Giving up smoking is not something you have to do on your own!
Contact Quit Your Way for free advice and support to help stub out the addiction. With specialist support and medication you are 4 times more likely to be successful in quitting.
Visit tinyurl.com/qywlothian and self-refer through the green “click to be contacted” button.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Lothian, have partnered together to support those who wish to quit smoking, by launching a new campaign; ‘Don’t Wait’.
Smoking remains a leading cause of preventable disease and premature death in Scotland, and this joint campaign between Scotland’s three largest health boards focuses on the harms smoking can cause and the range of free NHS stop smoking services available to help stub out the addiction.
The campaign features NHS respiratory consultant, Dr Colin Church, emphasising it’s never too late to see the benefits that come from quitting smoking. Watch the video here.
Robbie Preece, Tobacco Control Programme Manager, NHS Lothian, added: “Working across the three largest boards in Scotland allows us to share resources and we’re aiming to have a larger impact with this campaign.
“We are offering telephone and video support, and relaying the key message that quitting smoking is the single most important thing you can do to improve your health.”
Geraldine Lucas, Tobacco Control Lead, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “Working in partnership with colleagues across the central belt will allow us to raise the profile of our Quit Your Way stop smoking services which have continued to offer information, advice and support, including nicotine replacement therapy or Champix to people who smoke throughout the pandemic.
“Smoking tobacco damages the lungs and airways causing a range of severe respiratory problems and right now, more than ever, we want to encourage all people who smoke to give quitting a go.”
Shirley Mitchell, Tobacco Control Programme Manager, NHS Lanarkshire commented: “It’s inspiring to see that people are still looking to quit smoking, during such challenging times.
“We have adapted our services, in line within coronavirus restrictions, to be able to continue to support not only those looking to quit, but also their family members and anyone who has queries in regards to stopping smoking.
“Through partnership working, we will be in a much stronger position to raise awareness of this free NHS service available.”
Smoking is linked to many illnesses and long-term conditions, substantially increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, stroke and cancer.
Quit Your Way is a free NHS stop smoking service. To find out more about the stop smoking services and to access the best support to quit in your area, call the Quit Your Way helpline service on 0800 84 84 84 or visit QuitYourWay.scot.
Quit Your Way can be contacted Monday – Friday from 9am until 5pm.
You can also visit your local Community Pharmacy for FREE stop smoking support.
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion and Education at Heart Research UK
Make a plan to stop smoking
Although rates of smoking have decreased in the UK in recent years, approximately 6.9 million people over the age of 18 are smokers. Smoking harms almost all organs in the body and it is a leading cause of preventable death.
Smoking can damage your heart and blood vessels, which increases your risk of having a heart attack. Quitting smoking can be difficult, but it is an important step for reducing your risk of heart disease. We provide some tips to help you stop smoking.
List the reasons to stop smoking
If you want to stop smoking, an effective and simple thing you can do to stay on track is to write a list of the reasons why you wish to quit smoking. Whenever you feel the urge to smoke, you can read this list and it should inspire you to keep going.
Decide when to stop
As soon as you stop smoking, your risk of heart disease will reduce. The sooner you decide to quit the better. Choose a date within the next two weeks. If you leave it too long, you will give yourself time to change your mind.
Make a plan
Make a plan to quit smoking and ask your friends, family and co-workers for their support. Identify triggers that make you want to smoke and work out how you will overcome them in advance. For example, if you usually smoke during your break at work, plan to go for a walk instead.
Manage your cravings
Cigarette cravings are intense urges to smoke and they can last for 5 minutes. Quitting smoking requires a huge amount of willpower. When you get a craving, try to distract yourself for 5-10 minutes until it passes. You could try planning a healthy dinner or plan a route for a cycle ride or a walk. Once the craving has passed, you can give yourself a pat on the back.
Get support
Getting support to stop smoking can increase your chances of success. You could try contacting your local Stop Smoking Services or chatting to your GP. You could also seek advice from a friend or family member who has successfully stopped smoking or someone who is also trying to quit. You could also consider using a stop smoking aid, such as nicotine patches, gums, lozenges or nazal sprays to help stop the cravings.
You can get further support with stopping smoking from the NHS:
SMOKING
In the UK around 6.9 million people over the age of 18 smoke. Although rates of smoking have decreased in recent years, the number of people who smoke remains high.
Smoking harms almost all organs in the body and it is the leading cause of preventable deaths in England. Smoking can damage your blood vessels and heart, which increases your risk of having a heart attack.
Quitting smoking can be very difficult, but it is an important step for reducing your risk of heart disease. We provide some tips for stopping smoking below.
List your reasons for stopping smoking
If you are trying to quit smoking, an effective and simple thing you can do to stay on track is to write a list of the reasons why you wish to quit smoking. Whenever you feel the urge to smoke, you can read this list and it should inspire you to keep going.
Decide a time
As soon as you stop smoking, your risk of heart disease will reduce. The sooner you decide to quit the better. Try to choose a date within the next two weeks. If you leave it too long, you will give yourself time to change your mind.
Make a plan for when you quit
Make a plan to quit smoking and ask your friends, family and co-workers for their support. Identify the triggers that make you feel like smoking and work out how to deal with them in advance. For example, if you hang around with other people who smoke, you could plan to spend more time with non-smokers or do smoke-free activities with friends who are smokers.
If you usually smoke during your break at work, plan to go for a walk instead. Dealing with cigarette withdrawal can be tough and it can lead to you feeling emotional and upset. Before quitting, ask people to be patient and understanding and remind yourself that these feelings are temporary.
Distract yourself when you get cravings
Cigarette cravings are intense urges to smoke. Quitting smoking requires a huge amount of willpower. Cigarette cravings are temporary and they can last for 5 minutes. To avoid giving in to cigarette cravings, try to distract yourself for 5-10 minutes. You could try doing some physical activity or a bit of housework, do a bit of colouring in or planning a healthy dinner. Once the craving has passed, you can give yourself a pat on the back.
You could also consider using a stop smoking aid, such as nicotine patches, gums, lozenges or nasal sprays to help stop the cravings.
Get support to stop smoking
There is a lot of support available for people who want to stop smoking. Getting support with stopping smoking can increase your chances of success. You could try contacting your local Stop Smoking Services or chatting to your GP. If you know someone who is also trying to quit smoking, you could offer to support each other. You could also seek advice from a friend or family member who has successfully stopped smoking.
You can get further support with stopping smoking and a free Personal Quit Plan from the NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/smokefree.
For more healthy tips, recipes and advice, visit heartresearch.org.uk
The World Health Organization has launched a new kit for school students aged 13-17 to alert them to the tobacco industry tactics used to hook them to addictive products.
Every year the tobacco industry invests more than USD 9 billion to advertise its products. Increasingly, it is targeting young people with nicotine and tobacco products in a bid to replace the 8 million people that its products kill every year.
This year’s WHO’s World No Tobacco Day (31 May) campaign focuses on protecting children and young people from exploitation by the tobacco and related industry.
The toolkit has a set of classroom activities including one that puts the students in the shoes of the tobacco industry to make them aware of how the industry tries to manipulate them into using deadly products. It also includes an educational video, myth-buster quiz, and homework assignments.
The toolkit exposes tactics such as parties and concerts hosted by the tobacco and related industries, e-cigarette flavours that attract youth like bubble-gum and candy, e-cigarette representatives presenting in schools, and product placement in popular youth streaming shows.
Even during a global pandemic, the tobacco and nicotine industry persist by pushing products that limit people’s ability to fight coronavirus and recover from the disease. The industry has offered free branded masks and delivery to your door during quarantine and has lobbied for their products to be listed as ‘essential’.
Smoking suffocates the lungs and other organs, starving them of the oxygen they need to develop and function properly.
“Educating youth is vital because nearly 9 out of 10 smokers start before age 18. We want to provide young people with the knowledge to speak out against tobacco industry manipulation,” said Ruediger Krech, Director for Health Promotion at WHO.
Over 40 million young people aged 13-15 have already started to use tobacco. To reach Generation Z, WHO launched a TikTok dance challenge and welcomed social media partners like Pinterest, Tinder, YouTube and TikTok to amplify messaging.
WHO calls on all sectors to help stop marketing tactics of tobacco and related industries that prey on children and young people:
Countries can protect children from industry exploitation by putting in place strict tobacco control laws, including regulating products like e-cigarettes that have already begun to hook a new generation of young people.
Emerging evidence from China shows smokers with COVID-19 are 14 times more likely to develop severe respiratory disease.
If you smoke, you are not only putting yourself at greater risk of developing severe disease from the COVID-19 virus, but those around you exposed to second hand smoke, including children, are also put at increased risk.
Smoking tobacco is known to damage the lungs and airways causing a range of severe respiratory problems. The evidence clearly shows COVID-19 virus attacks the respiratory system, which explains why smokers are at greater risk. A small but highly impactful survey from China finds that smokers with COVID-19 are 14 times more likely to develop severe disease.
In addition, the repetitive hand to mouth movement provides an easy route of entry for the virus, putting smokers at greater risk of contracting COVID-19.
Professor John Newton, Director of Health Improvement at Public Health England said: “In light of this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, there has never been a more important time to stop smoking. Not only for your own health but to protect those around you.
“It will also help alleviate the huge pressures on the NHS.
“It is never too late to quit, no matter your age.”
Once smokefree, there are very real health benefits with the body continuing to repair the longer you stay smokefree.
The more immediate benefits include:
To help reduce your risk of contracting the virus and developing severe disease from coronavirus, you can use the smokefree app to access advice and support on how you can best stop smoking. Search ‘Smokefree’.
Follow the Smokefree Action Coalition #quitforcovid campaign on Twitter.
Scottish Conservative Health Spokesperson, Miles Briggs, has accused SNP Ministers of failing to do enough to support people to stop smoking. Continue reading Briggs fuming as smoking’s on the rise in Scotland
Researchers from Queen’s University Belfast have discovered that bacteria often found in the lungs became more harmful and caused increased inflammation when they were exposed to e-cigarette vape. Continue reading New research shows e-cigarette vape increases the potential for lung bacteria to cause harm
Obese people outnumber smokers two to one
New figures from Cancer Research UK show that people who are obese now outnumber people who smoke two to one in the UK, and excess weight causes more cases of certain cancers than smoking, as the charity urges Government action to tackle obesity. Continue reading Government must act to tackle obesity, says cancer charity
Figures published by the National Records of Scotland this week show that lung disease was Scotland’s 3rd most common cause of death last year. Continue reading Deaths from lung disease show need for investment in respiratory care
