as a way of reducing the risks associated with smoking regular cigarettes. Are you interested in learning more about health care? Visit this website https://colonialsun.com/