3 min read
Shame Resilience: How Smokers Can Survive the Stigma—and Quit on Their Own Terms
Shame doesn't help smokers quit. It makes them hide, avoid help, and believe they're incapable of change. Shame resilience—the ability to resist internalizing stigma—is a skill that can be learned and a tool for successful cessation.
The smoker who can say 'I am not a bad person because I smoke—I am a person with an addiction that I am working to overcome' is practicing shame resilience. **Shame resilience is the ability to recognize stigma, reject its validity, and maintain self-worth in the face of judgment. It's a skill that can be taught—and it's one of the strongest predictors of cessation success. The smoker who believes they deserve to quit is more likely to succeed than the smoker who believes they deserve to suffer.**
