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Tips to Help Someone Quit Smoking

Smoking can be a hard habit to kick. This has a lot to do with the fact that one of the main ingredients in cigarettes, nicotine, is addictive. On top of that, smoking can be molded into one's routine. The result is that those trying to quit smoking need a lot of support. Those who wish to help someone stop smoking can use that principle to guide their assistance.

  1. Positivity

    • No matter how small the progress is, pick out and emphasize the positive. For instance, if the person you want to help quit smoking has managed to cut only one cigarette from his daily smoking habit, congratulate him on the fact that he is smoking one less cigarette and do not focus on how many cigarettes he is still smoking. Another good example of emphasizing the positive would be to recognize how long between cigarettes he is going, even if he still lights up. This will help the person who is trying to quit see what he is doing right in his effort to stop, and that can help the growth of self-esteem that will keep him motivated. Whatever you do, do not chide him or throw all kinds of facts, statistics or ultimatums in his face. This only fills the person with additional guilt or makes him feel alienated from you. Since smoking occurs in many cases as a habitual response to stress, this actually can also make it harder for him to quit, even when you have the best of intentions.

    Rewards

    • Offer the person who is trying to quit rewards. The rewards help because they serve as goals on which the individual can concentrate; they provide a means for the individual to measure her success. Goals also can help the person feel more worthwhile, since time or money is spent to produce the reward for her when she does well. Example rewards include a trip to the movies, offering to serve as a babysitter for her children for a night, or arranging for her to enjoy a massage by a professional. You might also offer a certain amount of money for every cigarette she does not smoke; she can use the money for whatever she wishes, with the exception (of course) of cigarette purchases.

    Craving Plan

    • Help the person who is trying to quit form a craving plan. The general idea of a craving plan is to brainstorm and implement things that can be done when a craving hits. For example, you might formulate the plan so that when the craving first strikes, the individual goes for a walk. If he still wants to smoke after walking, the next step on the plan might be to write in a journal. If that doesn't work, the next step might be to call you to chat.

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