Quit Smoking Information

Quit Smoking – Things to know before you start

A greater number of people are looking to quit smoking now in comparison with recent decades. The hike in quit smoking attempts can be attributed to a number of external factors, from social trends, to mainstream advertising, to the rise in price of cigarettes. Some may argue this is owing to more and more online communities pledging their allegiance to quit-smoking campaigns. All this is encouraging for those hoping to quit with support and advice, you no longer have to feel like an outsider for breaking off your relationship with nicotine.

A large proportion of people have quit with the help of quit smoking aids, of which gum, patches and lozenges are used most frequently. It's important to realise that initial attempts to stop smoking may well result in failure; quitting smoking is tough and this is normal. Treatment can take as long as several weeks or even months to train the body to accept that it no longer requires nicotine. In a study, 74% of people who took the 12 week course of the drug Champix were able to quit smoking successfully.

What are the most common, successful ways to quit smoking?

There are a variety of counselling services on offer, each of which assesses your level of nicotine dependence before administering a form of treatment. The quit smoking services are provided by the NHS and private clinics. A proportion of non smokers owe their success to these groups. Nicotine replacement therapy can also boast some degree of success. However, it's important to consider that just 18% of people who used nicotine replacement therapies to stop smoking were successful. This is markedly lower than 74% those who were able to do it with the use Champix with a repeat 12-week course.

Tips to help you quit smoking

To ensure you are able to successfully quit smoking, you first need to ask yourself if you are doing this because you truly want to. If yes, then you are one step closer to achieving your goal. Without mentally preparing yourself for the tough journey head, you'll more than likely succumb to a relapse before you leave of the starting blocks. Before you quit smoking write a list of the things that have motivated you to stop. Keep them with you and refer back to them every time you get the urge to smoke.

Set a quit smoking date

Once you have done this you should reframe from smoking altogether. Some ex smokers prefer to cut down on a gradual basis as opposed to suddenly stopping, as this allows them to give up at their own pace. Studies have shown however, that the less you smoke, the more likely you are to smoke more of each cigarette. As a result, the amount of nicotine in your system remains the same.

Tell everybody that you are quitting smoking

By telling your friends and family, you ensure that everybody knows to tip-toe around the subject and not make you think, deliberately or unknowingly, about lighting up. The school of thought is that if you fail, you will have to face the embarrassment of telling them so. Smoking secretly will also become harder. Forget those thoughts, instead ask for support. If you can, get other smokers around you to go outside when they want a cigarette, or ideally, quit smoking with you.

Be ready to experience withdrawal symptoms

You will experience cravings. This is a fact. You may even feel sick and experience mild nausea. You may also suffer minor headaches and anxiety. However, with advanced quit smoking aids such as Champix, the severity of withdrawal symptoms is compressed to soften the extent of the impact, meaning you are less distracted by thoughts of smoking.

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