How to quit smoking
While most of us know that there are no health or financial benefits to smoking, it can be difficult to stop. Some people think stopping is all about willpower, and they insist on going cold turkey to give up – but experience tells us that they are more likely to return to smoking in future.
Let’s talk through some tried and tested methods to put yourself in the best position to quit and stay that way.
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Getting started
For most of those who successfully quit, the free NHS Stop Smoking service offers you the best chance to quit. An expert adviser will encourage you to pick the best date to stop and help you mentally prepare. They may encourage you to look at reasons you wish to stop, barriers to stopping, and reasons that keep you smoking. They may ask about previous attempts to quit. They will then champion you all the way along your journey to quitting. Breaking the behavioural habit is much harder than the chemical addiction – you may associate cigarettes with a break from work, a reward, stress relief, or a night out with friends. They need to be addressed rather than ignored, and strategies put in place – such as avoiding some social situations at the beginning – rather than hoping for the best. Your doctor can put you in touch with your local Stop Smoking service, or your hospital if you are receiving treatment there. Other options include apps, helplines, and text messaging services – ask your doctor what’s available in your area.
Nicotine replacement therapy and anti-craving medication
Nicotine is the addictive substance in cigarettes. Withdrawal causes cravings to smoke and this peaks after about three days and continues for about two weeks. Nicotine replacement therapy can reduce these cravings, and you will be prescribed a reducing regimen to ease you off the chemical addiction. These come as gum, lozenges, patches, or tablets.
Zyban and Varenicline are tablets prescribed to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms and reduce the pleasurable effects of smoking and nicotine. These are available on prescription.
Vaping / e-cigarettes
Electronic cigarettes or vapes have become popular in recent years, and offer two ways to help stop smoking: they give you something to hold and draw on, imitating a cigarette, and they can provide nicotine as an alternative means of replacement. Unfortunately, these are not available on the NHS as it’s too early yet to know long-term risks and there is no regulatory control over what substances are put in them.
But it’s likely they are better for your health than cigarettes, so this may be an attractive option for you. Bear in mind that you should ultimately aim to quit vaping at some point, too.
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