There is no getting around it; smoking is detrimental to your health. Cigarette smoking harms every organ in your body and causes many diseases because it introduces nicotine, a very addictive chemical, and 5,000 other chemicals, including numerous carcinogens, into your system.
Smoking is a hard habit to break and a serious addiction. That makes quitting smoking a difficult ordeal. Quitting can also cause nicotine withdrawal which has physical, mental, emotional, and behavioural symptoms. Fortunately, there are many ways to help ease quitting, like Smokefree Clinic’s nicotine vape products.
Deciding to quit smoking doesn’t make the cravings magically go away. It takes time and effort because tobacco cravings can sometimes be intense. A support system from family, friends and significant others will benefit the quitter because it takes more than one person to quit the habit successfully.
If you have a loved one trying to quit smoking, here is how you can help them.
Assess Your Relationship Dynamics
How is your relationship with the person trying to quit? Are you closely related to them? How does the person trying to quit feel about you? The closer you are connected with someone trying to quit smoking, the higher the chances that they would open up to you and listen to you. On the other hand, don’t attempt to help someone whom you don’t know very well. They might not listen to you, and the help you are trying to give might be seen as unsolicited.
Initiate The Conversation
It is usually hard for someone who is trying to quit smoking to talk about it. You can help them by initiating a conversation or responding positively when they mention quitting. Affirm your support and assure them that you are there to help if and when they need you. If you know or have helped someone else quit smoking before, you can share your experience with your loved one.
Create An Opportunity
If you sense that your loved one wants to talk about quitting but can’t find an opening, take it upon yourself to create the opportunity. You can do it either by being direct and asking them what they think about quitting, or you can cite a situation that they can react to, like what they think about an article you read about the rise of lung cancer cases or a recent stricter ban about smoking in indoor areas.
Listen Earnestly
The process of quitting is about the person trying to quit and not about you. So make sure to listen to them when they share something with you, like the challenges they face daily, incidents wherein they overcame a temptation or their feelings about what they are going through. Listen and try to avoid interrupting them while they are still speaking.
Ask Questions
Once your loved one is done speaking, try asking them questions about what they just shared with you to show that you were listening to what they were saying. You can also ask open-ended questions to help you understand what the quitter is going through. A better understanding of what they are going through will give you a better insight into the situation, which would make you better equipped at helping them.
Research With Them
There are many ways for a person trying to kick the habit. They might not know it yet when they start. Please do some research of your own and share with them what you found out. Tell them they can try alternatives like lozenges, gums, patches, or even Smokefree Clinic’s nicotine vape products. They might also be interested in behaviour therapy or support groups. Once your loved one finds out how vested you are in their journey to quit, this will encourage them to continue with kicking the habit, knowing that you support them fully.
Celebrate
Big or small, try to celebrate their successes and milestones. Not only will they be happy, but it will also motivate them to keep pushing forward. You can celebrate by giving compliments like how much better they look since they have taken the journey to stop smoking or send them small tokens. A little goes a long way to someone who needs encouragement.
The challenges that come with quitting smoking don’t end when the quitter smokes their last cigarette because cravings can arise at any time. So keep supporting and encouraging them weeks, months, or years after. Your ongoing support could be the only thing they need to make their attempt at quitting a success.
