Are you concerned about a friend or loved one who smokes? If someone you care about smokes and you would like to help them stop, there are some very important facts you should know. The following section will give you tips on how to help a friend quit smoking. Remember the following:
If your friend has thought about quitting, but is not ready to make the commitment:
In a private, one-on-one conversation, tell your friend that you care about him/her and his/her health. You can refer your friend to this website where he/she can read this information for him/herself. Finally, inform your friend of a research study conducted on adolescent smokers. Of the current smokers surveyed, only 5% believed they would still be smoking in five years. However, at an eight-year follow-up, 75% were still smoking (Flay, 1993). Therefore, if your friend is thinking about quitting he/she should not put it off. As time goes by, it only gets more difficult to stop.
If a smoker expresses to you a desire to quit smoking, be as supportive as possible. Have confidence in them and tell them so. Consider giving something up yourself to show your support. For example, you could try giving up soda, coffee, candy or dessert.
The only way a person will quit smoking is if they make the decision to do so themselves. Nagging a smoker, or trying to tell him or her what to do is likely to do more harm than good. Although you are trying to help, it is important that you avoid any of the following tactics: