Smoking
Did you know that giving up smoking significantly increases your chances of living a longer healthier lifestyle, even if you have smoked for 40 years!
It's never to late to think about stopping, it will make a drastic improvement to your lifestyle and health in ways you might not expect.
Many of the risks of smoking can be reversed simply by stopping. Even if you’ve tried before, maybe more than once, you can still succeed. What you’ve already learned will help you reach your goal of becoming an ex-smoker.
Benefits of quitting timeline
- When you stop smoking your body will begin to heal
- After just 20 minutes your blood pressure and pulse return to normal
- 12 hours after stopping smoking your carbon monoxide levels drops to normal
- After 24 hours your lungs start to clear
- After two days your body is nicotine-free and your sense of taste and smell improve
- After three days you can breathe more easily, and your energy increases
- After 2 and 12 weeks blood circulation improves
- After 3 to 9 months lung function will increase by up to 10% meaning breathing becomes easier
- After 1 year the risk of a heart attack is half of that of a person who still smokes
- After 10 years the chance of you having lung cancer is half that of a smoker
- After 15 years the risk of a heart attack is the same as a person who has never smoked
Emotional and mental wellbeing health
- When you stop smoking it will help reduce any stress, anxiety, depression and low mood
- Your quality of life will improve
- If you have PTSD or depression smoking has extra risks, by stopping you'll have an even better quality of wellbeing
- Smoking can effect your quality of sleep
- Any medications taken will not work as well when smoking
Cardiovascular disease
- When you stop smoking your blood becomes thinner meaning less chance of blood clots
- Smoking is the leading cause of heart attacks and heart disease
- Stopping smoking will lower the levels of cholesterol and fats in your body
- Smoking increases the chance of a stroke by 2/4 times
* Information courtesy of NHS Better Health 'Quit Smoking'.
Very Brief Intervention
Ask
Did you know the average smoker spends - £10 for a pack of 20 cigarettes = x1 pack per day for one year = £3,650. In 5 years £18,250
Have you ever thought of stopping or tried to stop before? How would that make you feel?
Write down the list of benefits of reducing/stopping smoking
How many cigarettes do you enjoy? Are the rest routine or habit? What can you do to cut down?
How can you reduce? If you cut down to half of what you would smoke in the morning or afternoon, how many would that be per day/week?
Remember to personalise the benefits.
Are they saving for a holiday, or a new home?
Do they have children or grandchildren they would like to run-around with?
Assist
Tell them the best way of stopping smoking is a combination of medication and specialist support
- Studies show that you are four times more likely to quit smoking if you do it through a specialist support service.
- NHS Stop Smoking Services are free and provide one-to-one support. These local services are staffed by expert advisers and provide a range of proven methods to help you quit.
- It's totally free!
Do you think you would benefit from the services your local Stop Smoking Service can offer?
Have a plan if you are tempted to smoke
Ask family and friends to support you
Most cravings last for 5 minutes, think of something you can do to keep you occupied, such as a walk or making a phone call
Act
National Support
- Call the free NHS National Smokefree Helpline to speak to a trained, expert adviser on 0300 123 1044 (England), Quit Your Way Scotland on 0800 84 84 84, Help Me Quit on 0800 085 2219 (Wales), or contact Stop Smoking (NI) to find your local service.
- The NHS Quit Smoking app (available on the App Store or Google Play) allows you to track your progress, see how much you're saving and get daily support.
- You can also speak to your doctor, pharmacy team or local Stop Smoking Service for expert advice on stop smoking medicines.
- Contact your local Authority (Public Health) who can provide stop smoking advisors.
Self Care
- Get further information, tips, guidance and email support from the NHS Quit Smoking website and download the app from the App Store or Google Play.
- Consider using e-cigarettes to help you stop smoking.
- Millions have used the NHS Quit Smoking support to help them stop smoking. Choose from an app, email, SMS and face-to-face guidance.
Emphasise that quitting will be the best thing they will ever do and the NHS Quit Smoking Service can provide the friendly and helpful support they need to quit for good
Useful Websites
NHS Stop Smoking Service
The Stop Smoking Service helps smokers to quit; local stop smoking services are free and can massively boost chances of quitting for good. They'll give you accurate information and advice, as well as professional support, during the first few months you stop smoking - nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/
Free personal quit plan from the NHS - nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/personal-quit-plan/
Asthma+Lung UK
Web: asthmaandlung.org.uk/living-with/stop-smoking/quit
Smoking cessation (stop smoking services) include:
- Stop smoking treatments
- Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)
- Other stop smoking medications
- E-cigarettes (vaping)
- How will I benefit from stopping smoking?
- I’m ready to stop smoking – what should I do?
- Further information and support.
(Asthma+Lung UK is the new name for - Asthma UK and The British Lung Foundation)