Some Simple Tips On How to Help a Friend Quit Smoking

The first thing you need to learn when figuring out how to help a friend quit smoking, is what the quit smoking benefits are.  There is much documentation out there about what the physicals benefits of not smoking are, but for most people these are irrelevant.  You would literally have to be living under a cave if you did not know how bad smoking is for you.  Regardless of this people continue to smoke.  When you try to show the smoker what the benefits of not smoking are keep it personal to them.

For example, if they are struggling physically and having trouble breathing ask them how nice would it be to be able to fully function again and not have to worry about walking up the stairs or down the street.  While saying they will feel physically better is one thing, showing them incedents and moments where not being a smoker would be helpful is much more powerful.

In addition you can also show let them see their value to the people around them.  By showing them this they will be able to see how the world would miss them if they were gone.  It is important that they see how valuable they are to the people around them.  Many times people who smoke do not even realize how important they are to the people that rely on them day to day.  When you put it in these terms it is much more real to them and they can see that they are a needed part of all that is going on around them.  For this reason it is important to relate them back to the quitting smoking, so they can see themselves as a non smoker and what the benefits will be.

This is just the start on you quest to find out how to help a friend quit smoking.  There are many more things that you can do to help them, but for each person these things will be different and unique and you will need to adjust you plan to them based on this.

4 Key Tips to Help Quit Smoking

The first of several tips to help quit smoking is that you need to have a genuine and serious desire to quit.  Before you even get started you need to make absolutely sure this is what you want to do.  You can not go in without a complete and total dedication otherwise you risk failure, maybe not at first but certainly down the road.  Smoking is an insidious habit that never really goes away.  Regardless of how long you are quit for the potential to go right back to where you were is always right there at the forefront, just one single puff away from becoming a full fledged smoker again.

The next in our tips to help quit smoking is to eliminate the triggers that cause you to want to have a cigarette.  These things can be reintroduced in time but for the beginning you need to make sure that you have good idea of when and what triggers your desire for a cigarette. Some of the common things that do this are coffee, alcohol and situational causes.  All of these things can be controlled and eliminated so that you can have the best chance of quitting and staying quit.  Again most of these things can be reintroduced slowly, but you have to be careful and be in complete control of your cravings before you do so.

The third in our simple tips to quit smoking is that you need to have a support system in place to help you when the cravings hit.  These can be friends or counselors, whatever works best for you.  It will vary from person to person, but the important thing is that these people will be available at a moments notice when the cravings hit you.  Many times counselors will have a 24 hour help line you can use and I highly recommended it.

The last in our simple tips to quit smoking that you can use is to cut back on your smoking slowly.  Do not try to go cold turkey as this will almost always end in failure.  The key is to slowly push back the amount you smoke so that you can cut the nicotine out of your system.

First Steps to Help Someone Quit Smoking

The first step to help someone quit smoking is to build in them the genuine desire to quit.  Many people use bullying and intimidation tactics to try to get people to quit.  Saying things like if you do not quit I will do this, or making threats against the person to force them to quit is not the right thing to do.  Instead to truly help someone quit smoking you want to instill inside of them a desire to quit.  There are many ways that you can do this, and there are tools out there that can help you through this.

Literature is a great tool when trying to help someone quit smoking.  It is not invasive and the person can read it at their own leisure so that they take and active role in trying to quit.  You want to discuss the literature with them without having to feel like you are pressing them and also without making them feel like you are pressuring them to quit.

That is one of the hardest parts about trying to help someone quit smoking.  Every time you push on them to quit, they want to have a cigarette and end up taking a step backwards.  You have to keep on them, but do not want to nag them about it.   The best thing you can do is be there to support them in the process of quitting.  With your support they will be able to tackle this nearly impossible problem and overcome their addiction.

Anyone who has quit has probably had help in that.  The hard part in being the person that helps out is that you need to be ready to help at a moments notice and can not really control when and how the person will ask for your help.  It is difficult to be a support person when trying to help someone to quit smoking, but from my experience it is a needed and much appreciated role.  Just be ready when you can and that is the best help that anyone could ask for.  No matter what they may say, your help is appreciated.

Some Examples Of Free Help To Stop Smoking Tools

The first thing that almost every state has nowadays is a smoking hotline.  This free help to stop smoking tool is a great one because in a moment of weakness a person can have someone help them to get through it.  Even if your state does not offer this free help to stop smoking tool you can the hotline for another state and they will help you.  Most of the hotlines have one eight hundred numbers so you can call fro anywhere, at anytime and get help.  One of the more popular ones is the one from California.  Their number is 1-800-NO-BUTTS.  If you have and emergency and need someone to talk to, give them a call.

Next up is literature.  Many states will provide extensive literature on the affects of smoking and how bad it is for you and those around you.  This free help to stop smoking does not tackle the problem head on, but it is crucial in the first step.  Anyone who has tried and failed to quit will all come back to the same reason, their desire to quit was not one hundred percent.  This literature will help to show the smoker why smoking is wrong so that they can be fully committed to quitting.

The next type of free help to stop smoking that you have available to you is medication.  Many times state governments will provide serious discounts off of things like Nicorette and other quit smoking medications.  Take a look and see what your state can provide for you and take advantage of whatever you can.  These drugs can make a huge difference when you are going through the withdrawal portion of you’re the quitting process.  By using medications you will alleviate the symptoms of withdrawal and improve you chances of staying away from cigarettes for good.

As you can see there are many free help to stop smoking tools that can make a huge difference in whether or not you stay quit.

How to Use A Quit Smoking Helpline

One of the more popular quit smoking helplines is the one in California.  A simple call to 1-800-NO-BUTTS is all you need to do to get started.  This quit smoking helpline was founded in 1992 and has been in continuous operation ever since.  Because California has such a large Latino population this line is available in Spanish as well as English.

When I went to quit smoking I was challenged every day on how to stay quit.  Little things would set me off and immediately there was this strong desire to have a cigarette.  A perceived slight from someone and immediately I was in full blown craving mode.  The only thing that kept my head on my shoulders and kept me from collapsing and becoming a pack a day smoker again was the helpline.  The people on the other have all been through exactly what I was going through and just hearing their voice gave me the strength to say no.

There are millions of people out there just like you and me who are having a difficult time quitting smoking, but luckily today there is help for us.  Hundreds if not thousands of dedicated workers across the country are there for you and they are only phone call away.  The key is that you have to understand that you have a problem that requires help.  If you do not see your smoking as being a bad thing you never will be able to break your habit.  By getting help from others you can find the strength to finally stop smoking.  All the self help books, patches, and tricks and devices to quit can do nothing if you do not have the desire or strength to stop.  A quit smoking helpline will give you this.

The first section then details what easy steps you can take to start down the path of quitting.  The first thing that Help Me Quit Smoking details is how to eliminate the triggers that cause you to want to have a cigarette.  By eliminating these things you can do a better job of controlling your cravings.  These triggers are what cause you to want and pick up a cigarette.  By removing them you can do a much better job of controlling your desire and want to have a cigarette.

The next section on Help Me Quit Smoking shows you how to step down your intake of nicotine so that you can control the physical aspects of the smoking addiction.  Like any drug that is addictive nicotine will cause all the symptoms of withdrawal as well.  These can include restlessness, irritability, and sleeplessness.

The key to managing these symptoms according to Help Me Quit Smoking is to slowly remove step down the amount of nicotine in your system.  The book goes into several ways to do this including patches, gum, and simply cutting out the number of cigarettes you have per day.  Most of the step down programs have you completely smoke free within about 2 months.  After the nicotine is out of your system the key is to remember that you truly never will have quit, and are going to be constantly in danger of becoming a smoker again for the rest of your life.

Things to Look for in a Quit Smoking Help Book

The first thing you want to look for in the quit smoking help book is that it has steps and things you can afford and feel like you can accomplish.  It should have a step by step guide for each phase in your quit smoking plan so that you can track and follow your progress.  These steps are important because as I am sure you have found out it is nearly impossible to just quit cold turkey.  You need to wean your body off of the nicotine and there are steps that make it easier.

Most of these quit smoking help books will use either the patch or some other kind of nicotine replacement.  Gums and other things can help quite a bit as well as they address the oral fixation of smoking in addition to the physical cravings.  Another step in any quit smoking help guide is to change your behavior patterns, at least in the beginning to make quitting easier.

You need to find the triggers that make you want to have a cigarette and try to eliminate them.  Most common ones include coffee, alcohol, and situational triggers.   That last cigarette before bed, the first one in the morning, the one in the car ride to work, all these events will cause a craving to occur so they must be mitigated as much as possible.

While you will not be able to eliminate all the triggers, you can limit some.  Coffee and alcohol for example can be cut down or simply eliminated until you are completely quit.  This may be tough to do, and they may be reintroduced after some time, but it is key that you cut down on as many things that are causing your cravings as possible.

Hopefully now you have a better idea of what you need to do in order to support your desire to quit smoking.  Follow these steps and you will be smoke free in no time.