Smoking

Did you know giving up smoking significantly increase your chances of living a longer healthier lifestyle, even if you have smoked for 40 years!

It is never to late to think about stopping, it will make a drastic improvement to your lifestyle and health in ways you might not expect.

Benefits of quitting 

  • After 20 minutes your blood pressure and pulse return to normal
  • After 24 hours your lungs start to clear 
  • After two days your body is nicotine-free and your sense of taste and smell improve 
  • After three days you can breathe more easily, and your energy increases.

Very Brief Intervention

Ask

Do you smoke?

If the answer is yes, move onto questions in the 'Assist' section'

Assist

Have you thought about quitting or tried to quit before?

State that the best way of stopping smoking is with a combination of specialist support and medication or e-cigarettes

  • Studies show that you are three times more likely to quit smoking if you do  it through a specialist support service.
  • Services are free and they provide one to one support. 
  • Local stop smoking services staffed by expert advisers provide a range of proven methods to help you quit, including free nicotine replacement therapies. 
  • Consider using E-cigarettes to stop smoking. Many people have found vaping an effective quitting aid. Whilst not completely risk free, switching completely from smoking tobacco to vaping will provide substantial health benefits compared to continuing to smoke.

Try and explore what the personalised benefits/motivation to quit could be, this could be better health, cost of smoking, family support etc.

Do you think you would benefit from the services your local stop smoking service can offer?

These can be found in the 'Local Support and Contact details' section

Act

NATIONAL SUPPORT

  • Call the free Smokefree National Helpline to speak to a trained, expert adviser on 0300 123 1044. All lines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm and Saturday and Sunday 11am to 4pm*
  • Better Health quit smoking website which includes information about the benefits of quitting, advice on various quitting aids and a local stop smoking service lookup tool 
  • NHS Quit Smoking App (Apple) or NHS Quit Smoking App (google/android) - a 28-day programme that provides practical support, encouragement, and tailored clinical advice on your mobile/tablet. Includes a savings calculator so you can see how much money you're saving.
  • Get a free Personal Quit Plan Quitting smoking is easier with the right support. Give up for 28 days, and you're 5 times more likely to quit for good – get your plan now!
  • You can also speak to your doctor, pharmacy team or local Stop Smoking Service for expert advice on stop smoking medicines.

SELF CARE

  • Download the NHS Quit Smoking app from apple or google/android
  • Get further information from the National Health Service www.nhs.uk/quit
  • Consider using e-cigarettes to stop smoking
  • Get daily email support - If you would like some extra support, you can sign up for 28 days of stop smoking advice and tips – delivered straight to your inbox.  Sign up for email support
  • Find your online community - You do not have to do it alone – join others going through the same thing in a friendly and supportive environment.  Join the Quit Smoking Support Group on Facebook

Emphasise that quitting will the best thing they will ever do and the NHS Smokefree service can provide the friendly and helpful support they need to quit for good

Local Support and Contact Details