Why help smokers to stop?
Most smokers are addicted to nicotine. Nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs of all, comparable to cocaine or heroin. Although in decline, 27% of all adults in the UK still smoke. Over two thirds of smokers want to stop, and one third try to stop in any year. However, unaided only about 1-3% will succeed each year.
Smokers need and deserve help in stopping smoking.
What can we offer?
Here at The Orchard Medical Centre, we offer a service to help, encourage and support patients to give up smoking. This service provides
- Simple opportunistic advice
- Assessment of the individuals commitment to quit
- Discussion about methods to help patients give up
- Self-help materials
- Encouragement
Our practice nurses and health care assistants run these clinics. They may recommend and prescribe therapies as an aid to help patients to quit smoking, along with giving advice, encouragement and support. Before prescribing treatment, they take into account the person's intention and motivation to quit and how likely it is they will follow the course of treatment.
Patients are encouraged to ask at reception to register their details should they wish to access this service. A member of staff will then attempt to contact you to make an appointment either by telephone or letter.
The first of these appointments are 30 minutes long and follow-up appointments are 10 minutes thereafter. The service is extremely popular. Patients are encouraged to attend wherever possible, but if, for any unforeseen circumstances you cannot make your appointment, please ensure that you cancel your appointment to allow another patient access to this service.
HELP HINTS
If you want to stop smoking, any method can help.
If you don't want to stop, no method will help.
- Make a plan ahead of time for coping with stressful situations
- Pick a day for stopping that will be relatively stress free and stick to
this date
- Think positively - you can do it - concentrate on the benefits of not
smoking, review your reasons for stopping
- Take it one day at a time
- Congratulate yourself frequently
- Remove all smoking paraphernalia
- Delay or do something else, remove the cue to smoking. Remind
yourself that the urge is only temporary and will be gone in 3-5
minutes
- Deep breathing. Take a few breaths, this will help to relax and the
extra oxygen will increase alertness
- Drink water/squash when a craving comes, it will help clean the body
and gives the mouth a treat
- Brush your teeth
- Play with a stress ball, blue tack or worry beads etc.
- Keep pencil and paper beside the phone to doodle
- Take a short break from whatever you are doing: go for a walk, talk
to someone
- Increase your level of fitness, release of endorphins
- Eat more fruit
- Count the money you save and treat yourself to something special
- Take a day at a time and build on it.
