How to Help Someone Quit Smoking

Tips for Helping a Friend or Family Member who Smokes to Stop

Aug 25, 2009

Know someone who smokes and would quite like them to quit? Smokers need to decide to stop for their own benefit, but it is possible to help someone quit smoking.

Smokers cannot quit smoking for someone else; they have to want to do it for themselves. If they try to quit for another person’s benefit, no matter how important that person is to them, they are unlikely to stay stopped for long. However, the support of friends, family and work colleagues can be invaluable in helping a smoker to make the decision to quit smoking and stay cigarette free.

How to Help Someone Decide to Quit Smoking

Giving someone a lecture about the dangers of smoking is not likely to be very helpful. Unless they have been living in a cave, smokers will know cigarette smoking is an unhealthy, dangerous, expensive and antisocial habit that affects other people; they don’t need a sermon or to be patronised about it. Criticism and nagging is unlikely to have the desired effect on a smoker’s habit, in fact the smoker will probably become defensive and less likely to want to quit.

Raising the issue of smoking carefully and tactfully, and showing concern rather than disapproval, is far more helpful in getting a smoker to make the decision to quit. Make use of other tools available to do this, such as adverts for nicotine replacement therapy, magazine and newspaper articles and information about smoking support services. Discuss the health benefits of quitting smoking and offer to help make a stop smoking plan.

People don’t need to smoke to enjoy their lives. Show the smoker life can be fun, exciting and interesting without cigarettes, and project a positive image of life without smoking. There are other ways to deal with stress, anxiety and boredom than cigarettes, which are some of the reasons people smoke in the first place. Try to recruit other non-smokers to get this point across.

Ex-smokers can also come in useful, as they can explain to smokers the methods they used to kick the habit. They are living proof that it is possible to quit smoking. Smokers may be surprised to learn there are more ex-smokers around than they realise.

Helping a Smoker who Wants to Quit Smoking

Understand that when smokers quit smoking, they are in for a rough ride while they overcome their smoking habit and addiction to nicotine. Quitting smoking is no easy task. Nicotine withdrawal can cause unpleasant side effects such as nicotine cravings, fatigue, irritability, aggressiveness, anxiety, mood swings, headaches and sleeping difficulties, which will make them unpleasant to be around. These symptoms will last a few weeks but will fade in time.

Smokers need all the support they can get when trying to quit, especially in the first two weeks of quitting, when they are most likely to give in to moments of weakness. Support can mean the difference between success and failure. Help smokers quit smoking by encouraging them to do things that aren’t associated with the times they used to smoke, and keep them away from temptation.

It may be necessary for smokers who are trying to quit to avoid pubs and parties for a while, or avoid spending too much time in front of the television. Help them keep busy and active to distract them from the thought of cigarettes. Take them to smoke free places such as the cinema and leisure centre. Exercise will help to reduce nicotine cravings and stress, so go for evening walks if possible instead of sitting around.

Many smokers have several attempts to quit before they actually succeed; it is never too late for them to stop trying to quit smoking. If a smoker has a relapse, encourage him or her to try again soon, and be ready to offer support when that time comes.

The copyright of the article How to Help Someone Quit Smoking in Substance Abuse Recovery is owned by Sharon Kirby. Permission to republish How to Help Someone Quit Smoking in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.