Stop smoking

If you are looking for advice and information on stopping smoking please visit www.canstopsmoking.com which is provided by NHS Health Scotland, and is aimed at people wanting to quit. We have provided some brief information on stopping smoking below.

Thinking about stopping smoking

What part does tobacco play in my life?

When you smoke, nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide are inhaled into the body. Nicotine is highly addictive and its absence can cause withdrawal symptoms in regular users. Although the nicotine in the cigarette is addictive it causes relatively little harm itself. It is the tar and the carbon monoxide that cause the damage.

Smoking may be:

  • something you enjoy
  • something you do with friends
  • something you do to relax
  • your way of taking time to think
  • something that you feel controls your life

Reasons for wanting to stop

You may have very strong reasons for wanting to stop smoking, for example:

  • the money you are spending on tobacco
  • the effects of smoking on your health and the health of your families
  • the effects of smoking on your appearance

Most smokers in Scotland would like to have already stopped smoking. It's the actual stopping that can be hard.

Worries about Stopping Smoking

People are often concerned that they might:

  • feel stressed or find it hard to cope with life
  • get bad tempered
  • put on weight

Am I ready to quit?

You decide if and when you are ready to stop smoking. Choose a time when you are most likely to succeed.

Is there anything I can do to make my smoking less harmful?

Unfortunately there is no safe level of smoking. The only long-term answer is to quit smoking.

What about changing the type of cigarette I smoke?

You might decide to switch to 'mild', 'light' or 'low tar' brands because you believe these will be less harmful to your health. But research has found that when you switch from regular to low tar cigarettes, you change the way you smoke. You smoke more, and draw the smoke more deeply into your lungs in order to get the same dose of nicotine your body is used to. This may lead to developing cancers deep in the lungs, which are harder to treat.

Mild, light or low tar cigarettes are as dangerous as regular cigarettes.

What about smoking cigars, pipes or hand rolling tobacco?

Smoking tobacco is harmful to your health, whatever form you smoke it in.

Will cutting down on the amount of tobacco I smoke help?

You might decide to try to cut down on the amount you smoke by:

  • smoking fewer cigarettes each day
  • leaving a longer stub when you put the cigarette out
  • leaving longer gaps between puffs.

Cutting down on your smoking is always worth doing and for some people it can lead on to stopping smoking completely. But most people find that the number of cigarettes they smoke goes back up after a while, or that they just end up holding the smoke in their lungs for longer, to make up for smoking less. This means that you are taking in the same amount of smoke as before.

Beginning to take some control

While you are thinking about stopping smoking, you might decide to change the way you smoke or where you smoke. Changing your habits can make it easier for you to quit. A good start is to decide on times or places where you will not smoke. You could:

  • keep one room in your home free of smoke
  • think again - do you really want this cigarette right now?
  • have a smoke-free hour or two each day and use the time to do something else you enjoy.

The less you smoke, the better it is for your health, but the only long-term solution is to quit smoking.

Stopping smoking

What changes might I notice when I stop smoking?

When you quit smoking, your body immediately starts to recover.

  • within the first hour, your body begins to get rid of tobacco poisons
  • after eight hours, levels of nicotine and carbon monoxide in your blood will have halved
  • after a few weeks you should notice you have a better sense of taste and smell, your lungs are clearer and you have more energy. (If you have smoked heavily and for many years, this can take longer).
  • your risk of having a heart attack is halved after one or two years
  • in the longer term, stopping smoking reduces the risk of lung and other cancers, heart attack, stroke and chronic lung disease. After 5 to 15 years, the level of risk returns to that of a non-smoker.

After a few weeks you will probably notice that you have:

  • a better sense of taste and smell
  • more energy
  • more money - you could save the money you would have spent on cigarettes and use it to treat yourself
  • more confidence in yourself - giving up smoking is a real achievement

Some of the other changes may be more difficult

  • you might experience withdrawal symptoms as your body reacts to lower levels of nicotine. These can include cravings to smoke and feeling irritable. You may find it hard to concentrate. How long these symptoms last varies from person to person.
  • you might start to cough more. This is usually a good sign - it means that your lungs are beginning to clear themselves out and work properly again. If this cough does not stop, if you suspect you might have a chest infection or if you cough up blood, visit your doctor for advice
  • some people notice they get a bad complexion. Others have headaches or find their sleep is disrupted. Some people get mouth ulcers - using a mouthwash regularly can help prevent these.

These are all signs that your body is starting to clear itself of the poisons from the tobacco smoke. They will usually pass after a few weeks.

Some people are concerned that they might put on weight when they stop smoking. If you are worried about this, there are a few things you can do to help yourself while you are stopping.

  • stopping smoking can give you pangs that feel like hunger even when you are not hungry. Instead of high calorie snacks, stock up on fruit, raw vegetables or sugar free gum.
  • drink water - this helps to flush out poisons from your system.
  • some people join a slimmers or weight-watchers class while they are stopping smoking.
  • some people take up a new form of exercise, for example walking or swimming.

If you succeed in stopping smoking, you can be confident that you also have the ability to take control of your weight.

Hints and Tips for stopping smoking

There is no right or wrong way to stop smoking. If you have stopped smoking in the past, think about what worked for you and what you learned from that experience. What might you want to change or avoid this time around?

Consider why you want to give up - what will you gain? How can you give yourself the best chance of success?

  • Plan ahead. Think ahead to the times when you would usually be smoking and enjoying it. Are there any strategies you could use to help you cope with these times, without using tobacco? For example, keeping busy, taking up some form of exercise, switching to a different drink, going to the pub later, or avoiding places where people are smoking. Try to avoid the routine which involves you buying cigarettes.
  • Practice what you will say if someone offers you a cigarette. Practice positive refusals, like 'no thank you, I don't smoke', or 'I'm a non-smoker', rather than saying 'I'm trying to give up' in case someone offers you a cigarette.
  • Ask for support - tell people who will give you the encouragement you need that you are stopping smoking; find out if there is a stop smoking group in your area.
  • Consider using nicotine replacement therapy to help you deal with cravings to smoke. Remember the cravings will pass.
  • New drug therapies, such as Zyban and Champix, have been developed and are available on prescription. Ask your doctor for further information.
  • Relax - learn ways to relax; practice breathing slowly and deeply without a cigarette. Fiddle with a pen or coins if you need something to occupy your hands.
  • Reward yourself - make a chart and mark off the days when you have not smoked. Treat yourself with the money you've saved.
  • Complementary therapies like acupuncture, hypnosis or laser therapy help some people to stop smoking, but there is a lack of scientific evidence to support their effectiveness and they can be expensive. If you are interested in using a complementary therapy, find out about the therapy and the registered therapist before you commit yourself to a course of treatment.
  • Don't think you can have 'just one' - it usually leads on to having more.
  • Take one day at a time.

What might help me to stop smoking?

Nicotine Replacement Therapy can be bought from pharmacies (your pharmacist can help with quit attempts), and is availabe on prescription. It works by replacing some of the nicotine in your bloodstream, which reduces the craving to smoke and can make it much easier for you to break the habit of smoking. Ask your pharmacist or G.P. for advice on which type and strength would suit you best.

Zyban is a drug which can help to reduce the withdrawal symptoms from stopping smoking. It must be prescribed by your doctor, and people with certain medical conditions should not use it, but it can help smokers to quit.  Another prescription only drug which may support quit attempts is Champix and your doctor can tell you if it's an appropriate treatment.

Both Zyban and nicotine replacement products have been tested in scientific trials and proven to help people quit smoking. They can be used together, under medical advice.

Complementary therapies like acupuncture, hypnosis or laser therapy, help some people to stop smoking but there is a lack of scientific evidence to support their effectiveness and they can be expensive. If you are interested in using a complementary therapy, find out about the therapy and choose a registered therapist before you commit yourself to a course of treatment.

What if I start smoking again?

  • don't punish yourself
  • give yourself another chance
  • remember you haven't failed until you've stopped trying completely.

If you start smoking again, wait until you are ready to stop and then try again. Some people manage to stop smoking the first time they try, but for most people it takes a number of attempts to learn how to stop smoking for good. Your chances of staying stopped get better each time you try to quit.

If you stop even for a time, your body has the chance to repair some of the damage


Staying stopped

Stopping smoking is a real achievement.

When you have stopped smoking, it's worth remembering:

  • it's normal to want to smoke sometimes, even years after you've given up: but wanting to smoke doesn't mean you have to.
  • remember why you stopped smoking, and what stopping smoking was like.
  • only a few people can have 'just one' cigarette without going back to regular smoking, because the nicotine in cigarettes is very addictive.
  • sometimes are harder than others - for example, celebrations, times of grief or celebration, or holidays can trigger a desire to smoke

Remember, its never too late to stop smoking!

If you have more questions, we will try to help. Contact us at ashscotland@ashscotland.org.uk

Smokeline: 0800 84 84 84

The national Smokeline is free and staffed by trained counsellors who will do their best to help you and to answer any questions you may have.

Quit: 0800 00 22 00

Runs a freephone Pregnancy Quitline service, and freephone Asian Quitline services in Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu.