Motivating factors to help you quit smoking for good

Did you know that tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the world? Yes, the world. I doubt it would be legal if it were to be released onto the market today, writes John Sargeant, chairman of Community Pharmacy Derbyshire.
Stop smoking. Photo by Pixabay.Stop smoking. Photo by Pixabay.
Stop smoking. Photo by Pixabay.

Like all addictions you have to be mentally ready to quit but here are just a few motivating factors:

l You will live a longer and healthier life reducing your risk from heart attacks and cancer, etc...

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

l You will also be considerably better off financially – an average of ten cigarettes per day costs £4, which is £1,460 for a full year and almost £30,000 after 20 years!

What support is out there to help you quit? The stop smoking services are: Livewell in Derby and Live Life Better in Derbyshire county.

If you want to double your chances of quitting then you can use nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). There are patches, lozenges, inhalers, sprays, chewing gum and tablets that dissolve in the mouth – all of these replace some of the nicotine that you are no longer getting from tobacco. It’s likely that the most difficult time will be during the first few days, but things usually start to ease after three or four days. Your pharmacist can guide you through the plethora of products and help you to make an informed choice that’s right for you. It can take up to 12 weeks to quit; and he or she will be able to help tailor your choice of NRT as your quit attempt progresses. You will need higher strength products for the first couple of weeks and then, as your body gets used to having less nicotine, you can begin to reduce the dose until you no longer feel the need to smoke or use the replacement therapy.

So, if you think you might be ready then let your family and friends know you’re quitting, and make the change that’s guaranteed to improve your health. If you succeed you won’t be alone as more than 15 million people have already successfully stubbed it out.