Lots of people smoke because they think it calms their nerves, but this isn't the case. Smoking just calms the cravings for nicotine, the addictive substance in cigarettes. The best thing you can do for your and your family's health is to stop smoking.
The children of smokers are three times more likely to grow up to be smokers themselves.
Giving up smoking isn’t always easy, but the NHS can help. You’re up to four times more likely to stop smoking successfully if you do it with NHS support.
Call the NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 022 4332 or the NHS Pregnancy Smoking Helpline on 0800 169 9169 for details of your local NHS stop-smoking service.
Here are some ways to help you stop:
- Know why you want to stop. Make a checklist of your reasons for stopping smoking and read it when you’re finding it tough. Good reasons include feeling healthier, protecting your children’s health and having more money to spend on other things.
- Change your habits. Smoking is strongly linked to certain situations and times, such as the first cigarette of the day, a cigarette with a cup of tea or coffee or a cigarette when you're on the phone. Try to break the link by changing your habits. For example, drink orange juice instead of coffee for a while.
- Be ready to stop. Choose a day and stop completely on that day. The day before, get rid of cigarettes, ashtrays and lighters.
- Get support. Tell your family and friends you’ve decided to stop, and ask for their support. Ask them not to offer you cigarettes and, if they smoke, not to smoke around you.
- Plan ahead. If you know a situation’s going to be difficult, don’t just wait for it to happen. Plan how you will deal with it.
- Take one day at a time. At the start of each day, congratulate yourself on having made it this far. Make it your goal not to smoke today, and don’t worry about tomorrow.
- If you need to put something in your mouth, try sugar-free gum. If you need to do something with your hands, find something to fiddle with, such as a pencil, coin or anything other than a cigarette.
Ask your GP, pharmacist, midwife, health visitor or practice nurse for advice on stopping smoking and for details of your local NHS stop-smoking service.
This service offers one-to-one or group sessions with trained stop-smoking advisers. If you’re pregnant, they may have a pregnancy stop-smoking specialist. They can also give you advice about dealing with stress, weight gain and using nicotine replacement therapy to help you manage your cravings.
Further information
