What are some practical ways to support someone who is quitting smoking? -
I have heard of -smoking cessation survival kits---any ideas for what to include? How I can I be supportive of my boyfriend-s decision to quit?
Good for him!
I quit May 1, its now been 4 months and 18 days of freedom for me.
Really, during the first week there is going to be nothing you can do to console him if you are a non smoker or if you still smoke. If you are a former smoker yourself, you should be able to tell him what to expect.
The first week is hell. Physically and mentally. I was physically and mentally ill for the first week. The physical cravings go away after a week, but the psychological ones took about 2 months to go away for me.
Now, I still sometimes want to smoke when I get stressed or when I am bored, but its not worth it.
Life is so great being free being a slave to smoking. People who still smoke say that they love to smoke, that its not like being a slave, that they LOVE to smoke. Thats not the person talking, its the person under the influence of cigarettes. If that same person could bring themselves to quit, they would see how much it controlled their lives, and how great life is when you start to notice the positive effects of not smoking.....the increased sense of smell, the improvement in vision, the function of the lungs starts to be greater, the pulse returns to normal, the blood pressure decreases, one can feel tingling in arms and legs from increased oxygen, feet don-t go numb when kneeling anymore, urinate less frequently, don-t feel tired all the time, feel like I can think clearer, generally happier, etc, etc.
But this all takes time. It wasn-t instantaneous. And don-t forget that the feeling of wanting to smoke never totally goes away, but it does lessen.
Keep the new reformed smoker away from places and situations where there are smokers around. People who still smoke will not support those who choose to quit, and may encourage restarting. Also, seeing cigarettes, smelling the smoke may induce a quitter to start again.
Encourage the person to get out and get exercise, at least half hour a day.
Don-t let the person sit still for very long. Be sure they have things to keep their mind occupied.
Don-t get the quitter to aggravated.
If the quitter must call off from work during the first week, so be it. I had to call off due to how sick I was from quitting. NO JOB is more important than your health.
Good luck.
PS - I think all of us -ex smokers- need to band together and really get the message out there about quitting, and how we succeeded. Keep talking about it. Put in people-s faces. If we do it enough, and in the right way, perhaps we can someday have a smoke free society.
Cinnamon suckie candies are helpful, or you can also call 1-800-NO-BUTTS, so he can get hooked up with the patch to help him quit smoking also. The call and the patch are free. Wish your boyfriend good luck, and try not to make such a big fuss about his not smoking and if he ends up smoking anyways, don-t get to hard on him if he ends up smoking anyways.
thay need to keep bezzzzzie. the more thay do the less thay smoke. im a smoker and if i do thing i dont smoke. and if im not around others that are. its really hard on them thay get upset over nothing so over look what thay say thay dont really mean it. just be a friend.
Get him on a good program with nicotine gum or the patch. Make sure he-s talked to his doctor about options.
Take him places where smoking is not an issue. For example, if you like to bar-hop or go to casinos, those are harder places to avoid smoking than in a movie theater.
Get some exercise with him. Studies show it helps reduce cravings.
Take him out or make him a great meal. Gives him oral sensation without smoking.
Keep encouraging him to stick to his resolve and be patient when he-s frustrated.
See if you can get him to take up gum-chewing as an alternative.
Good luck.