Smoking - quitting tips

Around 17.6 per cent of the Australian population smoke every day, and most smokers want to quit. According to Quit statistics, 79 per cent of Victorian smokers have tried to kick the habit at least once, while about 40 per cent have made an attempt to stop in the previous year. 

Smokers often make several attempts to quit before succeeding. Successful quitters see past attempts as practice and experience to learn from and build on. 

Some people find that going ‘cold turkey’ - quitting completely and immediately - is the most successful method for them. However, if you haven’t succeeded in stopping smoking on your own, getting extra support can increase the likelihood that you will quit successfully.

Quit courses and telephone support can help you to become, and stay, a non-smoker. Nicotine replacement therapy is available from chemists, and your doctor can also prescribe medication to help you quit.

Benefits of quitting
Quitting at any age will reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic bronchitis and several other health conditions related to smoking. The earlier you quit, the greater the health benefit. 

Your health will improve in the first few months after quitting, benefiting your heart and lungs, increasing blood flow to hands and feet and improving your immune system.

Smokers who quit by the age of 30 gain 10 years of life expectancy and avoid most smoking-related diseases. Even quitting at the age of 60 improves your life expectancy by a few years. If you already have a smoking-related disease, quitting will improve your condition and assist in your treatment.

Deciding to quit
Motivation and planning are central to quitting smoking. First, work out the main reasons you want to stop. Take a piece of paper and on one half write down the reasons you smoke. On the other half, write down all the reasons you can think of to quit. 

Now you have a clearer idea of what you will lose and what you will gain from stopping smoking. Circle the most important reason for you to quit. Write it down on a separate piece of paper and keep it somewhere you can easily look at it when you need to.

If you seem to have more reasons to smoke than quit, you may want to talk to someone about this such as your doctor or a Quitline advisor. 

Tackling barriers to quitting
Many people keep smoking because they feel it helps them in some way or they are afraid of the possible side effects of quitting. Some common concerns include:

• Cigarettes as stress relief – there are plenty of other ways to relax that are actually beneficial to the body, such as exercise and meditation.
• Fear of weight gain – not all smokers put on weight when they quit and most ex-smokers only put on a small amount of weight.
• Fear of depression – quitting cigarettes can often make a person feel better about themselves and in control. For people with a mental illness or who have had a mental illness, special support is available through your doctor and the Quitline.
• Fear of withdrawal – nicotine is an addictive drug and the effects of withdrawal can be unpleasant. However, these symptoms are only temporary.

Tips on quitting
Suggestions include:

• Decide on a quit date and stick to it.
• Ring Quitline on 13 7848. For the cost of a local call, professional telephone advisors provide encouragement and support to help smokers quit.
• The Quitline also provides a “call back” service, information on Quit’s courses, a free Quit pack and information on video, DVD, CD, audio tape or the internet.
• Tell your family and friends of your intention to stop smoking and ask for their support.
• Think about prior attempts to quit and what went wrong. Plan how to avoid the same pitfalls this time.
• Decide on your strategy. For example, do you intend to go cold turkey, use nicotine replacement therapy or attend group courses?
• Write a list of all the reasons why you want to stop smoking and refer to this list whenever you feel tempted to light up a cigarette.
• Throw away all cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays in your home and car. If your partner smokes, suggest that he or she stops too, or only smokes outside the house and away from you.
• Plan for situations that you know make you want to smoke.
• Reduce possible weight gain by eating more fruit, vegetables and wholemeal cereals. Do some exercise you enjoy, such as walking or swimming.
• Your body will absorb more caffeine than usual in the few weeks after quitting. Cut down on coffee and tea for the first month or so to prevent caffeine-induced anxiety and restlessness.
• Treat yourself with the money you have saved. Your efforts deserve to be rewarded!
• If you do have a cigarette, it’s not the end of your quit attempt. A slip-up is a setback, not a defeat.

Cravings only last a few minutes. Get through them by using the 4Ds:

• Delay acting on the urge to reach for a cigarette
• Take Deep breaths
• Drink water
• Do something else to occupy your mind while your craving passes.

Nicotine replacement therapy and prescription drugs
Cold turkey, or suddenly stopping smoking without help, is a popular quitting strategy but it doesn’t work for everyone. Some people are so irritated by the associated withdrawal symptoms that they start smoking again. 

Nicotine is the addictive substance in cigarettes that makes smokers want to keep on smoking. There are nicotine skin patches, chewing gum, lozenges, tablets and inhalers available that can ease the withdrawal symptoms when you stop smoking and increase your chances of success. These products are available from chemists. 

The prescription drug buproprion, sold under the brand name Zyban, can also reduce some nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Together with counselling, the drug can increase your chances of stopping smoking. This drug is approved by the PBS and must be prescribed by your doctor as it is not suitable for all people.

Stop smoking courses
There are courses available to help and encourage smokers to quit. Participating in a Quit Fresh Start course can be beneficial. Call Quitline for more information and referral. 

There are other smoking cessation courses available. When you consider these courses, take note of the following suggestions.

• Full details of the course, including cost, length of sessions, duration and techniques, should be made available before you sign up and pay your money.
• Follow-up advice and information should be available after the course finishes.
• The course should make no guarantees about its success rate. To have a reasonable success rate, approximately 70 per cent of participants should stop smoking by the end of the course and at least 15 per cent remain non-smokers one year later.
• If claims such as no weight gain, anxiety or withdrawal symptoms seem too good to be true, they probably are.

Where to get help

• Your doctor
• Your chemist
• Quitline Tel. 13 7848 or www.quit.org.au