Ask Sam letter

Hi there,

Thanks for your letter.

I can hear how much you’ve tried but just can’t seem to find a way to stop smoking. Smoking is very addictive and can take a lot of time and support to give up. You might find the Smoking page on our website really useful which includes links and contact details of organisations that can help support you.

NHS are currently running a campaign offering free “Quit Kits” to anyone who wants to stop smoking. You can find more support and a quick search to find your nearest chemist stocking these free kits on their website.

It sounds like it’s become really important for you tell your mum but you’re finding it difficult to know what to say and how to say it. Sometimes when young people find it difficult talking to their parents they can find that writing a letter works well. This way you can explain everything you need to without interruption. You can even leave this letter with your mum at a time when you won’t be around for a while to give her time to take in what you’ve said before she speaks to you. It might also help to think about what you want from your mum before telling her, so that you can make sure you put everything in the letter.

I said before how important support is. You can always talk to one of our counsellors who will be here to listen and support you through your struggle and further support you with talking to mum. You can ring up for free on 0800-1111 or take up an online 1-2-1 chat - both are available 24 hours a day. 

You might also find our Message Boards useful, it's a place where young people support each other. There are lots posts where someone has asked for help and got a couple of really supportive messages back. You can just look at the messages to find support that’s useful to you or you could post a message whenever you need support and see what replies you get to help you.

Take care,

Sam