Harnessing the Power of Support With a Quit Mate

Breaking a long-standing, self-destructive habit can be tough, especially when you’re doing it alone. Having a confidant who understands your struggles and shares your journey can offer comfort and strength, even on the hardest days.

A quit mate is especially helpful in social situations where the temptation to smoke is strong. They can offer support and encouragement to help you stay on track. 

In turn, you can also find strength within yourself to support them through these challenging moments.

If you’re planning to quit smoking and are looking for a companion, read this article to learn how having someone by your side who is also trying to be nicotine-free can make your journey easier.

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A Mutual Support System

Some people believe giving up should never be an option, but during smoking cessation, it can sometimes feel like giving up is the only way to get a break from the struggle. 

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, having a close friend to encourage and support you can make a huge difference. They can be there to listen when nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms feel too overwhelming to handle alone.

While you can choose to deal with your smoking problem on your own, remember that no one is an island. Having a supportive friend who is also quitting smoking can keep you motivated and help you successfully complete your journey to becoming smoke-free.

Helping Someone Also Helps You

People who face similar challenges often support each other and work towards improvement together. By helping your companion, you also make progress in your own efforts.

While accepting help can be challenging, it’s equally important to offer help in return. Support your friend, especially when they feel like they can’t continue the journey. Remind them of the reasons and motivations you both share for quitting.

In tough times, remember that it’s life-changing to both receive and give help when it’s needed most.

Double the Joy in Victories

Imagine – you’re one year free from smoking after following your prepared timeline along with your friend and you decide to meet each other to celebrate. 

If you’ve gone through the stop smoking process solo, you can still toast happily to your success. Still, you can imagine the overflowing joy and feeling of accomplishment if you and a friend made it through one year. 

It’s safe to say that sharing that joy with someone is a feeling unlike any other.

Quitting successfully with someone for a year or more makes the quit process at this point much easier to manage. It’s worth mentioning that many successful people quitting smoking may relapse at any time, but they have better self-control and will reflect on a recent slip-up.

With a friend, you have someone who urges you to forget about the guilt you feel after slipping up and get back on the right path. You have a listener who doesn’t judge your reasons for smoking a cigarette and will tell you that tomorrow is another day to recover. 

What’s important is that you’re still motivated to stop smoking for good.

May Encourage More Friends to Join

During the timeline before and after you quit smoking, smoking friends who care about you and your friend may even feel motivated to join your journey. As you may have guessed, having more people in a quit group makes it easier to quit. Stop smoking communities work because of this idea.

On the other hand, consider staying away from friends who still smoke in front of you, even after learning you’re trying to quit. Passive smoking is a huge trigger for any person trying to quit, so keep yourself and friends trying to quit away from these people.

Additional Quitting Support

It’s always great to have a friend who can listen to you, but the right kind of help makes your journey much easier.

Medical Professionals 

GPs are professionals who have helped people wanting to quit smoking succeed by giving them the best path to success. They can create a tailor-made quit journey and give you the right tools to help you on your path to wellness.

GPs can provide guidance and prescriptions to help you deal with withdrawal symptoms and cravings.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) Products

During the first few weeks of your quit journey, you might feel irritable and have strong urges to buy a cigarette. NRT products contain a small amount of nicotine to help you manage these strong withdrawal symptoms and cravings. NRT products come in the form of lozenges, gums, inhalers, and more.

Nicotine Vaping Products (NVPs)

In case NRTs don’t keep your cravings and withdrawals at bay, NVPs are a second means to keep you off the cigarettes. NVPs sold in pharmacies are manufactured to the strictest medical standards, are locally insured, and are tested for inhalation safety.

The latest Cochrane Review found high-certainty evidence that NVPs are more effective than NRT in helping people quit smoking.

Summary

Indeed, a good friend is always a key to a good life and someone who will help carve a path towards wellness. It might be hard to find a quit mate, but true friends are each other’s cheerleaders on the challenging but rewarding path of stopping smoking.

You’re reading this post because you want to know how a quit mate system works, and how you can find a friend to quit with you. You’re in the right place.

Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around! 

If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to  Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good.

Link Reference

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6459678
• https://www.cochrane.org/news/latest-cochrane-review-finds-high-certainty-evidence-nicotine-e-cigarettes-are-more-effective