Not his first attempt, but I want to do whatever I can to encourage him to stay on the wagon this time. I don’t have any experience of this, so I’d appreciate any tips from those who have been there already.
Edit 02/10: he’s still clean!
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The bottom line truth is that unless you really truly want to give up, you won’t. Your friend is really the only one who knows if that’s true for them or not.
Most smokers have times and places they associate with smoking - in the old days it was being in the pub. Also, after meals, when work ends, lunchbreaks etc. Those are the times to try and keep them distracted.
Reduce smoking first. This diminishes the craving. Switch to nicotine vape, this breaks the association with the cigarette. Taper nicotine dose over time, further diminishing the craving. Switch to nicotine lozenges, this breaks the association with inhalation. Taper the dose to zero.
A big part of smoking addiction is the behaviours and habits. Desire to smoke is triggered by familiar settings where it is customary to smoke and it is those settings that one should avoid. You cannot go back to your old routines like drinking in the pub and expect it to be easy. You can find healthy alternatives like joining a sport club, where your increasing lung capacity will motivate you.
