You must have wondered, at some point, how to help someone quit smoking. It is very difficult and painful to see someone you love puffing away on a dozen cigarettes a day. You cannot force them to quit, but there are ways to help them.

Remember that you cannot make their decisions for them. Smokers understand the risks. They have to decide that they want to quit. Once they do make that decision, you have to know how to help someone quit smoking. There are some things you can do.

1. The first thing you have to keep in mind is that they cannot quit all at once, so you have to be patient and encouraging. Cutting two or three cigarettes a day will be quite difficult. Agree that what they are doing is not easy, and that you admire them for it. Encouragement without impossible expectations is very important when you think about how to help someone quit smoking.

2. No matter what you think, you do not know exactly how to encourage them. Unless you are a smoker who has quit, do not tell them that you know how it feels. Instead, ask them how you can support them first. Asking them what they need from you is very important in answering the question how to help someone quit smoking.

3. There will be times, when the quitter feels he/she will not be able go through this. Your task is to boost the person’s confidence by appreciating him or her as well as showing your sincere faith in him/her.

4. When you think of how to help someone quit smoking, there are some simple things you may not even consider, but they can contribute to the process. Sit in non-smoking sections. Spend more time with the person. They need a good exercise regime when they are trying to quit, so go for walks. And stop nagging about how horrible the habit is!

5. Acknowledge their achievements. They may seem small to you, but they are really important for the quitter. Breaking an addiction is a painful process - the more reasons you have to be proud when your loved one succeeds.

You can invent ways and suggest different methods of quitting, but at the end of the day, you cannot do much against somebody’s will. So, it is important to realize that it is the quitter’s decision and determination that really works. You can only decide how to help someone quit smoking and pray that your efforts will bring the desired results.

Related Articles