Dear Put the Light Out,

Smoking is an addiction, and helping a partner through an addiction can be trying on both people in the relationship. Here are some relationship tips for helping a partner quit, and making sure your relationship survives the nicotine withdrawal!

5 tips to help your partner quit smoking:

1. Be realistic. If your partner has made numerous attempts to quit smoking and has come back to the nicotine every time, this attempt probably won't be successful either. However, it can be -- if something is done differently. The point is, don't set yourself up for disappointment. Know that this attempt may or may not work.

3. Promote health. Take your loved one for physicals with you -- as a couple -- and then out to a celebratory meal or movie. Make health part of your lifestyle. Instead of dinner and a movie, make your dates or date nights gym dates or double massage and facial dates. Buy exercise clothes together.

4. Attend some kind of support group meetings for people who have partners who are smoking addicts. Making sure that you do not become co-dependent and a harmful part of the addiction dynamic is key to helping the other person see that this is their own problem to solve, and that they will lose you and other valuable loved ones if they don't take care of themselves.

5. Tolerate weight. Be tolerant of any weight gain that comes from quitting smoking. Many people lose their smoking addiction, but keep the oral fixation that is part of smoking, and satiate it by putting food in their mouths -- and lots of it.