They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. The popular wisdom dictates that a mature person is more set in their ways, with unflinching opinions and behaviours carved in stone even if they are detrimental to health. These habits might include poor diets, drinking, a sedentary lifestyle and smoking. The latter in particular is a tough nut to crack for those over 50 or so – here are four tactics one might try to convince them to change.
Show them the health benefits
One of the main retorts given out by an older person asked about quitting smoking is that the damage “has already been done”. It’s only partially true; some damage almost certainly will have been caused by 30-odd years of puffing away, but it’s not too late to prevent further damage. True, for there is a company today (like davincivaporizer.com) that makes quitting smoking very possible. Research from Germany showed that quitting in middle age could significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, and even reverse some of the previously inflicted damage.
![fall scents for your home](http://www.livingbetter50.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Our-Aroma-Opium-Oil-Banner-2.jpg")
Show them the alternatives
The older smoker with 30 or 40 years experience in failing to ditch tobacco may believe that no deterrent exists. They’ve tried everything from patches and gums to hypnosis and meditation, and still the temptation remains unbreakable.
However, vaping might just be the alternative they haven’t considered, perhaps because it’s newer and looks more technical. In reality e-cigarettes are actually easy to pick up and use. They’ll save money, they smell better, and there’s a huge array of equipment available from reliable companies; Phoenix e-cig atomizers, batteries and cases, for example. If giving up completely is too tough, then alternation between e-cigarettes and tobacco is another possibility.
Show them the figures
Imagine if one decided to dump the cigarettes and put the money saved aside. The average smoker puffs 13 cigarettes a day, which equates to £4,754 a year. So from the age of 50, through the 15 years to 65 – pension time – that’s a potential saving of £71,310, with another £15,000 on top if you decide to place the savings in an account with a compound interest rate of just 3%.
It’s not the worst nest egg to break into when you give up work, and also doesn’t take into account the numerous savings in new clothes and other associated issues that would accrue over the years.
Show them their grandchildren
Smokers tend to die early, from a number of horrible consequences of their habit such as strokes, heart disease, lung and throat cancer. Dying when their grandchildren (or even children) are young is a trauma that most of us cannot even imagine.
That’s the first reason to give up. The second is that passive smoking around children can increase their risk of asthma and meningitis. The British Lung Foundation states that more than 430,000 children are exposed to second-hand smoke in cars each week, and the Government has taken notice: from October 1 it will be illegal to smoke in a car while children are present. If a mature person cannot give up for their own sake then giving up for their relatives is surely the next best reason to persist.