10 Things Not to Do if You Want Someone to Stop Smoking for Good

If you’ve tried everything to encourage a loved one to quit smoking or are just starting to think about how to help someone stop smoking, knowing what doesn’t work can save you both a lot of time and frustration. Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable diseases, affecting nearly every organ in the body, which is why it’s crucial to address smoking habits. But as much as you may want to stop a loved one from smoking, it’s essential to remember that quitting is a deeply personal choice.

Nicotine addiction, alongside the physical and emotional habits associated with smoking, is powerful and challenging to break. Whether or not you prevent someone from becoming one of the 480,000 people who die annually due to smoking-related illnesses in the United States depends on your ability to approach the situation with patience and understanding [source: American Lung Association]. Helping someone quit smoking is less about hating smoking itself and more about showing compassion and love for the smoker.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the common mistakes people make when trying to help someone quit smoking and why these approaches often backfire.