If you are giving up smoking it can feel like you are battling alone. It can therefore be important to find support whether this is from friend and family or perhaps online.
You GP could be a good person to start with as they will be able to help discuss with you tools to use to help you give up. However, it is support once you have given up that you will need.
If you know people who have given up themselves, then they could be very helpful. They will be able to understand what you are going through and might be able to give you tips with regards to things they found helpful when they gave up.
If you know people that still smoke and do not think you should give up, then try to avoid them if you can. They are the ones that are likely to tempt you to start smoking again and you do not need that. Smokers can be jealous of the willpower of those who try to give up and may try to make themselves feel better by encouraging you to start smoking again.
Close family and friends need to understand that you will need their support and so you need to tell them what you intend to do. Make sure they know that you might be moody and find things tough for a while and that you will need them to help you to resist temptation.
You may also find it extremely useful to find an online message board or forum where people support each other when they are giving up smoking. It can sometimes be easier to speak to strangers about your feelings or just useful to read that other people are going through the same as you. There also could be useful tips for you to pick up.
It is important to think about where you will get support from so that when you do give up, you can quickly get help. You may need someone quickly if you are tempted to smoke and if you haven’t thought about who to go to, it could be too late.