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As an ex-smoker, I can tell you there is nothing you can say that will make a smoker quit. You can preach, and moralize, and legislate, but you can't make them quit. The only thing that can get them to quit is them. They have to want to do it.

I smoked for years. At the time I quit, I was smoking over a pack a day. I knew it was wrong. I knew I was damaging my health, shortening my life expectancy, and yellowing my teeth. Still, I continued to smoke. It wasn't that I didn't care, I did. I just didn't care enough to go through with the withdrawal from my addiction.

Nonsmokers need to remember that nicotine is a very addictive substance. Humans can begin to form an addiction after their very first use. Quiting smoking requires going through withdrawals from that addiction, both physically and mentally, and it's not an easy thing. I talked about quitting for a long time before I actually got around to quitting. I finally quit because I was getting married and didn't want to subject my wife (and later my children) to the negative affects of cigarettes. When I became motivated enough, I quit.

The only thing you can do, is encourage the smoker to quit. Try to give them enough motivation, but if that doesn't work, don't push the issue. It will only harden their "I'll quit when I'm darn good and ready" position.

Remember, though smoking is bad for their health, they're not evil because they are addicted to cigarettes. If given enough of the right motivation, they will quit. It's been 18 years for me.

Learn more about this author, Jim Smoot.
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