How To Convince A Smoker To Quit: Timing

Smoking is an addiction. That sounds like a simple statement that can be taken as read, but when you are trying to convince a smoker to quit, it’s something you really need to understand. Smoking is often referred to as a ‘habit’, when in reality the stronger term ‘addiction’ is far more realistic. Smokers become physically addicted to nicotine, the chemical found in cigarettes, and can experience uncomfortable and often painful physical symptoms of withdrawal when they try to quit.

The reason this is pointed out is that convincing someone to quit smoking for good is a difficult road, and only by understanding what you are actually dealing with can you have a chance of beating it. A tiny percentage of smokers – less than 10% – manage to quit on their first attempt. Most will take three or more attempts, and some may take over 10 attempts over a number of years to finally kick the addiction for good.

If you are struggling to support a smoker who continually goes back on their word – in your eyes – and starts smoking again, try and keep positive. Acknowledge, both to them and to yourself, that this is a marathon rather than a sprint, and by being continually upbeat your smoking friend or family member can be assured of your support.

Never, ever cast doubt on a smokers desire to quit just because they have failed before – doing so can make them angry, defiant and less likely to quit than ever before. Keep things in perspective, and see every failed attempt as one step closer to the final, successful, smoke-free life.

How To Convince A Smoker To Quit: Understand the Habit

As a non-smoker (or an ex-smoker, depending on your situation), you probably find the entire concept of smoking distasteful. That is, after all, why you may be seeking to help a smoker quit their habit for good. To you, the reasons are obvious; smoking is not only bad for a smokers’ health and appearance, but it has financial repercussions, too. It should seem like an argument you’ll win easily, especially when statistics about how half of smokers want to quit are bandied around. It looks like an argument you, and a few well-learned truths about smoking, are destined to win.

However, what you must understand if you are trying to convince someone to quit smoking is this: smokers like smoking! That might sound like a ridiculous statement, but it’s something many people who try and convince a smoker to quit absolutely forget. A smoker may wish they had never started the habit and may want to quit, but in essence they enjoy the experience of smoking; and that’s why they do it. They probably know the downsides already, and have still chosen to smoke.

It’s important you don’t underestimate how much people can enjoy smoking, and particularly the social aspect of it. When you are presenting your case, don’t ever be harsh to a smoker, or try and shout at them in an attempt to make them quit the habit. Instead, acknowledge this is something they enjoy – even if you can’t see the benefits – and take a softer, more understanding approach. Using a gentler method of convincing, you are far more likely to succeed.

How To Convince A Smoker To Quit: False Statements

While dissuading people from quitting smoking is never a good idea, when presenting the reasons as to why a smoker should quit, it is important to be factual. If someone suspects any aspect of your reality talk is not actually true, then they may doubt the things – such as the substantial health risks associated with smoking – that are actually true. Any kink in your argument armour can cast doubt on the truthfulness of your entire statement, so if you are trying to persuade someone not to quit, don’t fall in to the trap of making false statements.

When it comes to smoking, one of the biggest lies told by those convincing smokers to quit is that “smokers raise smokers”. The idea is that people who smoke will inevitably, even if not deliberately, encourage their children to become smokers when they are open – and thus perpetuating the cycle of lung and health abuse for a new generation. It’s a statement that can have quite an impact on doting parents, who immediately redouble their efforts to quit in the hopes of saving their children from a life of nicotine addiction.

In reality, however, smokers do not raise smokers: in fact, studies and statistics show the opposite is true. The children of smokers – particularly if both parents smoke – are less likely to smoke than those raised in a non-smoking house, largely because they have been exposed to the unpleasant side of smoking, such as the smell, their entire lives. So resist saying to a smoker in an effort to convince them to quit, and focus instead on the financial and health implications of their habit.

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