Top tips to stop smoking
How? Its good to start by asking your GP, GP practice nurse or pharmacist for details of your local ‘NHS smoking cessation programme’. There will be one. You can also talk to your hospital consultant, or their deputy, called a registrar.
A GP receptionist may be able to book an appointment with someone at the surgery or give you details of local services.
Also any doctor that says ‘I suggest you stop smoking’, really means it. They should explain how to do it, and why it will help you. It can have a major effect, and add many years to your life.
Benefits of not smoking
As well as saving money, stopping smoking will reduce your chances of getting heart attacks (IHD), heart failure, strokes, high blood pressure, COPD, peripheral vascular disease (gangrene of legs) and cancer.
How to stop
- List your reasons to quit
- Tell people you’re quitting
- If you have tried to quit before, remember what worked
- Use stop smoking aids – ask your GP, practice nurse or pharmacist about using nicotine replacement therapy gum or patches or medication
- Have a plan if you are tempted to smoke – make a list of activities you can do instead of smoking, like taking a brisk walk or chewing a piece of gum. You have to be ready to do something else when you want to smoke
- List your smoking triggers and how to avoid them
- Keep cravings at bay by keeping busy.
Your first days of not smoking will be the hardest. Pick a date to quit smoking and then stick to it.
Pregnancy
You should not smoke, or drink alcohol significantly, if you are pregnant.
Summary
We have described top tips to stop smoking. There is a lot the NHS and you can do,
Other resources
This is a NHS quit smoking app.
This a good US video.
It’s never too late to quit. Let’s do this thing.
