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Helping someone else


Support from friends and family has proven to really help smokers quit successfully. If someone has asked you for support as they quit smoking, here are some tips for you:

  1. Ask him or her how you can help. Quitting smoking is a personal decision. Don’t assume that you know the right things to do.
  2. Be supportive. Let him/her know that she can call you whenever she needs to - especially in a crisis.
  3. Help her change her routines. Spend time with her doing things to keep her mind off smoking or suggest starting an exercise routine together.
  4. Avoid nagging at all costs. Don’t judge, preach or scold either. This could make her feel worse or increase his stress level – a major trigger for smoking. Do say: How’s your day going? Don’t say: Did you smoke today?
  5. Offer practical support. Help with daily chores, like cooking dinner, cleaning or babysitting will help lighten the stress of quitting.
  6. Cut her some slack and allow for bad moods. Quitting smoking is a difficult thing to do, and feelings of anger and irritability can be normal withdrawal symptoms – but temporary. So don't take her behaviours personally and allow her some extra slack, especially during the first few weeks of her quit.
  7. Respect her wishes. If he wants to be left alone, so be it. If she wants your encouragement and support, be there.
  8. Be understanding if she has a slip. Understand that smoking is a powerful addiction and it may take several attempts before she quits for good. Quitting is a process, and each quit attempt a learning experience.
  9. Celebrate her successes! Quitting smoking is a BIG DEAL! Plan something special to mark her significant tobacco-free milestones, such as the first tobacco-free week, the first month, and the third month.
  10. Remind her why she wanted to quit in the first place. Reinforce the benefits of being tobacco-free, and encourage him to reward himself with his savings from not smoking.

Know that:

  • Relapse is common. For many people it can take more than one try
  • The first two weeks are usually the hardest
  • Some of the most common reasons for people going back to smoking include strong negative emotions, being around other smokers and drinking alcohol