43. How can I urge someone to quit smoking, or encourage someone who is trying to quit?
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This article is from the Stop Smoking FAQ, by 70424.57@compuserve.com with numerous contributions by others.
43. How can I urge someone to quit smoking, or encourage someone who is trying to quit?
* Do not pester someone who is trying to quit smoking or who is in the
initial stages of thinking about quitting as it is probably the worst thing
someone trying to offer support can do -- also do NOT nag, insult, or
attempt to shame a smoker into quitting;
* Remember that even well-intentioned praise might irritate the quitter
at any given moment. Do what you can to gauge the quitter's mood, leave a
wide berth where necessary, and forgive what seem to be irrational
reactions;
* Let your spouse/friend/roommate know that no matter what happens that
you value them as a person (even though you may disapprove of their
smoking) and that you respect them for trying to break free
addiction;
* Learn to listen non-judgmentally and attempt to understand and see the
problems of quitting a powerful and seductive addiction through the
smoker's eyes;
* Remember to praise a smoker for even the smallest effort in trying to
quit or cut down -- quitting is a process and it takes time!
Q: Closing thoughts
"The Willpower Method is based on giving up something you want to do and
thus have to resist the desire to continue doing it. The Easy Way is to
change your thinking so that you are not giving up anything, but becoming
free of something that you don't want to do. That way you can enjoy it. -
gecko@ibm.net"
"Once you get to the point where your mind is made up once and for all, it
is very difficult to fail. - Cindi Smith"
One cigarette is too many, and a thousand are not enough.
- unknown
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to
what lies within us
- Ralph W. Emerson
Hang tough, don't puff!
- Barry Pekilis
Cigarettes bring temporary relief of the symptoms caused by the use of
cigarettes.
- Unknown; posted by Carolina Johnson
Smoking is a chronic disease and quitting is a process. Relapse and
remission are part of the process. As long as you're continuing to make
progress toward the ultimate goal of being smoke-free, you should feel good
about your achievement.
- Psychology Today Magazine.
"The hard part is staying quit and to do that, you need an armamentarium of
alternatives to smoking as long as they aren't other addictions that just
serve as a substitute 'friend'. It important not to use anything that will
obscure or divert us from finding out that the best friend that we have, in
some ways, the only consistent one, is the one inside." - Donna Payne,
posted March 1996
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