Hi Rochelle,

You're right and your sister-in-law is wrong. But here are 2 thoughts I have. First of all, no one likes being preached to, so I suspect she is always going to be reluctant to listen to you. A direct approach is probably not the answer here. Do a Google search on "smoking while on the patch" and you'll find a lot of references that strongly advise against mixing the two, because of the danger of nicotine overdose. I'd share these references with your brother, who may be more open to getting info from you. If they convince him, then maybe he can communicate more effectively with his wife, since they're going through it together.

Second, your sister is probably resisting your advice because she's not really ready to quit smoking yet. She'd be better off to get her head in the right place before starting any quit smoking program. But again, that suggestion would be more effective coming from her husband, not you, I imagine.

Websites like www.SmokeFree.gov have a wealth of information to help smokers quit smoking that might be useful for both your brother and his wife.

Good luck to all of you!

Kathi