Quitting While Someone in Your Home Smokes

Quitting is harder when cigarettes are in the house, but it is not off the table. Health Canada’s advice for someone quitting is to tell family and friends, ask them not to offer you cigarettes or smoke around you, and think about a quit buddy. Its guide to smoke-free homes adds that a home with fewer smoking cues can make quitting easier. This page applies that guidance as of 27 October 2026.

Is it realistic to quit when a partner or housemate smokes?

Health Canada lists avoiding people, places and situations that make you want to smoke as a tip for staying quit, and that is harder when the situation is your living room. A person who smokes in your space is a trigger you live with, so the plan has to cover the home. The pieces below come from Health Canada’s quit guides and its guide to making a home and car smoke-free.

What can I ask the other person to do?

Health Canada’s “how to quit” guide suggests telling family, friends and coworkers about your quit and asking them not to offer you cigarettes or smoke around you. Be specific. “Please smoke outside and not in front of me” is easier to agree to than “support me.”

Health Canada’s guide for people who smoke at home gives the other side of that conversation. Someone who smokes where others live should:

• smoke outside, several metres from any doorway, window or vent, and away from other people
• not smoke in the car
• use nicotine replacement products, or gum or mints, to manage their own cravings
• find non-smoking ways to handle stress
• not leave young children alone while stepping outside; Health Canada notes the legal age for that varies by province, from 10 to 12

If the person wants to quit with you, the supporter guidance says they may consider quitting together. If they do not, Health Canada’s guide for supporters says to be understanding about what you are going through, and asks anyone who smokes to avoid smoking around the person who is quitting.

What if they refuse to change anything?

Health Canada’s home guide suggests a temporary transition period: clear rules on where and when smoking is allowed, and a firm date for going fully smoke-free. Other steps from the same guide:

1. Hold a family meeting to talk about the goal together, and speak with each person individually first if that goes better.
2. List the top reasons for a smoke-free home, hearing from everyone.
3. Set a date and write a family pledge.
4. Post smoke-free signs, remove ashtrays and ask smokers to go outside away from doors, windows and vents.
5. Plan follow-up meetings for setbacks; if conflict arises, the guide points to your local public health department or a family counsellor.

You can also tell visitors ahead of time that the home is smoke-free.

Why doesn’t ventilation fix it?

Health Canada says there is no level or type of ventilation that eliminates the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. Opening a window can blow smoke back inside, air fresheners only mask odour, and standard air filters miss the smaller particles and gases. The guide also says toxic chemicals from smoke remain in rugs, curtains, clothing, furniture, skin and hair long after a cigarette is out, and that children are exposed to more because they crawl on floors and put objects in their mouths. See health effects of second-hand smoke and the rules for smoking in cars.

What if the person in my home vapes?

Health Canada’s guidance on quitting vaping uses the same approach: ask people who vape around you not to vape or offer you a vape, consider quitting together, and try to make your home and car vape-free. If that is not possible, create a vape-free space and remove all devices and liquids. The home guide itself does not cover vaping, so the vape-free advice comes from the vaping page. See how to quit vaping.

How do I handle cravings when cigarettes are nearby?

Use the same tools as everyone else. Health Canada’s 5Ds are Delay, Distract, Deep breathe, Drink water and Discuss the urge with someone. Also plan the moments when the other person lights up: step outside for a walk, keep gum or water on hand, or call someone. Triggers and replacements shows how to build a response for each one. If you slip, the next steps are here.

Where can we get help?

The national quit line, 1-866-366-3667, is open to people who want to quit and to supporters who want advice. Health Canada’s guide for supporters tells helpers they can call the pan-Canadian quitline. A doctor, pharmacist or nurse can talk through quit aids; see how to choose your quit method. If you want to support someone else, read how to help someone quit smoking.