STOP SMOKING BLOG
5 steps to help you quit smoking!
Are you a smoker and want to quit? On March the 1st The Health Service Executive (HSE) have declared it National No Smoking day! A great time to consider quitting!!
So far this year according to QUIT.ie 960 people have successfully quit smoking in Ireland. You can do this too! Smoking has powerful addictive ingredients that makes it very difficult to quit for most smokers.In fact,the nicotine found in tobacco products is a highly addictive drug that affects the brain and body.
How does Nicotine affect you?
When you take products containing tobacco,nicotine is quickly absorbed into your bloodstream.Within seconds the nicotine reaches your brain and causes the brain to release adrenaline.This gives the user a slight high that fades quickly and leaves the smoker feeling tired and wanting more.
This feeling is what makes a smoker light up the next cigarette and when a smoker is feeling depressed, had a bad day or on another substance like alcohol the desire for nicotine is increased. This has negative ramifications on the body.
“Your lungs can be very badly affected by smoking.Smoking can cause fatal diseases such as pneumonia, emphysema and lung cancer. Smoking causes 84% of deaths from lung cancer and 83% of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).” (https://www.nhs.uk/)
Ok – so we know it’s bad… How can we stop?
It helps if we have a goal to get started and a plan to reach these goals. If you want to quit smoking try approaching it with a structured plan and get help from a pharmacist or G.P if required .Sometimes we need inspiration such as new years resolutions, birthdays, Lent or a special day to start our journey to self development.
On March 1st Ireland has it’s national no smoking day. This is a great time to quit!
5 Simple steps to quit
- Meet with a pharmacist or GP to go through products that will assist in fighting the nicotine cravings.
- Make a plan of what products will be taken to assist cravings daily and purchase the required amount to get started.
- Select a day to give up smoking – and do it!
- Be accountable to someone, like a professional or friend and report into them every day, then every week as the time goes on – Maybe even use social media and be accountable to your friends. Generally you will get lots of support and there are many groups that can assist here.
- Continue getting support throughout the first month of quitting.
See our range of nicotine replacement therapy products ‘HERE’
What you should know about giving up!
Ok so you have decided to quit and you have set a day to stop and made a plan. Within days to weeks you will notice some really positive improvements, such as ease in any breathing problems related to smoking, your blood pressure reduces, the wheezing and coughing stops and the circulation in your body improves! But you will notice some negative side affects as well such as; anxiety, irritability , trouble sleeping, fatigue and headaches.
These negative symptoms are withdrawals and generally kick in on day 3 and last for around 2 weeks.
If you have a plan and you’re prepared the chances of you being successful are much higher!
To learn more about how to quit smoking for good – drop into Higgins Pharmacy Sligo and speak with a member of our team!
Sources:
https://www.nhs.uk/smokefree/why-quit/smoking-health-problems
https://betobaccofree.hhs.gov/health-effects/nicotine-health/index.html
