Smoking and cancer: Giving up
Giving up is the best thing a smoker can do to improve their health. Quitting greatly reduces the risk of smoking-related cancers. The earlier you do it, the better. But equally it is never too late to gain valuable years of life by giving up on smoking.
Most smokers say that they would like to give up if they could. But for some, stopping isn't simple.
Know yourself
Before you give up make sure you know why you want to stop. Ask yourself:
- Why do I smoke?
- Why do I want to stop smoking?
- Is this the right time to stop smoking?
- When am I most likely to give in to cravings? (They may be more powerful than you think...)
- What can I do to overcome these cravings?
- Who can support me whilst I’m giving up?
- How can I reward myself for giving up?
- When would be a good quit date?
You can also read a first-hand account of quitting on our blog.
Support yourself
Quitting smoking can be hard, but free services and treatments are available to help and these have been shown to improve the chances of quitting successfully. Smokers are four times more likely to quit successfully if they get professional support than if they try to go "cold-turkey".
The NHS has a range of services on offer. These include:
- Stop smoking groups - sessions run by health professionals for groups of smokers who want to stop. In the sessions you can find out more about ways to give up and share tips and experiences with others.
- One to one counselling - in many areas individual counselling is available to help you give up.
To find out more about these services call the NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 022 4 332, open 7am-11pm every day.
Quit also have a helpline with information and advice to help you give up smoking. Call 0800 00 22 00 between 9am and 9pm or e-mail stopsmoking@quit.org.uk.
Control your withdrawal symptoms
When you try to quit, you may experience nicotine cravings and research has shown that these are often more severe than you expect. Don't let that put you off though - there are several products on the market to help control withdrawal symptoms. Many are free on prescription from your GP.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy can help you by reducing your nicotine cravings. NRT has been shown to double your chances of successfully quitting. It is also less addictive than smoking and doesn't cause cancer. NRT is available on prescription or over the counter as gum, patches, tablets, lozenges, nasal spray or inhalers. You usually take a 10-12 week course.
Zyban is another drug that can help you give up smoking. It doesn’t contain nicotine. Instead, it works by reducing your desire to smoke and relieving withdrawal symptoms. Zyban is only available on prescription and is not suitable for everyone. So talk to your doctor if you want to find out more.
Putting on weight
Many people are worried that when they give up smoking they may put on weight. This may be because:
- Nicotine suppresses your appetite and makes your body burn calories faster
- Smoking affects your taste and smell, so food may be much tastier when you quit
- Some people replace cigarettes with snacks and sweets when they give up.
If you’re worried about putting on weight:
- Try to eat a balanced diet
- Get regular moderate physical activity
- Give yourself rewards that don't involve food or drink
- Remember that once you’ve given up it will be much easier to stay active, helping you to lose any weight you do put on.
Staying stopped
Giving up smoking is hard work and it may take some people several attempts to quit for good.
Remember that nicotine is very addictive and watch out for situations where you might be tempted to have 'just one cigarette'.
If you do start smoking again, think about where you went wrong and try to learn from your experiences for next time. Phone the NHS or Quit helplines to help you get back on track.
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