Joel has given you so many great reading recommendations. If I may, I would like to add a few more, which I hope might help her - if you can get her to read them, that is.

 

It seems to me that your mother-in-law is just so afraid of quitting and what her life might be like. I do hope that you will get to acknowledge that she is in Denial about her status with re to her use of nicotine and that she will reach for her dreams soon.

 

She might also have a close look at lies ## 2, 10, 11, 15, 16 , 22, 26, 31 of Junkie's junk or Nicodemon's lies?

 

At the moment she will still be saying "I smoke because I like smoking!" or  "I smoke because I like the flavor" - I don't think she would even like to hear the question  "Was I addicted?" 

Show her It Is never too Late. Sadly, Jean lost her battle with cancer and died in about 2 months ago. When she told us about her cancer diagnosis, she said:

 

"there is nothing, I MEAN NOTHING worse then having to tell those you hold so dear of such a catastrophe, the cancer has spread to my spine, skull, rib cage, kidneys, lymph (whatever and of course a large tumor in the right lung. There is no hope for a cure I have been told, they do have the means to keep me comfortable and give a better quality of life for the remaining time. "

 

I am just wondering if your mother-in-law has thought about what price will her family / loved ones will pay. Would it not be much nice to become one of Turkey's Triumphs rather than another sad case to add to The Smoker's Memorial?

 

Perhaps it might also be an idea to print Joel's Library and bind it nicely? You never know: she might even read it!

 

So many people you read about or from on whyquit did smoke for a long time before they (me included) finally managed to break the chains and now live a life that is so much better without nicotine.

 

Betsy, I really hope that your mother-in-law will join us soon in living a life free of nicotine and that she, too, will find out how much better her life will be. Perhaps she has got access to the Internet herself and then she read for herself that there honestly is nothing to be afraid or scared of once she has stopped administering nicotine to her body.

 

I won't wish her luck but I wish her that she will have an honest look at her life.

 

All the best to you and lots of luck to you in hopefully helping her to realise what she means to her family, who would rather have her around longer ... and that it is up to her to give herself and those who love her the best gift anybody could think of.

 

 

Gitte

383 days and a bit