Get the Help You Need To Quit Smoking
If you are struggling to quit smoking, don’t worry. You are not alone.
Support is crucial when it comes to giving up smoking. Sometimes we underestimate how difficult it is to achieve big goals by ourselves, and intense pressure can result in low moods and sometimes make us feel helpless. The important thing to remember is that you don’t have to quit smoking on your own, and there’s plenty of support out there if you look hard enough.
If you have friends or family who also want to give up smoking, you can use this as a chance to form a stop smoking support group, where you all work and help each other to cut down and eventually quit smoking. Having close friends and family by your side is often effective in helping everyone to achieve the one goal you all have in common—quitting smoking for good!
Quit Smoking Support With Local Services
However, family support isn’t for everyone, and that’s OK. There are other groups and local services that can help you quit smoking that remove the pressure of friends and family looking over your shoulder! The NHS local Stop Smoking Service is a good place to start, and other stop smoking support groups are a great way to help you achieve your goals.
Local stop smoking services are free, friendly environments that are staffed by experts in their field who are there to help you on your journey to quit smoking. These professionals will suggest a range of methods that will increase your chances of quitting smoking for good.
Additionally, if you prefer a one-to-one stop smoking support meeting, you can always ask to speak with an advisor. Just speak to your local doctor’s surgery, clinic, or pharmacy to see the range of services on offer. Finally, many areas also offer drop-in services, which means you can just walk in.
What Should You Expect at Your First Stop Smoking Support Meeting?
Firstly, you don’t need to be anxious. Advisors are there to help you feel comfortable and to create a personal plan for your quitting smoking journey. Your first meeting with your support advisor will include a short conversation about why you smoke and if you have made any attempts to quit smoking in the past.
You may also be asked if you want to set a ‘quit date.’ There is no pressure to have a pre-meditated plan or even to be 100% sure you want to quit before your meeting. The advisors are there to help and support your decision and to talk you through a potential plan.
Part of the consultation may include a breath test to indicate how much carbon monoxide you have in your body. Additionally, other health checks may be carried out depending on the clinic you attend.
After your first meeting, you may be advised to use NRT (nicotine replacement therapy) as a way to help you quit. NRT is available in a number of different delivery methods:
• Skin patches
• Chewing gum
• Inhalators
• Tablets, oral strips and lozenges
• Nasal and mouth spray
Other stop smoking aids are available; however, drugs such as Varenicline (Champix) and Bupropion (Zyban) require a prescription from your doctor, and so are generally not recommended by clinics without a consultation from your GP.
Stay Positive With Support
It is always important to keep a positive outlook and to keep going, despite the challenges ahead. The fact that you are thinking of/have decided to quit smoking means you have already made a positive decision for your health. So if you are struggling to quit, then make sure you pay close attention to smoking triggers.
Smoking triggers can be anything from stress to social situations such as parties or getting together with friends, and these can lead to a relapse. Here, the importance of having people around you to talk to is crucial, and you can mitigate the impact of smoking triggers by finding a stop smoking buddy for extra support when you might be feeling a bit stressed.
A stop smoking buddy can be a family member, close friend, partner, or someone you have met in a stop smoking support group. However, it is important to remember that your buddy should be a non-smoker, as getting support from a smoker may well trigger you to start smoking again!
A Few Benefits of Quitting Smoking
Whilst it may not feel like it, quitting smoking will improve your health as soon as you put down your last cigarette. When you quit, you may experience symptoms such as headaches, nausea, increased need for nicotine and many uncomfortable symptoms. However, the positives far outweigh the negatives, and the benefits of quitting smoking will begin after just 20 minutes.
These benefits include an increase in lung capacity, a return of taste and smell, plus improved fertility and overall wellbeing by reducing stress levels. By meeting with a stop smoking advisor or group on a regular basis, you can start improving your general health simply by putting out that last cigarette for good.
Quitting smoking doesn’t have to be difficult. Visit our site to find out more details about our products and read successful quit smoking stories. Additionally, quit smoking support is available from the NHS smoke-free helpline, and also the British foundation heart helpline. Both are available if you have any concerns or worries or would like any advice on quitting smoking.
