Read this with your near and dear ones

Now that you have made up your list of reasons, its time to garner support from your near and dear ones. Although you are the primary subject of this quitting exercise, patient understanding from your immediate human environment will make it easier for you to go through the difficult days of withdrawal. So go ahead, tell your close ones about your intentions and read it with them.

You Can Make The Difference

Pestering, threatening, insulting, destroying or hiding cigarettes, you must have tried them all. In spite of your good intentions, you have not only failed but have made your friend more resentful resulting in a higher consumption of cigarettes. The truth is smokers are going to smoke until they are ready to quit. And this time your friend is ready and will be much more receptive. So even if you are fed up with him try helping once more, not by the past methods but by Understanding. This passage will aid you in being more tolerant towards your friend during nicotine withdrawal, so read on cause you can make the vital difference.

Smokers do not smoke because they are stupid.  They don't smoke because they are mean or obnoxious and wish to hurt their families and friends.  They smoke because they are human, and as humans they make mistakes.  One that all smokers are guilty of is experimentation with a highly addictive and dangerous drug - nicotine.  Many of them took up smoking long before they knew of any dangers.  When they realized the dangers, they may have attempted to quit, but for some it is not easy.  They are hooked on a drug, and it will take strong resolve and a support system to overcome the initial difficulties encountered during the quitting process.

The best support which can be provided by significant others is to offer love, patience and understanding, and to try to make the smoker's life as easy as possible over the first few days.  The smoker giving up cigarettes may have severe emotional outbursts and be irritable, depressed, and even irrational.  These are all the effects of nicotine withdrawal.  Many family members and friends will encourage them to smoke rather than act like that.  If they were recovering alcoholics, they would not be offered drinks by these people.  If they were reacting to chemotherapy they would not be begged to give it up and sacrifice their lives for the family's momentary comfort.  Unfortunately, many friends and family members often do not take smoking cessation seriously enough.  We are not talking about giving up a simple little annoyance such as biting of nails.  We are talking about a powerful and deadly addiction.  They are dealing with a real physiological need as well as a strongly ingrained psychological dependence.  Offer the most encouragement you can.  Be tolerant of their temporary emotional outbursts.  They will soon return to normal, and you will have the personal satisfaction of knowing you helped them over one of the greatest challenges of their lives - giving up cigarettes.

While non-smokers may offer their love, patience and understanding, if you are an ex-smoker, you have the unique ability to be a highly supportive and credible source to the individual attempting to quit smoking.  You knew what it was like to smoke.  You know how much nicer it is to go through life as an ex-smoker.  Share this knowledge.  Be honest - if you still have "thoughts" for a cigarette, tell them.  But clarify what the thoughts are like.  If you are a typical ex-smoker, the thoughts occur quite infrequently, and even when they do occur they last only seconds and are just a passing desire rather than a real painful episode such as those encountered during initial cessation.

People giving up cigarettes need to know this natural evolutionary process of smoker to ex-smoker.  When they encounter urges after the first two weeks, they are no longer experiencing physical withdrawal, rather they are responding to a psychological trigger.  They are experiencing a new situation for the first time without a cigarette.  This the time when your love and understanding will make the difference between failure and success. The urge will pass and they will have learned how to face all future similar experiences as an ex-smoker, with no discomfort. Offer periodic support to them letting them know you care about them, and always reinforce one concept to guarantee success in their continued non-smoking status - YOU ARE PROUD TO BE CLOSE TO A PERSON WHO HAD THE COURAGE AND WILLPOWER TO STAMP OUT THE DANGEROUSLY ADDICTIVE CIGARETTE.

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To be or Not to be | It Pays To Know In Advance

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