Top tips for quitting smoking

Quitting smoking is one of the hardest things many people ever have to do and success rates can vary wildly, with some individuals failing on their first attempt only to be successful at a later date. If you are considering quitting it’s really important that you take some time to research ways to assist yourself. This will help you to choose a method that suits you and your lifestyle best so that you are more likely to stick with it.

There are a great many stop-smoking products now available on the market, both via prescription and from your local pharmacy. Methods you may want to test out include patches, gum or Champix stop smoking medicine from Lloyds Pharmacy. Many of these products work as Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) easing the transition from smoker to non-smoker by mimicking the supply previously provided by cigarettes. However, unlike cigarettes, NRT does not contain the carcinogens or toxic chemicals like carbon monoxide or tar. It is suitable for use by most smokers, though pregnant women in particular should seek medical advice before embarking on a course of treatment.

The medicine Champix works to counter your craving for cigarettes by reducing the feelings you experience when you do smoke a cigarette. This prescription medication works alongside a ‘stop smoking plan’, whereby you set a date to cease smoking and start taking the tablets one or two weeks before this date. The course of treatment usually lasts for twelve weeks and isn’t normally offered  to pregnant women.
Of course, alongside physiological assistance to quit, it’s equally important to seek out some moral support. You will find information and advice available from both your local pharmacy and GP and there’s an expansive range of online help available now from the NHS. This includes stress-busting advice and applications you are able to download to your phone or laptop. You can access these tools at: http://smokefree.nhs.uk/.