Smoking may lead to an addiction; one thing that is very difficult to keep away from your system. Quitting smoking is a very hard process; thus, if your friend is on the process of doing so he will need all your support to do it. Be supportive and encourage him to defeat his urge to smoke. Be there with him as he tries to stop smoking.
Proper Encouragement
As a friend, your encouragement is your best contribution to your friend’s rehabilitation. Remember, with the right words said at the right time, you are able to push your friend to reach his goal. But, how can you really give encouragement without sounding too much of a nagger?
Encouragement follows after a person finally decides to quit smoking. Once he has the determination to quit, you step in to give him words of encouragement so that he will not lose his focus. This is the time when you have to let your friend feel that you are with him throughout this process and that you will stay beside him until he finally reaches his goal. Sometimes, words are not necessary anymore your acts alone may be enough as encouragement.
You also have to remind yourself of the difficulty of the process that your friend is going through. This reminder will let you understand your friend more, and the better you understand his situation, the more helpful you can be. There may be times when your friend may not stop himself from puffing another stick, but you should not use this against him. Instead of criticizing his mistakes, try to remind him of his progress and steer him away from the said errors. You should not dwell on his mistakes, but on how he was able to correct such afterwards.
And though after quitting, addictive substances such as nicotine and tobacco still remain present within the system of someone who has recently stopped smoking. This is what causes relapse. Thus, the process still continues even after a long time, and you should continue to encourage for as long as your friends battle with smoking continues.
Process of Quitting
People have their own ways of quitting. Some say that it is better to quit all at once; however, there are still others who believe that it should be done slowly but surely. Slowly quitting would mean that nicotine exposure would be decreased moderately by consuming lesser cigarettes each day.
Really, it does not matter how one chooses to proceed with quitting. Whatever method he chooses, you should always be ready to give him the encouragement he needs. To do so, here are some things that may help you give confidence to your friend who needs to stop smoking:
1. When you talk about progress, stay positive and inspiring by pointing out the instances when he has really surpassed a trial.
2. Talk about his slip ups but refrain from dwelling on the matter.
3. You should support whatever quitting technique he may have chosen.
4. Help him avoid situations which may trigger his desire for smoking again.
5. Continue to be a friend!
You do not need to be licensed counselor to give good encouragement. All you need to be is to be loyal and one who cares for a friend. Just stay with them, back them up and make them feel that they are not alone in their attempt to stop smoking.