What can you do if a friend says, “Hey, I’ve got a cigarette. Let’s go smoke it?” It can be very hard to stand up to peer pressure and say no to smoking — even when you want to. Here are eight different techniques you can use. Decide which will work best for you:

1. Be direct: If a friend says “Hey, let’s go have a smoke,” say, “No, I don’t want to.” Sound like you mean it! If you say no every time, you friends will get tired of hearing it. Give a reason. Try saying, “No way, the smell makes me sick.” Or, “No chance, I’m getting in shape for basketball.” (Or whatever sport you like.)

2. Change the subject: Try talking about something else or suggesting an alternative. Say, “Let’s go play basketball.” (Or whatever else you like to do.)

3. Try a good comeback line: If your friends say, “Aw, come on. It’ll be fun,” try saying, “Forget it. That’s not my idea of fun.” Or “No thanks. There’s rat poison (arsenic) in tobacco. I don’t want to poison my body.” Or “No way I’m putting tar and nicotine in this mouth.”

4. Try a joke: Sometimes you can joke your way out of a hard situation. If you’re at a party and someone says, “Do you want to smoke?”, you can say, “No thanks.” Parties are more fun when you can breathe.” Or, “I’ve made a deal with my lungs; I don’t smoke and they keep working.”

5. Walk away: If you’re having trouble saying no or if your friend is going to smoke anyway, walk away. If you need to make an excuse, say, “I’ve got to get home,” or “I’m going to be late for class.”

6. Return the dare: If someone dares you to smoke, you can turn the dare around. For example, if a friend says, “If you were my friend, you’d smoke with me,” you can say, “If you were my friend, you wouldn’t push me to do something I don’t want to do.”

Or, “I don’t want to smoke but I can still be your friend.” If you friend says, “Its no big deal. you’re just chicken,” you can say, “If its no big deal then why are you doing it?” Or “I’d rather be a chicken than die from smoking.”

7. Blame it on an adult: Use an adult as an excuse. you can say, “My mom is expecting me home soon.” Or “If my someone catches me, we’ll get in big trouble.” If your friend says, “Hey we’re not going to get caught,” say “It’s not worth the risk.”

8. Avoid the situation: Notice if you friends are acting “sneaky” or like they are up to something. Notice if they smell like smoke. Get busy doing something else before they can ask you to smoke. It may be really hard but if your friends don’t respect your right NOT to smoke, try hanging out with people who will.