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Give Up Smoking
 There are as many methods of quitting as there are tobacco brands but what is the easiest way with the greatest chance of success? The simple and financially-friendly option of willpower alone is a daunting route to success - and works for only 3% of hopeful quitters, according to studies. Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is widely recommended by charities that help people give up such as QUIT and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). Not limited to patches, it now also comes in the form of chewing gum, tablets, lozenges and inhalers and has been helpful to many. Others swear by anti-smoking guru Allen Carr who helped many celebrities with his Easy Way To Stop Smoking. In this best-selling book Carr debunks the various myths smokers tell themselves about the benefits of the habit, in favour of the hard facts and flips the psychology of deprivation on its head. There are now Allen Carr clinics in over 30 countries around the world but you can still buy the book at any bookshop for the price of a few packets of fags. An alternative, and slightly more costly option, is hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapist Darren Marks, who has helped hundreds of smokers stop in just a couple of £85 sessions at his London clinic, explains: "Hypnotherapy resolves habits and associations with smoking. It won't make people stop against their will, but it makes it much easier to stick to the decision." One new treatment is the drug Varenicline, more commonly known by its trade name Champix. A non-nicotine based medicine usually available as a tablet, it is taken one to two weeks before you plan to stop. Published research says it does improve chances of quitting and experts are hopeful about its use. If all else fails there's always 'aversion therapy' - techniques such as rapidly over-smoking, snapping a rubber band on your wrist when you want to light up, or chewing on cigarettes instead of smoking them. The NHS, which offers a range of support services, advises first working out exactly why you want to quit, then pick a date to stop (preferably not around a stressful event) and have an action plan for tempting situations. Make sure you have lots of support from friends and family. Call the Free NHS Smoking Helpline: 0800 022 4 332 or go to www.nhs.uk/smokefree which will put you in touch with advisors and others trying to quit, so you have regular support. They also offer encouraging messages via email, text and through the post. Once you've got your plan in place, throw away all your cigarettes and go cold turkey. You'll feel dreadful for a couple of weeks but then the cravings should disappear. The tricky part is staying clean for good; reminding yourself of improvements to your health and your bank balance can help. Health experts say smokers who quit experience the health benefits almost immediately. Many smokers think they will be more miserable when they stop, but actually all the evidence is that they will have better mental health and be happier. Within 20 minutes your blood pressure and pulse will return to normal. In eight hours nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in the blood reduce by half, oxygen levels return to normal and circulation also improves. After 24 hours the poisonous gas carbon monoxide is out of your body and your lungs start to clear the tar. After two weeks you will find walking and running easier. After a few weeks your appearance improves as skin loses its greyish pallor and becomes less wrinkled. In three to nine months coughs and wheezing declines. One year on, your risk of a heart attack is halved and it will be the same as that of a non-smoker after ten years. Ten years after stopping smoking an ex-smoker's risk of lung cancer is reduced by 30% to 50% compared to that of someone who continues to smoke. |
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