The Practice is always keen to support and encourage any patient to quit smoking.
Please discuss this with any of the doctors or nurses and they will be happy to help!
Giving up smoking on your own can be a hard and daunting task …
Help is at hand!
‘Your Health Your Way’ is a free service available to support residents of Nottinghamshire (excluding Nottingham City) to get support to quit smoking, get more active, eat healthier, lose weight, drink less alcohol.
Call ‘Your Health Your Way’ for more information.
T: 0115 772 2515
Website: www.yourhealthnotts.co.uk
Email: [email protected]
There are many good reasons to stop smoking
There are no good reasons to continue
Stopped Smoking?
The Good News
| Time Stopped | Benefits |
| 20 minutes | Blood pressure and pulse return to normal. Circulation improves, especially in hands and feet. |
| 8 hours | The oxygen level in your blood increases to a normal level. The chances of a heart attack start to fall. |
| 24 hours | Carbon monoxide leaves the body. The lungs start to clear out mucus and debris |
| 48 hours | Nicotine it no longer found in the body. Senses of taste and smell improve |
| 72 hours | Breathing becomes easier. Energy levels increase |
| 2-12 weeks | Circulation improves throughout the body. |
| 3-9 months | Breathing problems improve. Lung efficiency improves by 5-10% |
| 5 years | Risk of having a heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker. |
| 10 years – | Risk of lung cancer falls to around half of that of a smoker. Risk of a heart attack falls to about the same as someone who has never smoked. |
Do you really want to stop?
Here is a checklist of reasons for giving up:
- I want to improve my health
- I’m tired of smelling of smoke
- I don’t want my children to become smokers
- It’s anti social
- I’m afraid of getting cancer
- I don’t like being addicted
- I have better things to do with my money
If you’re ready to stop make an Action Plan:
- Decide when you’re going to stop
- Get rid of your cigarettes and ashtrays the night before
- Let friends and family know that your giving up – and don’t forget to call 0800 3897712.
- Break the habit – you may need to change your routine for a while
- Think about nicotine replacement therapy
Getting through the first days:
- If you need to put something in your mouth, try sugar free sugar gum – keep it healthy and non-fattening
- If you need to do something with your hands, find something to fiddle with – a pencil, coin or ring. Anything but a cigarette
- Try drinking juice or eating fruit when you feel like having a cigarette
- Be sensible with alcohol. A few drinks can make you ‘forget’ you’ve given up
- Congratulate yourself – everyday without a cigarette is an achievement
Take one day at a time…
It’s a cliché but it works. Make your goal to get through today without smoking. It is easier to do this each morning than worry about how you will manage without cigarettes for the rest of your life.
‘What if I’ve had a cigarette?’
Don’t give up giving up! Go back to stage 1 and make tomorrow the day to start again. Think about why you had a cigarette and how you can avoid the same situation in future. If you really feel you’re not ready to stay stopped, then have a break.