|  | Stop Smoking - Fact Sheet Today there are around 13 million smokers in the UK, 8.5 million of whom want to give up. Smoking kills six times more people in the UK than road traffic accidents. Together with both national and local organisations, the BBC Cambridgeshire Action Desk is helping people to help themselves become more healthy and give up smoking. Below are some helpful tips and contacts to help you QUIT! 1. Get Professional Help
There are several organisations which you can contact in order to help you on your way
ASH - 0800 169 0 169 - www.ash.org.uk
QUIT - 0800 00 22 00 - www.quit.org.uk Both these organisations run confidential services that you can call for tips and support. They even offer specialist Asian speaking counsellors and specialist services for pregnant women wanting to quit and can point you in the right direction. Contact your GP, pharmacist or local health authority to find out about local support groups and programmes running in your area: OASIS - 01223 723055 - Adrian Dzialdowski
Situated on Mill Road, Cambridge, which runs support groups and one to one therapy sessions. North Peterborough P.C.T - 0800 376 5655
Situated in Peterborough, which can point you in the direction of local groups and support. 2. Prepare Mentally
70% of British smokers would like to quit but often need help in overcoming this very powerful and addictive drug. Preparing yourself to get through the first few weeks can be crucial, here are a few tips: - Decide on the exact day you are going to stop and draw up a chart of the PROS & CONS with the benefits of smoking and the benefits of quitting smoking. Refer to this at all times (especially when you feel yourself weakening!)
- Make a list of WHY you want to stop smoking (reasons could include):
- Better all round health
- Setting a good example to the kids
- Food and drink tastes better etc….
- Consider the MONEY. Many brands of cigarettes cost more than £4.00, depending on how much you smoke, by quitting you could be making massive savings, think of what you could treat yourself to!
- Start a SMOKER'S DIARY, initially for 2 days, writing down:
Your first cigarette of the day
W what you were doing when you smoked it Who you were with
How you were feeling
How much did you enjoy it (on a scale of 1 - 10)
How much did you need it
How it made you feel - After the 2 days, look back on the diary and ask yourself the following questions: what sort of activities provoke me into indulging? does someone provoke me? which cigarette do I find most enjoyable? which cigarettes could I easily have not smoked? which cigarettes could I have done without and why?
- Once you have answered the above questions, you can identify potential danger points and plan your strategy appropriately, you can contact QUIT to get help drawing up your personal strategy plan and refer to it whenever you need help.
- AVOID TEMPTATION - The first few days are often crucial and avoiding situations where you may normally smoke may be a good idea! Remember that cravings increase in intensity for up to 3 minutes and then subside, plan how you can distract yourself during this period - deep breathing may help!
3. Avoid Weight Gain
Smoking can reduce the appetite and nicotine can change the body’s metabolism hence many people are worried about gaining weight when they give up (although the good news is that not everyone does!). You may feel that you want to eat all the time when you first quit but the urge will settle down after a few weeks. The important thing is to tackle smoking and then worry about weight gain if you really need to. If you want to avoid gaining weight, follow these few tips: THINK POSITIVE - The money you save on cigarettes can be used to buy better quality foods.
ENJOY THE TASTE - the food you eat will now probably taste better, now is a good opportunity to try new recipes and foods.
EAT HEALTHY - If you need to eat something instead of smoking, decide on a sensible alternative to that cigarette such as sugar free gum or fruit, there are various low fat healthy eating plans you can follow (contact QUIT for helpful advice and leaflets). 4. Deal with Nicotine Withdrawal
Nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) such as gum, patches, lozenges, drugs etc. can almost double the chances of success in giving up. The idea being to come off the nicotine gradually by using a low nicotine dose to curb cravings. Talk to your GP or pharmacist about these products. 5. Stop Completely
Although tempting to just cut down and then stop, the likelihood is that you will smoke the cigarettes you have allowed yourself more intensely thus doing your self more harm. The best approach is to quit completely and make use of the NRT products as mentioned above. During the first few days it is more likely that you may relapse and tell yourself "I’ll just have one, it can't harm" especially if you are under pressure or upset, don’t use this as an excuse to spoil your progress!
|
