Help Someone Quit
- Tobacco is controlled by a few corporations – American, British and Japanese multinational conglomerates
- Smoking related diseases kill 1 in 10 adults globally, or cause 4 million deaths
- By 2030, if current trends continue, smoking will kill 1 in 6 people
- Around 50% of those who start smoking in adolescent years go on to smoke for 15 – 20 years
- In any given year, 70% of all smokers try to quit, but it rarely happens their first time
- Most people try to quit 7 -8 times before they succeed at quitting
First, don’t preach! Everyone knows smoking is bad, talking about it only makes someone feel bad if they want to quit and can’t succeed. Instead, focus on how to support the person you care about. Educate yourself on how to be part of their support team during a quit attempt.
Understand that the average person tries to stop smoking 7-8 times before stopping permanently. So be prepared if your buddy starts to smoke again, remind them that every quit attempt bring them closer to the goal, and you’ll be there to help them the next time around too. Think about your actions, was there more you could do to help distract or support them?n do to help them relieve stress, or things you can go to that are naturally non-smoking (like movies).
If you want to help someone else quit, here are some helpful tips:
- Offer to be part of their support team when they are ready to quit
- Educate yourself about best quit strategies (call 1-800-QUITNOW for more info)
- Be positive and constructive – plan smokefree outings, go exercising together, etc.
Here are some links to some helpful resources for quitting tobacco: