You don't have to quit on your own!
More people in Lewisham are making the decision to stop smoking than ever before, there is plenty of help and support available
Make a decision and plan when you are going to stop smoking. Think about this carefully and choose a time that is realistic. It is better not to plan to stop before you go on holiday or before a party. Choose a day to easily remember - the first day of the month or a birthday of somebody who's important to you because you'll easily remember the date when people ask when you quit smoking.
Here's our Top Ten tips:
- Call Lewisham stop smoking service and arrange to meet a stop smoking advisor in your area, or get advice over the phone if you would prefer. 0800 0820 388
- Set an actual quit date in your diary. Midweek is better, say Wednesday, than just after the weekend or a Friday, as it is just before the weekend and you may be less motivated!
- Use the free treatment that is available to help you quit. Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is available as patches, gum and inhalators (looks like a plastic cigarette). Talk to Lewisham Stop Smoking Service about using this treatment. You will be much more likely to be successful with NRT and support than going “cold turkey”.
- Keep a diary of when you used to smoke and plan to do something else at this time. For example, if you smoke when you have a cup of tea, then think about changing your habit – maybe have a drink of water or orange juice instead – so you won’t have the trigger to smoke!
- You will notice that you have more free time now. Think about taking up a new hobby or activity, like an evening class to distract you.
- Remember to change your patches every day and take the full dose of NRT. Most people who don’t succeed in quitting have not used enough NRT or they stop using it too early. To give yourself the best chance of success, you need to use it for 8 – 12 weeks.
- Your cravings for cigarettes will be more intense and more frequent in the first few weeks. It will then change and you may become more irritable and distracted for a while. Remember this is a normal part of stopping smoking and it will pass. Using your NRT and talking to a stop smoking advisor will help you cope with this. Don't forget it can take up to 3 MINUTES for your craving for nictotine to subside.
- Once you have stopped for a few weeks, don’t get too confident and think you can just have one! This is a mistake many smokers make, as once you have been a smoker you will never be able to have just one – it will lead you back to smoking again.
- Congratulations to you! Keep telling yourself it is the best think you can do for yourself. Feel proud, congratulate yourself and treat yourself to something nice, as stopping smoking is a huge achievement.
- Stay Stopped if you do start smoking again don't worry lots of people take a number of tries at quitting smoking before they are actually able to quit smoking for good.
Contact us and let us know how you are getting on. We are here to help you.
T: 0800 0820 388
E: quit@smokefreelewisham.co.uk