Be a quitter, with NHS help

Jun 7 2007 By The Journal

In a matter of weeks we will be able to enter any workplace, pub or bar, restaurant, bingo hall or hairdressers without having to worry about breathing in someone else's tobacco smoke.

That's great news for everybody, whether a smoker or non-smoker. Some smokers are also really keen to quit the habit because of the new smoke-free law - 32% of people who smoke in the North-East hope such a law will help them to quit.

Whilst it's not easy to stop - it takes determination and effort - it is totally possible to beat the nicotine addiction. Whether smokers have a few cigarettes occasionally or a packet daily, the manufacturers of tobacco products have ensured cigarettes are highly addictive - just as addictive as heroin and cocaine.

It's the nasty toxic chemicals - such as arsenic, hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde and ammonia - mixed with nicotine in the tobacco that makes them addictive. Then the tobacco is disguised with flavourings such as vanilla, honey and chocolate.

It is widely known the damage that smoking can cause but, within hours of stopping the habit, the health benefits can be felt almost immediately.

Smokers stand a better chance of quitting if they have the support of their free local NHS Stop Smoking Services. In fact, this will increase their chances of quitting by four times.

These services are fully evaluated and smokers can be reassured that they follow the most effective practice available.

Ailsa Rutter, regional tobacco policy manager for the North-East said: "The NHS Stop Smoking Services have helped thousands of local people since they were launched in 1999, and have learned what works and what doesn't.

"Advisers will help you prepare to quit, give you information and advice on the cessation aids available, including the new drug Champix, and they will offer you ongoing free support during the first few weeks.

"You can also pick up some useful tips on how to beat cravings and avoid temptation."

The local services can provide support on a group or one-to-one basis. In the last year, 30,351 people set a quit date with their local service in the North-East, with 14,074 successfully doing so at four weeks - a success rate of 46%.

The NHS offers a range of other services that can also help, whether it's joining the Together Programme, or finding out more about cessation aids like Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), Zyban and Champix, support is there for those wanting to go smoke-free over the next month.

For those wanting to cut down at their own pace, the free Together Programme offers support and advice at key stages of the giving up process, through a range of communication methods - e-mail, text messages, mailings and phone calls.

Colin Foster, 47, a delivery driver from Blackfell, Washington, is just one of many who has successfully quit smoking after making two previous attempts.

He said: "I used to smoke between 20-40 cigarettes a day and spent at least £30 a week.

"I had tried to quit twice before but, looking back, I wasn't 100% committed.

"As my job is quite physical, it got to the point where my health was starting to suffer and I was often left feeling breathless from doing simple things such as walking up the stairs.

"My lifelong non-smoker fiancée, Patricia Milsom, would also complain about my wheezing chest and that I constantly smelt like an ashtray.

"I decided that I wanted to be a non-smoker before we married in July this year, so I went along to the weekly `Drop in 2 Quit' sessions run by Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust. The range of nicotine replacement therapy and stop smoking advice was so effective I have now been a `quitter' for 18 weeks.

"Since I quit, my health and overall fitness levels have improved dramatically.

"But I still find smoking-pubs extremely tempting so my fiancée and I are often forced to move into less smoky areas so I'm not as exposed to the second-hand smoke. I can't wait until England goes smoke-free on July 1 as I'll feel much more relaxed and sociable in smoke-free places.

"The new legislation will continue to protect my health as well as others' and, most importantly, I'm hoping it'll make smoking a lot more anti-social, which should prevent children from starting to smoke in the first place.

"My advice to other smokers would be to keep a positive attitude and stick with your treatment and stop smoking sessions.

"Quitting really is worthwhile and I've deliberately timed my stag night so that it's after the smoke-free law comes into force, which will mean less smoking temptations for me.

"I will also marry my fiancée as a non-smoker at our smoke-free wedding, and I plan to order my first season-ticket for the football club I've always supported as, before now, buying cigarettes meant I just couldn't afford it."

The NHS smoke-free campaign launched a new advertising campaign on June 4 to encourage smokers to use NHS support in their attempt to quit.

The advert portrays imaginative ways of getting rid of that last pack of cigarettes, and demonstrates that there are as many different methods of quitting as there are types of smoker.

Local NHS Stop Smoking Services can offer group or one-to-one support and can help quitters get patches, gum or other stop aids on prescription.

You're up to four times more likely to stop smoking with their support. Call the NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 169 0 169 or visit www.gosmokefree.co.uk.

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What happens to your body when you stop smoking?

After 8 hours
Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in blood reduce by half; oxygen levels return to normal; Circulation improves.

24 hours
Carbon monoxide and nicotine eliminated from the body.

48 hours
The decline in lung function and excess risk of lung cancer halts.

1 month
Appearance improves: skin loses greyish pallor and is less wrinkled.

3-9 months
Coughs and wheezing declines.

1 year
The excess risk of a heart attack reduces by half compared to that of a smoker.

15 years
The risk of heart attack falls to the same as that for someone who has never smoked.