My Wife Started Smoking - Supporting a Spouse's Quit Journey

Learning of a Spouse's New Smoking Habit

Discovering that your wife has started smoking can come as an upsetting surprise, especially if you've been together for years prior without this habit. Even if you yourself are or have been a smoker, knowing your loved one may now be exposing themselves to the array of health risks associated with smoking can stir worry, frustration, confusion and more.

Common Reactions and Coping Tips

Reactions in the wake of your wife's new smoking habit may vary, but could understandably include:

• Shock and disbelief
• Anger or irritation
• Concern for her health
• Confusion about what led her to start
• Worry that this signals relationship issues

While such feelings make sense, try to remain calm and supportive. Shaming or scolding is unlikely to make her quit. Rather, it may strain your relationship. If you smoke yourself, consider quitting together to make it a shared journey.

Potential Motivations to Start Smoking

To make sense of why your wife may have started smoking, reflect on circumstances that preceded or coincided with the habit's emergence. Common motivations include:

• Stress - At work, family issues, other life struggles that smoking distracts from.
• Influence of friends or relatives who smoke
• Weight control efforts - Smoking suppresses appetite for some.
• Boredom and need for distraction
• Rebellion - Against your wishes if you disapprove of smoking.

Health Risks to Make Her Aware Of

Most new smokers underestimate the array of health risks tied to smoking. Make sure your wife understands these by calmly discussing:

Cancer Risks

• Lung cancer - The #1 cancer killer linked to smoking.
• Throat, mouth, bladder, kidney, stomach, colon, cervix and blood (leukemia) cancer can also result from smoking.
• The more she smokes, the greater her cancer risk becomes over time.

Lung and Heart Disease

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - Causes chronic coughing, mucus production and shortness of breath.
• Emphysema and chronic bronchitis, under the COPD umbrella, may result from smoking.
• Increases risk for cardiovascular disease - Heart attacks, stroke, aneurysms, etc.

Other Causes for Concern

• Higher incidence of pneumonia, flu and common colds among smokers.
• Vision loss risk increased - Cataracts and optic nerve damage more likely.
• Gum disease and risk of tooth loss increased.
• Osteoporosis risk increased - Bones become brittle and fracture-prone over decades of smoking.
• Skin damage - Wrinkling, shallow skin, uneven tone from nicotine effects.

Beyond health impacts for her, secondhand smoke presents risks to you as her husband, any children you may have, and pets. Exposure to smoke residue on her clothing, hair, car and home furnishings can't be fully avoided either once she smokes regularly inside your shared spaces.

Available Resources to Support Quitting

While you can't force your wife to quit smoking, you can lovingly encourage she at least tries. Provide information on resources offering help and support in the process, including:

Professional Health Guidance

• Her doctor - Prescribe cessation aids, provide counseling.
• Smoking cessation classes and support groups.
• Hypnosis for smoking cessation from trained hypnotherapists.
• Acupuncture and acupressure - Some find this helps manage cravings.

Supportive Aids to Quitting

• Nicotine patches, gum, lozenges - Replace some nicotine her body may depend on.
• Prescription cessation medications including Chantix and Zyban.
• E-cigarettes (vaping) - Less unhealthy than cigarettes for most and can aid quitting.

Lifestyle Adjustments

• More exercise - Boosts mental health and offsets unhealthy weight gain.
• Healthy eating - Fruits, vegetables, lean protein to heal the body.
• Yoga and meditation - Relieve stress and cravings mentally.
• New hobbies - Replace the behavioral habit of smoking.

Quitting any long-term habit is hugely challenging, so prepare to extend grace and celebrate even small wins and stepwise progress. Avoid judgment about slip ups. Together you'll get through this chapter even stronger.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.