Stop Smoking Services

How to Help Someone Stop Smoking

Talking to someone about ending tobacco use is awkward. You may worry about the health effects of smoking, but feel that anything you say is repetitious or "nagging." Smokers already KNOW they should stop ... so what can you do?

It is useful to remember that why someone smokes is an intricate set of attitudes and behaviors that you cannot change.

Changing an ingrained activity must come from within the smoker. What you can do is provide support and positive reinforcement for their efforts to stop. Here are some suggestions:

• Be positive. Believe in the person's ability to become an ex-smoker! This means you may need to examine YOUR activities and what you do or say when you are with a spouse, teenager or friend who smokes.
• Reward their progress! Understand the milestones to quitting and set up a special event for reaching those goals. A promise of a dinner outing or movie can help someone's resolve!
• Help him/her avoid temptation! Choose nonsmoking restaurants and activities that substitute for smoking.
• Provide daily support. Be approachable and show you care about their well being.
• Be understanding. Setbacks are not failures. They are just part of the process of changing behavior.

Looking for additional support for a family member or friend who uses nicotine? Mayo's Nicotine Dependence Centers offer a variety of ways to help people end their dependence on tobacco.