How Can I Help Someone to Stop Smoking?

If someone you know is a smoker, then you have good reason to be concerned.  Smoking is still the number one cause of lung cancer deaths in this country, and is tied to many other terrible forms of cancer and diseases as well.  You may then be wondering how you can help that someone to stop smoking, once and for all.

Get them motivated.

Many people are still unaware of the terrible effects that smoking has on them.  One important key to help that someone to stop smoking is to make them feel motivated to quit.  What will work with this person?  Are they at all health conscious?  Do they have children or grandchildren that they want to be around to see grow up?

Can you reason with them about the many ways that they’re hurting themselves?  One way that some have used to help someone to stop smoking is to print out pictures of diseased lungs and other organs, showing the comparison between a healthy lung and one ravaged by the effects of smoking.  Of course, you might not want to do this right around lunch time, as they may just lose whatever it is they just ate!

Give them support.

Sometimes all it takes to help someone to stop smoking is to give them the needed support.  Are they afraid they’ll miss their usual hangouts or parties?  Make plans with them to go elsewhere.  Are they afraid their friends won’t want to come around if the house is now smoke-free?  Talk to your friends and explain the situation.  Make sure they’re on board as well.

Another help for someone to stop smoking is smoking aids, such as a nicotine patch, nicotine gum, inhalers, sprays, pills, and the like.  What you might do is some research on these products beforehand so that you can present this to him or her, and show how safe and effective these products really are.  By giving them this type of support and showing them that there are products that work, you might be able to take some of the fear and apprehension out of the experience.

How to really help someone to stop smoking.

Probably the best help you can give anyone is encouragement, especially if they’re someone that’s tried to quit in the past and has failed.  Let them know that this is okay, that many people who are now former smokers had to try and try again before they were successful.  By doing all this and by encouraging them, you too can be successful in your quest to help your special someone to stop smoking as well!