Absolutely you can. In fact, if you know someone who is making the effort to quit – they are going to need your help and your support more than at any other point. It’s important, that you accept even if you can’t understand that quitting is hard for the person who is doing it. It’s not about understanding why they started smoking or even understanding why the continued to smoke in the face of all the information out there that says smoking is bad for them.
It’s not about making a person feel guilty for the habit. Trust me, people that smoke are already made to feel like lepers. They are told to stay out of restaurants and bars. They are consigned to smoking areas out of the sight of others. They know it’s not healthy, they know no one admires them for doing it and they certainly feel self-conscious about it whether it’s at work, at their children’s events or elsewhere. They know.
Where Do You Begin?It’s Not Your Responsibility
If your friend takes up smoking again, it’s not your fault. Don’t yell at them, don’t rail at them and don’t feel guilty about it. It’s not on you and it’s not up to you whether they are successful or not. They need you to care about them whether they quit or not. They need to know you’ll be there for them if they slip up and if they are trying again. Sometimes it can take a smoker, several attempts to stop smoking.
I speak from experience here. They just need a friendly hand and voice and they need your love – everything else is up to them.
Have you ever supported someone through quitting smoking?
Related Articles:
Stop Smoking: Exercise Can Help
10 Reasons to Be Thankful About Stopping Smoking
Day 5: My Throat Hurts & My Sinuses Hate Me