Giving up smoking isn’t easy but it could save your life… here’s a guide to help you kick the habit in 2017
We spoke to expert Robert West, a Health Psychology professor, who's spent 30 years researching the best way for smokers to give up
WILLPOWER, nicotine substitutes, smartphone apps, skin patches, gum, going cold turkey – there are lots of ways to quit smoking but some work better than others.
Robert West, Professor of Health Psychology at University College London, has spent 30 years researching how to help smokers give up.
He says: “Nicotine replacement therapies, including gums, can help — more than 100 studies say so. But they are no magic cure.
“Studies show smokers have a better chance of quitting using a nicotine patch combined with one of the others, such as gum or lozenges.
"And it’s vital to accept a lot of willpower is needed. All nicotine replacements do is reduce the cravings and mood swings a bit.
“Prescription pill Zyban gets similar results to nicotine patches, but research shows Champix is about 50 per cent more likely to get smokers off cigarettes for good than either of these.
“The best-selling book by Allen Carr (Easy Way To Stop Smoking) has been reported to give a success rate of 53 per cent but we are still waiting for definitive studies.
"The strongest evidence so far is for talking to a specialist stop-smoking adviser and using Champix or a nicotine products.
“But not everyone wants to do that. The most popular method now is e-cigarettes and the evidence strongly suggests that they have helped a lot of people quit — about 20,000 last year in England.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU STOP?
- The first 90 minutes: Nicotine levels in the blood halve and oxygen levels start to get back to normal.
- Eight hours later: Carbon monoxide levels fall and nicotine in the bloodstream decreases by 93 per cent.
- 24 hours later: Carbon monoxide has been eliminated from your system. Mucus starts to be removed from your lungs. Risk of heart attack starts to reduce.
- One week later: Your senses of taste and smell improve. Breathing becomes easier.
- Four months later: Any cough should have subsided and circulation will be improved. Lung function can increase by as much as ten per cent.
- One year later: The excess risk of heart attack is cut by half, feelings of happiness and life satisfaction are back up to the levels seen in non-smokers.
- Five years later: The risks of stroke and lung cancer are dramatically reduced compared with if smoking had continued.
- Ten years later: Your risk of dying from lung cancer drops by 50 to 70 per cent.
- 15 years later: Your risk of dying from heart disease is the same as for someone who doesn’t smoke.
“Whatever else smokers do, studies also show quitting abruptly has a 50 per cent higher chance of success than trying to gradually phase out smoking.
"It seems odd but I advise smokers that they can smoke their heads off until they reach the date they’ve agreed with themselves to quit, but after that they should use every trick in the book to avoid having a puff on a cigarette.”
Professor West adds that if you’ve tried and failed in the past, don’t think you’re always set for failure.
He says: “It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve tried, every attempt at stopping has the same chance of success.
“There’s a lot of luck involved in quitting, which people don’t realise. So if you’ve quit and started again once or ten times, don’t give up trying to give up.
"It’s like rolling dice — it doesn’t matter how many times you roll different numbers, your chances of getting two sixes stay the same with every roll.”
For those thinking of giving up, Professor West warns there will always be temptations.
He says: “Danger points are situations your brain has linked with smoking. Being with other smokers and drinking alcohol are big danger points.
ARE E-CIGS SAFE?
HERE is Professor West’s verdict . . .
"Millions of smokers are finding them more attractive – and there is no question they are much safer than cigarettes.
That doesn’t mean they are safe. But if we could get all smokers using them we would save tens of thousands of lives every year.
There is no evidence to say that they are 100- per-cent safe. But they are 100-per-cent safer than cigarettes.”
One fear is that they will encourage kids to take up smoking but so far the theory has not been borne out.
The problem is, they could be used to undermine the progress we have made in getting people off cigarettes. The tobacco industry could use them as a gateway to smoking – and smokers could use them in situations where they would normally be unable to smoke, such as in pubs or at work.
In practice, the story so far in the UK is all good news. We are not seeing young people smoking e-cigarettes. We are not seeing them marketed at children. We are seeing lots of smokers using them to help give up.
But things could go pear-shaped quickly. So the Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is looking at regulation. But we need the lightest regulation possible. We need the situation monitored so, if there is a problem, we can nip it in the bud."
“If you can’t avoid these situations, then make sure you are ready with a substitute activity. Doing something with your smartphone or going for a walk can help.
“There’s evidence that trying to give up with someone you don’t know well can be helpful, as you’re reluctant to let them down.
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“And it’s harder to stop if the person you’re living with smokes.
"In that case, get them on your side at least by asking them not to leave cigarettes lying around or ask them to smoke somewhere you won’t see or smell it.
“It’s worth explaining too that irritability is initially an expected side-effect of quitting, so they’ll have to be patient with you.”
If you want to quit, try the NHS Smoking Helpline – in England 0800 434 6677, Wales 0800 085 2219, Scotland 0800 84 84 84, Northern Ireland 0808 812 8008.
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