Help a friend to quit smoking

Support a friend goal to stop smoking with enthusiasm and vigor. The power of a supportive family member or friend is amazing to anyone who is trying to quit smoking. Many people that are close to a smoker do not know how to encourage them without being a nag. Encouragement is a wonderful gift to your friend or family member and can easily be accomplished. You do not need special skills to encourage... You just need a kind heart and a willingness to listen.

It is important not to be overly focused on helping the person become smokeless. Instead, use encouraging words to let your friend or family member know that you are there for them if they need anything. Becoming smoke-free is a long and difficult process. Your job as the encourager is to help your friend forget about the mistakes or slip-ups and encourage all the progress they are making. Most smokers do have an occasional slip up, do not encourage a slip up but don’t berate your friend when one happens. Everyone is human and will make mistakes; it is what happens after the mistake that counts. Help your friend get back on track to reaching their non-smoking goal.

Nicotine and tobacco are very addictive substances that can take months or even years to truly get out of a person’s system. Even after quitting some smokers say they continue to have urges to start smoking again. Your loved one will welcome your continued support as they struggle to stay smoke-free. Help your friend or family member no matter how they have decided to quit smoking.

You do not have to be a counselor to be good at encouraging. Simply be there for your friend or family member as they struggle to quit smoking. Encourage them every moment you get and they will soon have control over their desire to stop smoking. Remember that every person is going to quit smoking in a different way, so be supportive of the way your friend has decided to quit smoking and do not judge them.

Cold turkey is not the only way

When looking at methods to quit smoking it is important to ask yourself the question, Is it too good to be true? Use caution when looking at methods to quit smoking. Common quit smoking methods include, laser therapy, hypnotism, acupuncture, nicotine replacement products, prescription drugs, programs, and ebooks. Oh yah, don’t forget about quitting smoking "cold turkey." Out of all these different quit smoking methods, which one will work for you? When determining which method may work best for you consider the following:

- Do you believe in it? Lets take for example hypnotism. If you believe hypnotism is a bunch of hooey then this may not be the method you wish to choose to quit smoking.

- What does it cost? Just think how much money you would save each week if you were to quit smoking. The money you could save by not smoking could be significant but that may not mean you have the financial means to go with any quit smoking method. For example; laser therapy can be costly and multiple treatments may be required.

- Is it a good fit for me? When considering methods to quit smoking it is important to evaluate the ones that fit your life style. What do you think will work for you? If you know nothing about acupuncture you may either want to learn about it or choose a different method to quit smoking. No matter which method you choose it is a good idea to learn about that method. Get any questions you have about side effects or concerns answered.

- What has worked for me in the past? Maybe you have quit before only to start up months or years later for what ever reason. If it worked for you in the past it could very well work for you again.

- Is it a complete and comprehensive quit smoking plan that will teach me how to quit smoking? To be honest you can’t just pop a pill and quit smoking. No matter which method you choose there will be some work involved. Choose a quit smoking method that provides you will a plan on how to quit smoking.

Making the decision to quit smoking is the beginning to living a smoke-free life. Quitting smoking "cold turkey" is not the only way to quit smoking. There are many different quit smoking methods that have proven to be effective for people whom have quit smoking. To be successful in your efforts to quit smoking find the method that you think would suit you best and do your homework. If you don’t succeed at first, don’t give up. Studies have shown that it may take several tries to quit smoking, but don’t use that as an excuse to smoke.