Islington Stop Smoking Service

Description

NRT nicotine replacement therapy

How does it work
NRT works by giving your body enough nicotine to ease withdrawal symptoms from fags You can get skin patches chewing gum tablets lozenges inhalers and nasal sprays on prescription from your GP or Stop Smoking service Whatever form you choose it provides a slow release of nicotine into your bloodstream to help you overcome the cravings Using NRT doubles your chances of stopping smoking

Zyban
How does it work
Zyban is a nonnicotine drug which helps you to cope with the withdrawal symptoms when you stop smoking It comes in tablet form only You need to take one tablet a day for one week before your quit date Then take two tablets eight hours apart for the next eight weeks Zyban is not suitable for everybody This medication is available on prescription only
You need to speak to your doctor before considering Zyban

Stop smoking course
If you want to kick the habit the Islington Stop Smoking Service can help It offers free advice and gives support to smokers wanting to give up and runs group sessions at various venues around the borough

The groups bring together other smokers who want to quit helped by one of the Islington Stop Smoking advisors who offer advice about the treatments available Groups are suitable for anybody who wants to come along but particularly for heavily dependent smokers those who smoke 20 or more a day or people who smoke within 30 minutes of waking up

There are seven weekly meetings each about an hour long and daytime and evening sessions are both available

The first two meetings are spent preparing for when you stop smoking and everyone in the group stops together during the third week

By meeting in a group people can help each other by chatting about what theyre going through and how theyre finding it and providing support for each other Research has shown that after the end of each group an average of 60 to 70 per cent of its members will have given up smoking This intensive support helps up to one in five smokers quit longterm

Onetoone support is also available with five weekly sessions of about 20 minutes each with a trained advisor People can come at a time and to a location convenient for them and it suits those who dont like the idea of a group This helps seven to ten per cent of smokers quit longterm Only two per cent of smokers who try to quit on their own will succeed for one year or more but the Stop Smoking service greatly increases your chance of quitting

For free help to stop smoking call 0800 093 9030

Tips to help you give up smoking Article from The Guardian
When you try to stop smoking your chances of success will be a lot better if you plan ahead Weve looked at the information available to people who are getting ready to stop And weve put together some of the best advice we could find Here it is

1 Get ready


Set a date to stop
Tell your friends and family youre stopping and ask them not to offer you any cigarettes and not to smoke around you
Talk to your GP about getting treatment to help you stop
Ask your GP or another health professional what support is available in your area for people who want to stop smoking
If youve tried to stop before think about why you started again and try not to fall into the same trap again
Get rid of all the ashtrays lighters and cigarettes in your home your car and your place of work


2 Stop


Once you get to your stop day dont smoke not even one last cigarette
Dont let anyone smoke in your home Ask them to smoke outside
When you get the urge to smoke do something to distract yourself Have a drink of water go for a walk talk to someone get busy with a hobby or a chore youve been meaning to do
Change your normal routine so that you dont think about when you used to smoke For example if you used to have a cigarette right after breakfast have your breakfast somewhere where you cant smoke say in the office Switch to tea if you used to drink coffee
Try to reduce stress by having a hot bath taking an exercise class or by reading a book or magazine
Drink lots of water and other fluids


3 Dont give in
You may have low times when youre trying to stop but try to stay positive by reminding yourself of why youre stopping

Below is a list of common reasons people give for why they start smoking again If any of these look like problems you might have plan ahead so you can do things differently Until you feel really confident about not smoking these are some things you may have to avoid

Drinking alcohol Alcohol lowers your willpower So until you feel on top of things try to avoid it especially in social situations like parties
Other smokers You may usually smoke when youre with certain people You may have to put off seeing those people for a while
Weight gain Many people especially women worry about putting on weight when they stop smoking You can reduce your chances of gaining weight by being active and eating healthy food Dont go on a diet when you first stop because that can distract you from stopping smoking and make it harder Nicotine replacement therapy especially the gum may help to avoid weight gain
Bad mood or depression Dont be tempted to smoke If you get irritable or feel stressed dont give in to the old habit Put off the temptation to smoke by finding other ways of coping when you feel down A lot of people find that going for a walk helps


4 If you start smoking again


Dont lose heart Remember that most exsmokers have tried several times before they stopped for good
Dont stop trying to give up Half of all smokers eventually stop
If youre one of the many who have stopped only to start again think about why you started smoking again Plan ahead to keep from being tempted the same way next time
References
NHS Choices Smokefree Why go smokefree Available at httpsmokefreenhsukwhygosmokefree accessed on 19 November 2008

Williamson DF Madans J Anda RF et al Smoking cessation and severity of weight gain in a national cohort New England Journal of Medicine 1991 324 739745

Giovino GA Henningfield JE Tomar SL et al Epidemiology of tobacco use and dependence Epidemiology Review 1995 17 4865

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research smoking cessation clinical practice guideline Journal of the American Medical Association 1996 275 127080

copy BMJ Publishing Group Limited quotBMJ Groupquot 2009