How do I help my husband quit smoking?!

How do I help my husband quit smoking?

I want to be supportive of my husband while he quits smoking. He's been a heavy smoker for seven years and he's ready to quit. He's been so excited while cutting back, making lists of all of the positive reasons for quitting. Also, he's got a perscirption for the pills that help him to quit smoking.

I hope the prescription is for Chantix. I work in the smoking cessation division of a county health department, and that stuff (on the market for just under a year) is helping hard core smokers who have smoked for as many as 65 years.

Smoking is a habit as well as a physiological, and psychological addiction. You need to be dealing with all three. Here are some of the things that have worked for my clients: positive self-talk, deep breathing, chewing on straws, or tooth picks, eating carrot sticks, celery, and pretzels instead of smoking. Taking a short walk . getting rid of all cigarettes and ashtrays once the quit date is set. Set a quit date and commit to it, taper down on your way to the quit date.

As his wife try to catch him doing something right, and compliment him on that. Be supportive and understanding. The only thing tougher to kick than nicotine is heroine. Understand that once he does quit there may be a few days of irritability. Offer some incentives of your own like a favorite dessert or dinner after X time of no cigarettes. Maybe a back or foot rub. Any relaxation techniques are good for your husband to help take the edge off.

Good luck to you both. He can do it. How do I know? I smoked 1.5 packs a day for 41 years and quit (cold turkey--ewwwwwwww don't recommend that method) 3.5 years ago.