How to help a friend quit smoking

Today drug addiction has become a grave issue with an intense background of smoking. Smoking—a practice to consume or lit tobacco stick—has become common in our youngsters. Some individuals especially young people use it to overcome study pressure while some pretend to picture as 'cool’ in the society. While many youngsters become habitual smoker during the friendship time and years as many moves to different cities and places for studies and employment purpose. Due to insufficient guidance and good atmosphere the journey of a habitual smoker starts. What should be the role of friends in this journey to get control over the tobacco addiction?

According to India's Global Youth Tobacco Survey 2019, school going children between 13-15 years consume tobacco at a rate of 8.4%. However, smoking is another grave issue same as drug addiction, alarming for sophisticated measures to overcome the cause. In the same context, friends play vital role in the whole process—smoking and drug addiction. Addiction can be tackled by counselling and medication. But what could be a role and stance of a friend after observing uncertain changes and smoking related features remains tactful. With this theme— ‘What will you do if you see your friend smoking?’— we will highlight some tactics to be protected regarding the same addiction. As many students reside in 'Hostels’ and as 'Paying Guests’ in the cities, far away from the parental eye. They felt the presence of smoking group around the society of new cities. It remains a tactful act for these students to protect themselves from such addictive substances. We took students because age group mentioned in the report accords with the piece and in general students are getting more indulged in the smoking. So, what should be the measures if we will see our friend smoking are as mentioned:

1.Counselling at friendship level: Firstly, we should prefer to counsel our friend indulged in the smoking habit with a positive approach. We should do these steps in a systematic way to prevent direct cut off in friendship. It should start from several disadvantages of the habit including severe health consequences and ill effects on the friend circle and surrounding. It should be the primary step to eradicate the habit. And we should prefer this step to avoid direct parental or guardian involvement.

2.Inform parents and facilitate medication: Secondary step needs to be taken if habit remains habitual or seems to be the same. It should be done with a friendly behaviour by informing the parents of the friend (indulged in the smoking habit).

However, sometimes situation degrades and alarms for proper medication. We should provide proper Medicare to the smoker with parental observation. Various parents believe that their child will get cured as their observation prevails. Sometimes, health conditions of a smoker require ‘quit-smoking medicines’ which is not possible by family observation—including care and diet. Therefore, medication with proper parental observation is necessary if tendency increases.

3.Stay safe from addiction while helping a friend: A good mindset and counselling skills are required to address and understand the problems, reasons and challenges of a friend for being addicted to smoking. In case, you cannot convince him with a positive approach can be a risk factor for your own addiction to the substance. So, during an individual level counselling of a friend should be done with positive approach of repulsive ideology against smoking. During counselling we should safeguard ourselves as there will be open discussions between you and addicted one related to the smoking reasons. Some difficult reasons might even push you to indulge in the smoking.