Give Help

Setting a good example is a super easy thing you can do. If you don’t vape, you can show how life is great as a non-vaper.

If you do vape, but still want to support someone, then not vaping around your friend (which can tempt them to vape) makes a biiiig difference. If you want to vape, vanish.

Motivate your friend. Let them know that they can stop vaping, even if they feel unmotivated. Encourage new attempts to stop, even if the first attempt doesn’t work out. More than one attempt is normal.

Arming your mates with real facts means arming them with more ways to say no to vapes. Make sure they really are facts though. UNCLOUD is a good start. See our Real Facts page.

If you feel your friend is losing control of their vaping and you think they might need some help, then you might want to raise the topic in a non-judgy way. Vaping can be super difficult to give up, so perhaps suggest speaking to a parent, going to a doctor, or giving Quitline a buzz.

You can ask in a chill way. Like, “How do you feel about having a chat with someone about your vaping? I’m no expert, but I reckon they may have some good ideas that could help. What do you think?”

The second you start judging a vaper, all they hear is ‘blah blah blah, something something, boring boring’. So just don’t. Don’t make assumptions about why they vape, or how often. Just listen to them, and chances are they’ll be more likely to listen to you.

Like all hard conversations the when is as important as the what. Choose a relaxed moment when there’s no other stress or distractions.

We’ve said it once, but it’s worth repeating. Just listen to what they have to say and where they’re coming from.

Listening doesn’t mean being a pushover. Be like The Rock. Kind but solid. Encourage them to look at the facts around vaping so they can make their own informed decisions.

Chances are they’re not going to always say ‘yep, you’re 100% right and I am a total idiot’. So keep at it. Show them you’re here to support them, no matter what.