Stopping Smoking

Giving up smoking for Good

There are several different types of help available for people who want to stop smoking. For example, you can get advice and support from healthcare professionals, and use nicotine patches or gum or take prescription medicines such as Bupropion (Zyban) or Varenicline (Champix).

If you have decided to give up your habit of smoking, before you quit you should be aware that there are two aspects to it:

• The addiction to the nicotine from which abrupt withdrawal will lead to physiological symptoms such as anxiousness and irritability

• The actual habit (psychological part, such as always lighting up in certain situations)

THE BENEFITS OF STOPPING FOR GOOD

• Your body will begin to get rid of tobacco toxins immediately after you quit
• Your blood will have half the levels of nicotine and carbon monoxide within eight hours of quitting
• You will have a better sense of taste and smell within a few weeks and your irritating morning cough will start to disappear
• Your lungs will recover and you will be less short of breath
• Your health will improve
• You will feel better knowing you are fitter and less dependent on nicotine
• You will halve your risk of heart attack within a year or two of not smoking
• Your risk of heart attack will be similar to that of a lifelong non-smoker after three years of not smoking
• You will probably halve the risk of getting lung cancer if you stay off cigarettes for ten years
• The longer you stop the lower the risk
• Your risk of getting many of the diseases caused by smoking will be reduced to little more than that of a lifelong non-smoker after 15 years of not smoking

7 DAYS BEFORE YOU STOP

Make sure you're stopping because YOU want to Check your own reasons against this list and add some of your own. Then keep your list handy over the next few months

When I've stopped I will:

• Reduce the risk of lung cancer
• Be less likely to have a heart attack
• Have more money
• Have more chance of having a healthy baby
• Set a good example to my children
• Be fitter
• Breathe more easily
• Have fresher smelling breath, hair and clothes

6 DAYS BEFORE

• Try to understand your smoking habits
• For many people smoking is linked to certain times of the day and situations
• To break these links you may need to change your habits for a while
• So if you always smoke when you have a cup of coffee, try having a fruit juice instead
• Plan in advance how you'll cope with different situations, like at the pub, with friends or at work

5 DAYS BEFORE

• Tell your family and friends you've decided to stop
• The more encouragement you get, the more successful you'll be-so ask for support and understanding
• Tell people the date you plan to stop
• If you want some friendly help and advice on stopping smoking ask your pharmacist, who has plenty of leaflets and information on the subject. He can also advise on a range of products which may also help such as nicotine patches, gum, losenges, microtabs, inhalators and herbal products
• In England you can also phone the stopping smoking Quitline, run by an independent charity QUIT on 0800 002200

4 DAYS BEFORE

• Think about how to keep your mind off cigarettes
• You'll need to keep your hands and your mind busy for the next few weeks
• Now could be the time to try that new hobby that's always interested you

3 DAYS BEFORE

• Stock up on nibbles
• When you've stopped you might find it helpful to chew sugar-free gum, raw vegetables or fruit

2 DAYS BEFORE

• Try a relaxation technique
• You could find out about exercise classes in your area or check your local library for books on stress reduction and relaxation

1 THE DAY BEFORE

• Now you're ready to stop smoking
• Make sure you have no cigarettes around. Before you go to bed throw away your lighters and ashtrays
• Smoking is the largest single cause of preventable death in the United Kingdom, claiming an estimated 120,000 victims each year. That is more than 13 people every hour, or the equivalent of a fully laden jumbo jet crashing every other day
• A person does not need to smoke very many cigarettes before the sense of taste and smell and appetite for food are affected by the many substances in tobacco smoke
• A smokers cough can develop quite rapidly and chest infections are more likely to occur

Smoking can also affect the way the lungs cope with physical exertion, running for a bus, for example.
The worst effects appear after many years, the three main diseases being:

• Lung cancer - at least 90% of lung cancers are caused by smoking
• Chronic bronchitis and other lung diseases - about 90% of people who suffer from these diseases are smokers
• Heart disease - coronary heart disease is the leading cause of premature death in this country and smoking accounts for a large proportion of these deaths
• The risk of having a heart attack under 50 is ten times greater for smokers than non smokers

I have smoked for years - is it too late now for me to stop?

Severe though the risks from continuing to smoke are, a person's health usually starts to improve from the moment they give up the habit. Once a person stops smoking, their health starts improving immediately.

Within

• One hour - blood pressure falls and circulation starts improving
• One day - lungs begin the process of cleaning out mucus and other debris
• One week - bronchial passages relax making breathing easier
• One month - circulation improves throughout the whole body
• One year - lung function improves 10%
• Ten years - risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker. Risk of heart attack falls to about the same as someone who has never smoked

Where can I get help?

• Although many people find the most effective way to stop smoking is to pick a day and just stop - others find it more difficult and need support and help
• Your Vantage pharmacist will be able to give you advice on a range of nicotine replacement products which are available to support you in your desire to stop smoking
• Compared with willpower alone, nicotine replacement therapy doubles success rate - it does NOT replace the need for willpower and is not a magic cure
• Other sources of advice and help are your local NHS stop Smoking Services who will run clinics close to where you live or work

Treatments

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Helps you relieve the cravings and withdrawal symptoms, without the harmful tar that causes cancer and the carbon monoxide which makes heart disease, strokes and circulation problems more likely
By gradually reducing the amount of nicotine intake over a set period it will take the edge off your craving so that you can stay calm and in control to concentrate on breaking the habit

The types of products-patches, chewing-gum, lozenges, sublingual tablets, inhalators or nasal spray are designed for different patterns and levels of smoking and have been proven to double your chance of success, compared to willpower alone.
Nicotine should not be used by anyone with severe cardiovascular disease or in pregnancy or lactation. Side effects include exacerbation of the symptoms of peptic ulcers and gastritis
Nicotine patches can cause local irritation on the site of patch

Click here to view our range

Non Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Such as NicoBloc.This is a simple to use product which, when applied to your cigarette filter, blocks up to 99% of the nicotine and tar you would normally inhale.

Champix 

Varenicicline  works by reducing a person's craving for a cigarette and by reducing the effects they feel if they do have a cigarette. The person sets a date to stop smoking, and starts taking varenicline tablets 1 or 2 weeks before this date. Treatment normally lasts for 12 weeks.

Links to more information

The organisations below can provide more information and support for people who want to give up smoking.

• Action on Smoking and Health (ASH),
• QUIT, Quitline 0800 00 22 00,
• The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, 08712 20 54 26
• NHS Direct online  may be a good starting point for
  finding out more.
• Your local Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) may
  also be able to give you further advice and support.

Copyright © vantagechemist.co.uk - 2010 - All Rights Reserved.
We hope you will find this website useful, but it's not intended to replace professional medical advice. Any information given on this site may not necessarily take your own individual health situation into account. Therefore you should make sure that you carefully read the information leaflet and label on any product you buy from us before use. If you have, or suspect you may have a health problem you should consult your doctor. Your Vantage pharmacist is always ready to offer knowledgeable advice on medical matters and can help alleviate many common ailments. If in doubt, always ask a pharmacist or doctor. Please note that Vantage Pharmacy is not
responsible for the quality or accuracy of any information or advice provided by any external organisations linked to by this site.