Giving Up Smoking

health

A lot of things in life are difficult – from climbing Mount Everest to running the London Marathon – but for some reason nothing seems to be as hard as giving up smoking.  As we approach July’s new legislation on smoking in public places, we look at the whys and hows of stubbing the habit out for good…

why give up?

If the well known threats of various cancers, emphysema and other serious disease haven’t put you off yet there are plenty of other things to put you off smoking for good:

- Smoking affects your skin from the very first puff.  You might spend hundreds on miracle skin creams but nothing can have more of an effect than giving up smoking.  Lines and dulled skin due to lack of oxygen can be halted in their tracks and you could notice a difference just weeks after giving up.

- It isn’t just skin that’s dulled.  Smoking stops nutrients from reaching your hair meaning dull and lifeless locks while bad breath, gum disease and yellowed teeth are all part of the territory for smokers.

- Is there any habit more expensive than nicotine?  A smoker of twenty a day is thought to spend around £73,000 over forty years.  Thinking about it in the shorter term you could make a saving of almost £800 in six months – enough for a luxury holiday or four pairs of designer shoes.

- It probably won’t surprise you to learn that smoking affects your breathing and energy levels.  Increased lung power and improved circulation within weeks of giving up means you’ll find it easier to get up stairs and walk to work.

- Even food tastes better when you’re a non-smoker.  The nicotine in cigarettes affects your sense of taste and smell which means you can’t enjoy food and drink as you should.  Just hours after stubbing out your last cigarette you’ll notice that your food is much more enjoyable.

but it’s so difficult…

Didn’t your mother ever tell you that the best things never come easily?  Giving up smoking takes patience and willpower no matter what methods you use – there is no quick fix.  But there are ways to help you through:

- Remove temptation.  Do your best to avoid situations where you’d normally smoke a lot.  So move your office gossip away from the smoking shed and in to the lunch room, go to a non-smokers house for drinks and don’t choose to give up at a time of stress. 

- Call on family and friends.  Good friends will want to see you succeed, so employ one or two people that you can call on at the most difficult times.  This may be a good time to prune your friends list too, no-one needs a ‘pal’ who wants to tempt you back to the darkside.

- Check out all available resources.  Alan Carr’s excellent Easy Way To Give Up Smoking worked miracles on three MyVillage smokers - if it can work for our resident chimneys it’s got to be worth a try...

- But don’t rely on quick fixes.  No-one can switch off an addiction overnight, remember that it takes is willpower and determination and there’s no pill or injection to switch off the craving.  Don’t lose hope or give up giving up, take each day as it comes and don’t be disheartened by slip ups.

- Speak to someone in the know.  Whether it’s your Doctor or Pharmacist or even someone on the other end of the phoneline there are people there dedicated to helping you quit.  Call the NHS Smoking Helpline free on 0800 169 0169, visit www.gosmokefree.co.uk or www.quit.org.uk for advice and tips on giving up once and for all.

by Laura Heaps, MyVillage:, 19th June