Theresa Menocal is a patient outreach coordinator for Lee Cancer Care.  She counsels hundreds of patients a year on the risks of smoking.  She says, “Smoking is just an increased risk all around.  Not just for cancer but for high blood pressure, asthma, emphysema, COPD.”  With all of the health risks, a non-smoker may think dropping the habit is a no brainer.  But in fact their brain is programmed differently than that of a person addicted to nicotine.  “The chemical make-up between a smoker and a non-smoker is very different. What we’re trying to do as non-smokers is influence smokers to be logical.  You can’t put logic on an addiction,” Theresa says.  She has successfully helped hundreds of patients quit smoking.  Her advice is for loved ones to replace logic and nagging with support and nurturing.  “Think twice before you say are you still smoking?  You know try to be as encouraging as they can be.  It’s a difficult time it’s very stressful.”  Juan Rodriguez quit smoking a few months ago.  He says having encouraging friends and family members helped him be successful this time around. “I think they should be very patient.  They cannot, if they’ve never smoked they will not understand.  It has to be looked at like alcoholism or things like that because it is an addiction.”  Theresa agrees.  She says, “It’s really important for friends, family members, even co-workers to be gentle with that person.”  Research shows that people have more nicotine receptors in their bodies than any other receptor.  That’s one reason why smoking is such an addictive behavior.  To learn more about support groups or medications that can help you quit smoking you can talk with your physician or log onto www.leememorial.org.