Quit Smoking - Home Nicotine Testing

Every year around 800,000 children under the age of 16 start smoking and continue for life; through taking a firm stance as a parent, you could stop your child from smoking before they become addicted and when it is more difficult for them to stop. According to organization NOT there are 4.5 million teenage smokers; while the same organization also revealed that teens have a much harder time kicking the habit than others would be lead to believe. They also suggested alikely correlation between smoking and other explicit behavior such as violence and sexual acts.

Giving your teenager nicotine (tobacco) tests may be something thatyou have considered, however failed to carry out for fear of discovering thatyou might be correct. Although the thought of doing it may be difficult, it is best to do it than to risk your child's well being in the future. If you have not prepared your child for this, then a likely reaction may be that they act offended that you do not trust them enough or that you are questing there word.As such, you should firstly consider what makes you think that they might besmoking.

Smokers, unlike non-smokers, are not aware of how strong the smell of smoke can be and as such smelling is often the way parents' come to suspect that their teen is smoking. Despite that, they may be conscious of this and attempt to go for showers, wash their clothes and avoid close physical contact with you - this could also be a sign.

Also consider if your teen is uncomfortable staying inside for long periods of time. If so, this could be because they need to go outsidefor a cigarette. Although performing a tobacco test straight away may seem likethe logical solution, some smokers themselves suggest that this is not the best strategy. The reason for this is that the fear of admitting it can often be the biggest hurdle, and then once it is out they will continue to smoke. As such,an alternative approach could be to plant the fear of nicotine testing into them but never directly catching them out.

With this approach you would tell your teen that next time you go shopping you will be buying a smoking test because you suspect them of smoking. Their reaction alone could reveal answers, while the mere fear of sucha test could be enough to make them stop altogether.

Whatever approach you decide to take, teenage smoking is a serious problem and one which you should be sympathetic towards. It is important that, should your teen be found to be a smoker that you give them the appropriate guidance that they need as well as medical help which will help them kick the habit.

You are not alone, thousands parents have the same problem. We know many using nicotine, tobacco tests as a tool to fight teenage smoking. You can do instant nicotine test or even lab based nicotine urine testing with a much more detailed result report and analysis.

What is nicotine?
Nicotine is a colorless and poisonous substance extracted from the tobacco plant that is used as an insecticide. Nicotine is what causes tobacco smokers to become addicted.

What is cotinine?
Cotinine is created in the body of habitual smokers when nicotine is metabolized, and builds up gradually over time if smoking is done regularly. Cotinine does not break down in body fluids and has a half-life of around 17 hours, making it easier to detect than nicotine or other nicotine metabolites since it is present in the body for a longer period of time. It is known as a common indicator of exposure to tobacco. Cotinine is tested for by various methods including gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, HPLC ( High Performance Liquid Chromatography) and other processes that generally require specialized equipment.

How can one use the nicotine test kits for testing tobacco use?
In this method, at least 3-4 drops of urine are squeezed by urine sample dropper into the sample well in nicotine test disk. The nicotine test results are usually available for interpretation in 5 minutes. This test can reflect the presence of nicotine owing to tobacco use if no other nicotine containing substances are consumed/inhaled.

What is the accuracy of nicotine testing for testing tobacco use?
The results of this nicotine test are very accurate. The presence of cotinine is detected by nicotine/cotinine specific antibodies which are color labeled. So even a minute concentration can be detected with fairly reasonable accuracy.

How can Nicotine be withdrawn from our body?
There are several strategies for nicotine withdrawal. Nicotine supplementation in the form of gum or patch can be helpful. A variety of other agents like clonidine, antidepressants such as fluoxetine and buspirone have also been used in maintaining abstinence and reducing withdrawal symptoms.

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