How to withdraw permission to share your future quitting updates

Identify the permission you are changing

Start with the actual scope: a one-time update to a named relative, future milestones in a group chat, or permission to show a particular screenshot. Avoid saying “never share anything” if you mean only one part of the agreement. Precision helps the other person identify pending actions without collecting more personal information.

The Australian government’s supporter factsheet describes support that respects the quitting person’s choices. This article applies that principle to a changed communication preference. It is an ordinary interpersonal exercise, not a legal analysis of consent, a platform deletion procedure, or evidence that changing sharing rules improves a quit outcome.

Australian Government — health.gov.au: Tips for helping someone quit the smokes or vapes

Separate future sharing from material already sent

A useful message is: “I previously agreed that you could post my future milestones in that chat. I no longer want those updates posted. Please stop the announcement planned for Friday and ask me before any new message about quitting.” You can choose a narrower rule, but spell out the action that changes now.

In a hypothetical example, you originally welcomed public celebrations but now want to review progress privately. You do not need to invent a slip or explain a medical reason to change that preference. Your record can remain accurate while the audience changes. The new rule concerns disclosure, not whether the progress itself is real.

Ask about the state of a pending announcement

Check whether the specific announcement was only discussed, drafted, scheduled, or already sent. Do not equate “I will try to stop it” with a confirmed cancellation. If the person controls a scheduled message, ask them to report what they actually changed. If the status is unknown, retain that uncertainty rather than assuming everyone has received the new rule.

For an update already shared, decide whether you want a limited request to remove a post or stop forwarding it. Any follow-up should avoid repeating the private details to a wider audience. Removing one visible message cannot establish that notifications, screenshots, memories, or copies held by other people are gone.

Make the next permission specific

You might choose that no quitting updates are shared, or that each proposed message requires a separate agreement about wording and recipients. Confirm that the other person understands. If they are unwilling to respect the arrangement, consider giving them fewer updates or using a different support role; the guide cannot guarantee cooperation.

Review the practical question: is the pending disclosure stopped where that can be verified, and is the future rule clear? Do not use a later puff count as proof that the privacy conversation worked. You can keep personal tracking and choose useful support while leaving a disclosure repair unresolved. Support does not require creating a public progress narrative.