Help a smoker quitJan 24 '01 (Updated Apr 11 '01) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line You have to want to quit or it simply will not work.
I have finally quit smoking. Yipee!! Its been tough. I have used Wellbutrin and Nicorette Gum (see my review) without the aid of these two products I probably would not have quit. Anyway during my time of quitting I noticed how insensitive people are. Quitting smoking is a HUGE thing to the smoker and I am here to tell you what you can do and not do to help the smoker along. People quit for many reasons. Each persons reasons are their own. For me personally it was health and my daughter. I never smoked around my daughter but I wanted to be around when she grew up and I wanted to be healthy for her. She is 8 years old and she is my biggest supporter. Everyday she tells me how good I’m doing. That REALLY helps. Anyone who knows someone trying to quit, these little words of encouragement are extremely helpful, especially when you feel like giving up. Non smokers have no clue how extremely difficult it is to quit. For me personally I smoked for 25 years (over 1/2 my life) and I smoked just over a pack a day. I didn’t know what life was like without cigarettes. My Dad and my brother can’t understand why this is so difficult. They offer little words of encouragement because they think you can just set a pack of cigarettes down and never touch them again. It is an addiction, just like drugs or alcohol. That is why now they are teaching about cigarettes in school along with the drug program, my daughter understands this. For me this is such a big accomplishment and I want to talk about it, but it seems no one wants to listen. If someone in your family or one of your friends are trying to quit, listen to them, even if they talk about it constantly, they will get over it. I have for the most part. Ex smokers will listen to you and I listen to them. It helped me to talk about quitting because it made me realize how far I have come and that I didn’t want to blow it. Smokers are very bad when someone is trying to quit. I have to admit I use to be. If one of my friends said they were quitting I got jealous and sometimes angry but I wouldn’t let them see it. If I was smoking and couldn’t quit then everyone else should be smoking too. Smoking is a very selfish habit, and misery loves company. Some people truly enjoy smoking, but most smokers I have met have a desire to quit but don’t know how or are scared of it. So therefore deep down they are miserable. All the times I struggled with quitting I felt like a failure because I couldn’t. YOU HAVE TO REALLY WANT TO QUIT!! I work with 3 smokers and when they knew I was going to quit, 2 of them taunted me. If I got upset about something they would say “you better have a smoke” or they would go out and smoke and come into my office right afterwards so I could smell the smoke. One guy even took a stubbed out cigarette butt and waved it under my nose. Luckily I have been strong this time. Like I said a selfish habit. I always tried to support my friends in their quest, but deep down I was jealous. Even if you smoke support your friend or family member they need it, at least take into consideration what they are going through, as a smoker you should know better than anyone how tough it is to quit. To taunt them or not support them makes them feel very lonely in their quest to quit.Like no one cares about their accomplishment. It is so easy to start smoking again, and to help the smoker in anyway would benefit them. Listen to them, offer to have them call you in times of need, or surprise them with a call of encouragement, be there for them in anyway you can. Little rewards would even help. Maybe a certificate to a restuarant or their favorite store, or just a small token, like a card or a note to let them know you care.It will truly make a difference in their determination to quit. Thanks for reading and good luck if you are quitting!!  |
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