Quitting Smoking: Helping Someone Quit

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Introduction

Your partner or friend has decided it's time to quit smoking.

This is great news. You're excited, and you want to help. But you don't want your partner or friend to feel that you're coming on too strong or that you're "checking up" on him or her.

This Actionset will give you tips on helping someone who is trying to quit smoking. The information also applies to other tobacco products, such as chew or snuff.

Key points

• You can help someone quit smoking by offering support and practical tips.
• Only the smoker can follow through with the decision to quit. It's his or her choice and challenge. You can help by giving the person support.
• Most smokers don't succeed the first time they try to quit. This is called relapse. If the person begins smoking again, don't be disappointed or make the person feel guilty. Instead, help him or her think about trying to quit again.
• You can help yourself understand what the person is going through by learning about smoking, nicotine addiction, and how hard it is to stop.

 What do you need to know?

 Why is it so hard to quit smoking?

 How can you help someone quit smoking?

 Where to go from here

Quitting smoking can be hard. Here are some tools that you can suggest to someone who is trying to quit:

Should I use nicotine replacement therapy to quit smoking?

Should I take medicine to quit smoking?

Quitting smoking: Dealing with weight gain

Quitting smoking: Getting support

Quitting smoking: Preventing slips or relapses

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Last updated:	April 14, 2008
Author:	Paul Lehnert
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, John Hughes, MD - Psychiatry
Editors:	Katy E. Magee, MA, Michele Cronen