Tobacco Refusal Tactics
By Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Executive Director
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Peer pressure is one of the main reasons why young people start smoking, in spite of all the education they’ve received about how dangerous smoking is for your body and for the people around you. As a result, more and more experts are recommending that refusal skills specific to being pressured to smoke be taught and practiced with young people, starting by middle school.
Below are some examples of the tobacco refusal skills from a government website: http://www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca/about_us/documents/A12.pdf
Some of the names of the tactics used on the site are originally from the excellent book How to Say No and Keep Your Friends: Peer Pressure Reversal for Teens and Pre-Teens by Sharon Scott, who has given permission to Kidpower to incorporate ideas from her books into our program. Her system of teaching peer pressure refusal skills is well-thought out and useful. I've added two other tactics she recommends: Make a Joke and Use Flattery.
1. Say “No Thanks”
Ineffective:
Offer: “Hey, you want a smoke?”
Response: “Uh, well … I don’t think so.”
Effective:
Offer: “Hey, you want a smoke?”
Response: “No thanks.”
2. Walk Away
Offer: “Hey, you want a smoke?”
Response: “No thanks.”
Offer: “Come on. Just take a puff.”
Response: “I don’t want to.”
Offer: “It’s real cool. Just try it!”
Response: “I said No.” (turn and leave with head up and back straight)
3. Be a Broken Record
Offer: “Hey, you want a smoke?”
Response: “I don’t smoke.”
Offer: “Just one puff – it won’t hurt you!”
Response: “I don’t smoke.”
Offer: “Is that all you can say?”
Response: “Yes, because I said I don’t smoke!”
Offer: “Okay, okay. I get the message.”
4. Give an Excuse
Offer: “Hey, you want a smoke?”
Response: “No way! I don’t want to get addicted.”
5. Have a Better Idea
Offer: “Hey, you want a smoke?”
Response: “I’ve got a better idea. Let’s go _____________.” (Insert a realistic activity appropriate to these youth.)
6. Make a Joke
Offer: "Hey, you want a smoke?"
Response: "Do you know the REAL reason why dinosaurs became extinct? They smoked!"
7. Use Flattery/Turn the Tables
Offer: "Hey, you want a smoke?"
Response: "I care about you. Why would you want to endanger your health like that?"
Encourage young people to come up with their own tactics and language for refusing a friend. Coach them to be both respectful and powerful in how they communicate their boundaries.