My Boyfriend Is Schizophrenic, How Can I Help Him Quit Smoking?
My boyfriend has been diagnosed with Schizophrenia and is smoking over a packet of 25’s a day, sometimes a pack and a half.
He badly wants to quit but as anyone with Schizophrenia would know, Schizophrenics are nearly 75% more likely to become addicted to smoking and nicotine than a normal person.
Because of his medication, he can’t take Nicobate or any thing like gum or patches. If he tries to cut down to a 20pack a day, he just sits and smokes them all.
PLease help
November 25th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
Thats a tough call. He’s probably going to have to just quit “cold turkey.”
In the state hospitals in Missouri, they just don’t allow them to have cigarettes. Some of them are on the “patch.” I guess that depends on what medication they are taking.
I suppose he could change medications, but that might be a bad idea. His Schizophrenia symptoms could get worse if the medication doesn’t work as well.
November 26th, 2009 at 4:09 am
People with mental illness smoke to medicate themselves. Ordinarily, I’d encourage you to help your boyfriend quit but he has a very serious and sometimes untreatable illness and my feeling is that in this case the health risk doesn’t outweigh the pharmacological benefits of nicotine. He would also have to deal with withdrawal, which can be agonizing even for people who don’t suffer from mental illness.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:34 am
i have known a few people that have struggled a lot with quitting smoking and know a program that works for them. my dad really benefitted from it. but considering that schizophrenia is added into the equation, im not really sure. i would say that he might have to quit ‘cold turkey.’ but maybe you should really see a doctor or something like that. heres the link in case you want to try an effective program and dont want to go a doctor.http://howtoquitsmokingcigarettes.net/stop-smoking " /> but otherwise, you may want to do that. especially if it is becoming to stressful for you. good luck.
November 26th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
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November 26th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
try and put him on restrictions like make ciggies a reward for him ?
November 27th, 2009 at 12:35 am
i wouldn’t admit that even online if i were you.