Over the years, we’ve heard about the drawbacks of smoking. It’s a strong addiction that can negatively affect your loved ones at any age. So hearing your partner say they want to quit smoking is a big deal that’s worthy of celebration!
Since smoking is addictive, it isn’t easy to quit, and that can be stressful for both you and your loved one. Luckily, there are ways you can help them during this challenging process. Follow these five tips to help your partner quit smoking.
1. Create a smoke-free environment.
The first step is to create a smoke-free environment. Remove anything even remotely relating to cigarettes, nicotine, and smoke. Fill a garbage bag with all the lighters, cigarette cartons, and ashtrays in the house.
Additionally, you should discard all reminders of smoke in the house. It may be hard to part from your posters of President Kennedy or Bob Marley smoking. However, if it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind. Redecorate your home with plants to purify the air and essential oils to calm your mind.
2. Encourage alternatives to smoking.
Smoking is a bad habit, but bad habits are hard to break without replacement routines. One way to help your partner is to encourage healthier alternatives to smoking. In the short term, you can support them by getting them nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products. For example, get nicotine gum packs to ween them off cigarettes. Studies show nicotine gum effectively prevents lapses in smokers.
Help your partner pick up healthier habits to aid them in the long run. Quitting smoking is a great way to care for your body. Encourage your partner to go the extra mile and start yoga or bodybuilding as an alternative to smoking.
3. Celebrate milestones.
Quitting smoking is more than a month-long adventure — it’s a lifelong journey, and it’s worth commemorating. Celebrate milestones along the way and use positive reinforcement. For example, cook their favorite breakfast each month they avoid smoking.
Build the celebrations over time as your partner progresses as a non-smoker. After a year, buy them the necklace they’ve been eyeing in the store. Not smoking for two years might earn a trip to Puerto Rico for a relaxing vacation.
4. Help them if they stumble.
The path to quitting smoking isn’t always linear. Your partner may encounter slip-ups or relapses. Be there to remind them it’s not the end of the world, and encourage them to keep going. One cigarette doesn’t define you. Ask them how they’re feeling and why they want to smoke again, and then help them figure out how to remove that trigger from their life.
There may be times when your partner feels the urge to smoke again. Remind them why they’ve chosen to stop smoking. Mostly, it’s for their health. Smoking causes lung cancer — the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. You do it for yourself, your family, your kids and everyone else.
5. Find support groups.
Ultimately, quitting smoking is an individual journey. However, your partner doesn’t have to trek on the path alone. Another way to directly support your partner is by finding support groups for them.
Many other smokers are on the same journey. Research shows between 30% and 50% of American smokers try to quit. Support groups include people from all walks of life who want to better their lives by removing cigarettes from their daily routines. Your partner will find even more motivation when they surround themselves with people with similar goals.
Examples of support groups include the American Lung Association’s Freedom From Smoking and the American Cancer Society’s Quit for Life.
Overall, quitting any bad habit is difficult — but it’s even more challenging when that habit is smoking. If your partner says they want to stop smoking, encourage them and show support wherever you can. Start with short-term goals and expand them as your partner succeeds. Remind your partner that quitting smoking is the best decision they’ll ever make for their health. And finally, celebrate all their wins, large and small.
Photo by Muhammad Abdullah on Unsplash
