Dear Mathira & Rose,
I am a 30-year-old guy. I have a bad habit of smoking. The other day, I caught my younger brother smoking as well but I was so helpless because I do it myself, I couldn’t stop him. He’s only 23. What do I do? It’s a terrible habit and I don’t want my brother to be in bad company and be smoking. If I stopped him, he’ll point fingers at me too.
Rose’s advice:
Smoking is a dangerous habit. It starts off as part of showing off just to look cool and then you become addicted to it without even knowing. Your brother will definitely point fingers at you if you tried to stop him so you can quit yourself and then tell him to do it as he’s only 23 and very young. If he told you that you do it too, that’s when you can tell him that you’re trying to quit. However, if he has gotten this habit, there are other alternatives to it too like vaping or tar-free cigarettes. Communication is the best remedy. You don’t have to act like a headmaster in front of him. Instead, try acting like a friend and just casually tell him that you saw him doing it and if he gets used to it, it’ll become worse.
Mathira’s advice:
This is a very complicated situation that’s why parents or older siblings shouldn’t indulge in certain things in front of children. Instead of telling him to quit cold turkey, tell him that both of you can try quitting together. Make him watch a few anti-smoking documentaries and tell him how it affects one’s life and health. Tell him that since you yourself have been smoking for a while, your health has been damaged more and that if he quits now, he’ll save himself from all this deterioration. You both can join a smoking rehab together which is a blessing. When one loses the strength, he can regain it by taking a look at the other. When you’ll tell him how negatively it has impacted your health, I’m sure he’ll understand and would decide to quit.
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