How to stop smoking

Want to stop smoking? You're not alone. Every year, more and more people choose to stop smoking cigarettes.

Within hours of stopping, your body starts to recover from the effects of nicotine and additives. Your blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature, all of which are elevated because of smoking, return to healthier levels. Your lung capacity increases and your bronchial tubes relax, making breathing easier. Poisonous carbon monoxide in your blood decreases, allowing the blood to carry more oxygen.

For many reasons, stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do for your short and long-term health.

Is it hard to stop smoking?

It's a challenge to stop smoking. How hard you’ll find it depends on several factors including:

• The number of cigarettes you smoke each day
• The number of people you spend time with who smoke (parents, friends and work colleagues)
• The reasons you smoke (weight control, social situations, peer pressure)

Why is smoking so addictive?

Blame nicotine, the main drug in tobacco, for your smoking addiction. Your brain quickly adapts to nicotine and develops a tolerance for it. This means you need to smoke more to get the same rush you used to get from just one cigarette. And when you develop a tolerance to a drug, you're usually addicted. Did you know that nicotine acts on some of the same brain pathways as cocaine?

Tolerance happens when your brain tries to keep itself balanced. Chemicals from the cigarette make the brain release chemicals called noradrenaline and dopamine which give the initial “buzz” from smoking. A "trigger" is anything your brain has connected with smoking. Everyone's triggers are different. Yours might include the smell of cigarette smoke, having an ashtray next to you, seeing a packet of cigarettes at the newsagent, having certain food or drinks, finishing a good meal or talking to someone who you normally smoke with. Sometimes just the way you feel (sad or happy) is a trigger. One of the best ways to help you stop smoking is understanding the triggers that make you crave smoking.

But I really want to stop smoking!

There are different ways to stop smoking. There's no one way to stop smoking that works for everyone. To stop, you must be ready both emotionally and mentally. You must also want to stop smoking for yourself and not to please your friends or family. It helps to plan ahead. This guide will help you get started.

The best strategy is to choose a method that will challenge you to stop, but also one that you can achieve.

Here are some suggestions for ways to stop smoking:

• Write down your reasons for stopping. Read over the list every day, before and after you stop.
• Write down when you smoke, why you smoke and what you are doing when you smoke. This will help you learn what triggers you to smoke.
• Stop smoking in certain situations (such as during your lunch break or after dinner) before actually stopping.
• Make a list of activities you can do instead of smoking. Be ready to do something else when you want to smoke.
• Cold turkey (no outside help). About 90% of people who try to stop smoking do it without outside support -- no aids, therapy or medicine. Although many people try to stop this way, it is not the most effective and successful method. Only about 3% of people who try to stop this way succeed on their first attempt. Before you make a quit attempt it is best to contact the NHS Free Smoking Helpline on 08000224332 to see what help is available for you locally.
• Support from a trained Stop Smoking Adviser. The UK has trained Stop Smoking Advisers available free on the NHS. These advisers will help you to identify your triggers, come up with ways to get through cravings and provide emotional support when you need it most. They will also help you decide what treatments are best to help you quit and will arrange access to these treatments. To contact a local stop smoking adviser, see your GP or phone the NHS SmokeFree Helpline on 0800 0224332.
• Nicotine replacement therapy. Nicotine gum, patches, inhalers, lozenges, microtabs and nasal sprays are all nicotine replacement therapies (called NRT). Replacement therapy works by giving you nicotine without you having to smoke. You may be 50% to 100% more likely stop smoking if you use NRT rather than going ‘cold turkey’. This therapy works best when combined with support from a trained Stop Smoking Adviser.
• Medicines. Some medicines, including bupropion and varenicline, are formulated to help people stop smoking. Your doctor may prescribe these for you, but not if you are pregnant.

These therapies work best when combined with support from a trained Stop Smoking Adviser.

• Combination treatments. Using a combination of treatment methods can increase your chances of stopping. For example, using both a nicotine patch and gum or inhalator may be better than a patch alone.