Helping A Friend In Need

Hey guy. I have a predicament on my hands. It's my friend. We started talking again after a few months and she is pretty much in tears telling me she is addicted to a whole crap load of stuff... She really wants me to help her quit all of it. (Drinking and smoking are the worst of her addicts.) She wants to stop smoking first. Any ideas of what advice I could give her, anything at all? Also, keep in mind that we are both 15 years old. Thanks alot.

 

Okay first off I have to be sarcastic and say, 'get her My Stop Smoking Coach on DS!!!!' (Saw that in Best Buy today)

Alright, my best friend of 4 years called me up one day wanting to do the same and so we went out and bought one of those electronic cigarettes. And we slowly weened him off the addiction, took about 6 months, and it was kinda expensive, but it worked.

 

Yeah man, I had thought of that... But we are 15 years old! Where would get one that would sell it to a minor?

 

If you're looking to buy games, you've come to the wrong place.

 

A game is a game-the game ain't age restricted-and if you have a flash cart-just download that and lend her yours...

But that won't help much, she needs to "quit for herself".

My mother quit smoking after smoking for her whole life, I tried to give support...but let's say that the entire family made things difficult (she is easily disapointed-which makes her smoke).

She chose just chose one day "screw this" and stopped-there and then.


Alot of will power is needed to quit anything, knowing of the advantages (saving money, health, etc) and generally it's just better, this covers many things, yes even what I have (video game addict/forum addict XD).

Just think if you were in such situations, it does help, offer support but remember, only she can quit, only her mind can quit an anything, your just her coach/support/cheer leader

 

I once believed that love and support fixes things...but it's one's sheer will to WANT to quit that has been more effective...

It may seem harsh but in all cases I seen it's done a better job of giving verbal support-it helps but they need to say to themselves "right-time to stop this".

Not "I think I need to some day" because it lacks effort.

 

nicotine and alcohol addiction is a physical addiction, you cant stop right away because your body need those stuff to function.

one way to stop it is reducing the intake one step at a time.

example, IF she smoke one packet a day, ask her to cut to half a packet a day, once she get used to half a packet ask her to cut another half...ect til she can try not to smoke it.

 

To be honest I don't think she has a hope in hell of coming off the cigs before the drink. She will get drunk and start smoking. In the short term she is doing much more harm to herself by drinking. Won't be easy to for you to help, best you can do is offer as much support as you can. Find out the underlying cause of her drinking and focus on improving that situation. She is much more likely to quit the drink if the reason she started is removed or improved.

 

Alright. Thanks guys. I will try my best to give her moral support and tell her to slowly stop bit by bit.

 

Why she's smoking?and doing all that crappy stuff?

 

Stick her in an empty room for two weeks, she might need food... but i'm not sure.

 

Give her some Candy first if you're going to do that.

 

All you need is a bit of willpower to get over any obstacle, if you can't do something as simple as that then you are weak. I'm not trying to being nasty but that's the blunt truth of it.

She sufficed without smoking beforehand, so how comes she can't suffice without them now.

... I think I see through different eyes to most people here.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_dependence

 

Very much agree with these. And why the hell is a kid on that stuff? I suggest going cold turkey, but she'll need support (duh) and tbh as harsh as it may sound if she's so weak-willed she can royally **** her life up at 15 and not try to get better maybe she deserves the gutter.

Anyway, the other Romulators have pretty much hit the nail on the head with their replies.

 

Physical dependance can and has been beaten with willpower. You just need enough pwn to tell yourself NO when your body is saying YES.

 

For all the wonders that willpower can do it cannot lead a person from a path of self-destruction. A 15 year old with multiple addictions is a person in a great deal of pain, that pain needs to be sorted out before addictions can be undone.

 

Well maybe she could just like slow it down.u knw like if she smokes 10 a day then she can try 5 then 4 the next week and so on untill she stops.She will feel she still need it chewing bubble gum or eating soming will keep her mind of that.

 

I know some friends of mine who were smoking. Then when we went to senior high, we all became really good friends (we didnt really talk much before the smoking). I asked them why they weren't smoking, and they said it was stupid. It was something they did because honestly they thought it looked cool. But they just got sick of it, and now they just got off it by deciding not to do it anymore. They admit it was hard, (if there were any ways they did to help stop i don't know) but they're glad they made the right decision.

If there's anything you know that can get your friend to take her mind off smoking, then do it. Consult someone older if you need too. You need to ask her what she wants, if she REALLY wants to quit and give it up, then she should do it. There's a yes and a no, either you do it, or you don't. You can try and help her to quit by taking all the influences that make her want to stay addicted to her away, to help with the progress. But that's not the only thing that can completely take her addiction away. It's her mental power over the addiction that's going to do the most work. If worse comes to pass, your going to need to get someone older to help you.

 

That pretty much sums up my thoughts ^_^