My barber (yes, the guy who does my hair) is a chain smoker. I don't smoke or ever used any drug in my life. From what I see though, he is not doing well; smoking is taking a toll on him and there is not just anything I haven't told him to make him quit smoking. He maintains that there is no way anyone would quit smoking. My question is, what do I do to help him? NOTE: I have searched the forum to see if there is a similar post but didn't see any. Anyway, suggest links if there are. Thanks in advance for helping me help a friend
All you or anyone can do for an addict is advice that person and hope for the best. In your case, I think you've done almost enough. The ball [so to say] is squarely in the addict's court. Unless he first admits that he has a problem, nothing you say will have any effect. Once their "can't do" attitude is gone, the addict might be interested in knowing how they can break the habit: - he could try quiting cold turkey. - he could wean himself off cigarettes and stop smoking at the end of the exercise. - switch to e-cigs as a temporary measure.
Well you can start by showing your friend some documentary about smoking and the effects it has had on people's lives. You must make your friend realize that smoking is not good for one' health and make them genuinely want to quite for their own good. You may also want to seek some professional advice on the matter.
You don't. One thing I've noticed is that non-smokers don't understand what the addiction is all about. It's like telling someone not to eat for two days straight. It doesn't work. For me, when I get nagged about smoking it'll usually piss me off to the point that I have to go for a smoke. I'm sure you have the best intentions, but you need to understand that he's probably heard it all time and time again.
If he doesn't want to stop then there is no way you are going to make him stop. It is a personal decision. If he doesn't want to quit, then it isn't going to work at all.
However, you can help by being supportive and maybe providing information on why quitting is the best bet. Just don't be too pushy.
It is amazing that once you stop smoking by way of a method, you end up kind of forgetting that you actually ever smoked by that method. When I first decided to quit smoking I switched to small cigars from cigarettes because I think cigars are gross. I then ended up quitting with patches and gum. Now I see cigarettes and don't even think about them. Hopefully your friend will listen to your caring words and decide to quit.
That is a tricky one, since the victim is not even willing to quit, it becomes very difficult to convince such a person to quit, but keep showing him images of what smoke does to his lungs, keep convincing him, maybe one day he will snap out of it.
I also think that all you can do is give him advice or motivate him to quite. You cannot really force him if he really do not like to quit. He needs to have self control and realize that he really needs to quit.
You are right, he keeps on referring to some older smokers who are yet to die of cancer. He thinks, we are 'jealous' and are too lily-livered to smoke
There is nothing I haven't told the guy...he apparently has a fixed mind about smoking; the more reason I sought help here.
People reacts differently to other people when they are being reminded on the bad things they are doing. Even it is only a reminder or an advice because they are concerned to that person sometimes it is being misunderstood. If your friend had different views with regards to quit smoking I know it is very hard to make more efforts for that. But if you are really concerned because he is your friend give him more chance and don't give up and continue reminding him.What is important is that you had take all the chances for him to realized that smoking is bad for his health. Who knows time will come he will realized his mistakes.
If he doesnt want to quit himself i dont think theres anything you or anybody else can do about it. You cant pressure somebody into quitting because theyre more likely to go the other way and smoke even more because they wont like being told what to do. The choice to smoke is his, and it has to be his choice to stop.
I've got friends who swear by ecigarettes. I know they're not curing the addiction but they do get rid of all the tar and icky chemicals which are a part of regular cigarettes. All they're inhaling is the nicotine and flavours. My friend Tom got an ecigarette and never smoked again. He weened himself down from the high strength eliquid down to the 0% nicotine flavours, and now he doesnt use any nicotine. He said it wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. Obviously do your own research and I'm not an expert, but it is an idea.
You can't help him more than saying that smoking is bad for his health, which I'm sure he's already accustomed to. I've already given my advice to another thread, but I will mention it here, too: If he ever listens to you and would like to cease smoking, the first thing he should do is to not abruptly stop doing it, but establish some tasks, which would be like: First week - 5 cigarettes; Second week - 3 cigarettes; Third Week - 1 cigarette and go by that analogy. Of course, it's not going to be that easy, but if he tries to quit it from, say, tomorrow, he will surely notice the usual withdrawal symptoms that would eventually make his smoking urge more accentuated.
Depending on how close you are to the person, there are a wide range of tactics you can choose from. If you're not very close to the person, it may be more difficult to come through to them and communicate that you care about them and wish they would stop. But it could also make a big impact just saying something about it to them, and demonstrating to this person that you care about their well being.
Sadly, there is no e-cigarette in this part of the world. I got your point though; finding a way to heal him ween himself down... thanks
I just shared with him this plan and seeing some progress... it is all about leaving finding a higher passion and killing the habit one day at a time ( what the other commentator called weaning oneself down). As at now, I'm praying he doesn't stop this plan...