Smoking

[Indiathecat]

What is the best way to stop smoking?

[corriena]

Use your gp stop smoking service for addvice. There are lots of different methods and we are all different so hopefully they can give you good advice and support you. I believe thear is a health unlocked sight for stopping iv heard its good for support. Good luck its not easy but realy worthwhile. Stopping smoking realy did change my health and life

[Indiathecat in reply to corriena]

Thank you.

[Kjg14]

I used the lozenges and reduced the dose over the months. Eg. I started at 2mg - broke it in half after a few months - broke it into quarters after another few months. Eventually reducing the nicotine quantity over a period of time.

[Indiathecat in reply to Kjg14]

Thank you. That sounds a good idea and I am going to buy some today.

[Janzo54]

There are free stop smoking services you can be referred to. I used to be a smoking cessation advisor for NHS!

If you stick with the drop in clinics or 1-2-1s they do really work by offering behavioural and psychological support for the habitual part of smoking.

You can get Nicotine patches and use a step down programme which is very effective or gum or inhalators and lozenges-( sometimes both if heavy smoker) you also have the CO2 smoke monitor to blow into which shows if you have smoked or not! If you continue to smoke more then the advisor might discontinue the NRT until you are ready to quit!

This provides motivational support as its the carbon monoxide in the blood that is stealing oxygen from your body and you both look and feel better when you quit for this reason alone.

Nicotine is highly addictive but using step down you reduce slowly over 6-8 weekes or more-many people take longer by tapering down and this is fine. There is also a quit smoking pill to take but need GP to sign that off.

Vaping isn’t a good substitute as its still contains nicotine so you get hooked on this instead!

If you really want to quit you really can with help. Do try it you have all to gain and nothing to loose.

You need to be be motivated to stop and stay stopped-if you relapse just try it all again-The clinics will support one or two attempts but you may then have to pay for the products.

Once you stop you then plan to put things in place to stay stopped.

Lots of people worry about putting on weight so start smoking again-there might be some weight gain because you can taste and smell food properly again-this is something the advisor will help you with if its a concern.

Good luck!!!

You are making the best decision ever!

I smoked for 25yrs before I had my children and grew up in passive smoke from heavy smoking parents-yet i only smoked less than 10 per day. Im the one now with COPD in a family of 5 others, Emphysema can be genetic apparently mum had this as did her dad. So I know both sides of how it is to quit-i had a few attempts but that was because I didn’t have the help back then and went cold turkey-not to be recommended!!

Let us know how you get on.?!🤞👏👏

nhs.uk/live-well/quit-smoki...

[Indiathecat in reply to Janzo54]

Thank you for being supportive. I'm going to get some of the lozenges today. I'm very sorry to hear you have COPD and especially as you quit. Wishing you all the best.

[Janzo54 in reply to Indiathecat]

Your very welcome!

Its the biggest and best decision to make so dont give up giving up!!

Its strange I got it because i grew up in a smoking family and all my siblings smoked yet they are all ok except mum who had Emphysema- but there is a test i can have for the gene-my consultant had said if my daughters smoke they have 50% chance of developing it too so its all about prevention-they have both struggled with nicotine addiction and use vaping and got addicted to that-they had both stopped for a year at a time but relapsed because they sabotaged their attempts saying ‘ its only social smoking’ then they get addicted again!!

Weve all been there and I know they will stop when they really want to eg pregnancy like I did.

It can be done, thousands do stop and stay stopped.

Cold turkey is hard yet some people manage it like my brother in law But percentage of people who manage thus is quite low I think.

We are all here to cheer you on!

Janzo 👏

[Indiathecat]

That's amazing and admire your strength. You have given me inspiration. Thank you.

[Janzo54]

Thanks! Very kind comment.

Yes its interesting that for some cold turkey can work.

You must have really made up yr mind to quit and you did! Well done 👏👏

[Gladwyn]

I was a long time smoker of 40 plus a day. About 15 years ago I decided I needed to stop so had a 1 hour session with a hypnotist at a cost of £60 and I never smoked again or ever wanted too!

[Indiathecat in reply to Gladwyn]

Thank you. I will consider hypnotherapy as cheaper than cigarettes.

[Madonna1]

Good luck giving up. I tired everything over the years patches/ gum and recently hypnotherapy which cost me £150 and didn't work!! But I now have found something CHAMPIX its brilliant was made especially for us smokers to stop.I have been smoke free 3weeks now ask your doctor about champix they are the only thing that will work if you been smoking longtime..Hope were you live your council funds the prescription as I had to pay for mine, they are a stop smoking aid on the nhs..

[Indiathecat in reply to Madonna1]

Thank you. Does it make you feel a little out of it? I did try it once and stopped for a month but was feeling dizzy. I might try it again. This is such a wonderful site as have had many ideas from very thoughtful people and I will stop and just trying to work out the best method,

[Madonna1 in reply to Indiathecat]

I dream every night very deep sleep.Only side effect I get is feeling alittle nausea on the morning tablet but it soon passes.I think there great I just dont think about smoking at all.😁

[Indiathecat in reply to Madonna1]

Thank you.

[Derek]

I was 31 yrs of age when l had a very sore throat and cough for 2 weeks which was my reason to stop smoking. I decided that l would just keep myself busy and after 4 months knew l’d cracked it. I tried stopping previously but when offered a fag l said, “No thanks l’ve given up.” Wrong this is a negative response, though colleagues knew they still offered me a fag thinking l may have resumed smoking and of course out of habit. On my second attempt l just said, “l don’t smoke.” Eureka! - A positive response. They didn’t offer again. The difficult bit was inadvertently reaching for the fag and drawing back 😂. I never had any help l just kept busy, there’s always something to do!

All the very best in your endeavour.

[Indiathecat in reply to Derek]

Thank you very much and that's good advice. I will let everyone know when I've done it.