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Stop Smoking

Quit smoking information and how to stop advice online

It is a well-known fact that smoking is bad for your health, but the vast majority of us also want to quit smoking. The addictive ingredient in cigarettes is nicotine, but there are a total of 4,000 other toxic chemicals, which is what makes smoking such a harmful habit. However, did you know that quitting can benefit your body after just 20 minutes as well as all the long-term gains?

There are numerous methods that smokers can use to try to successfully quit smoking, such as nicotine patches, gum and counselling sessions as well as medication such as Champix. You can read more about successfully quitting below and what methods are out there to help you stop smoking for good.

Why quit smoking?

Smoking is very damaging to your health and there are a variety of associated health risks smokers should be concerned about. The four ingredients in tobacco that are the most damaging to health, are tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide and components of the gas although there are thousands of others that can cause health complications.

Tar is a carcinogen, which is a harmful substance that can cause cancer, most commonly lung cancer. Other forms of cancer influenced by smoking can include liver cancer, bladder cancer, throat cancer and mouth cancer. Nicotine is the addictive element in tobacco; this draws people into an addictive cycle of smoking and causes an increase in cholesterol levels in your body.

In addition, carbon monoxide is a very harmful gas. When consumed it strips your body of oxygen, making breathing more difficult. Components of the gas can result in cases of chronic pulmonary disorder (COPD), which is a respiratory condition that swells the lungs and results in breathlessness and coughing.

As well as health risks, smoking is an expensive habit. Based on a habit of 5 per day, according to the NHS, this equates to £548 every year.

(https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/)

These potential risks, both health-wise and financial, can be avoided by seeking support and assistance. This help can come in multiple forms and will be explored throughout this page.

How to stop smoking

Deciding to stop smoking is one of the most important and responsible decisions you are likely to make. It is no secret that quitting brings a wealth of health benefits and is likely to increase your life expectancy.

Although smoking cessation is difficult, if you quit smoking successfully, the benefits vastly outweigh any problems that you will face along the way. If you are serious in your attempt to stop smoking, OnlineClinic can offer you assistance by providing you with Champix, one of the most successful smoking cessation treatments available today. Taken over the course of 12 weeks, Champix offers an efficient and cost effective option for people who want to make a difference to their health.

There are other options available to help you to quit smoking, including nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and E-Cigarettes. In the case of nicotine replacement therapy (taken in the form of pills, patches, sprays, inhalers and gums), it has a poor success rate when used to aid smoking cessation. In fact, the relapse rate is quite high when using nicotine replacement therapy, with just 17% of people remaining permanently smoke-free after their first attempt at quitting. With regards to e-cigarettes, as they are a new product, their effects haven't been monitored thoroughly enough at this time. Therefore, it isn't quite known how effective they are when used to aid smoking cessation. This ensures that prescription medication, such as Champix, is currently the most effective and trustworthy option when looking to quit smoking.

Stop smoking side effects

When quitting smoking, some side effects, also referred to as 'withdrawal symptoms', will be experienced. This is normally the case within the initial eight weeks of stopping. Methods, such as prescription medication, can help to ease this process and even avoid certain side effects that would normally be experienced when going 'cold turkey'.

Below are some of the 'withdrawal symptoms' that may be experienced when you quit smoking:

  • Tingling sensation in the hands and feet
  • Headaches
  • Stress / anxiety
  • Mood swings
  • Sweating
  • Insomnia
  • Irritability
  • Fatigue

Benefits of stopping smoking

Quitting smoking brings a wealth of health and financial benefits, and even if you have been a smoker for a long time, you should not be deterred. The stop smoking timeline below details the health benefits you can enjoy in as quickly as 20 minutes after you stop smoking:

Stop smoking timeline

Time since quitting Changes that occur after giving up

20 minutes

Your blood pressure and heart rate will return to normal

8 hours

Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in your blood will halve, with oxygen levels returning to normal

24 hours

All traces of carbon monoxide will be removed from your body

48 hours

Nicotine will be flushed out of your body and your ability to taste and smell will be vastly improved

72 hours

Breathing becomes easier. Bronchial tubes begin to relax and energy levels increase.

2 weeks

Circulation of blood will return to normal from 2 to 12 weeks

3 to 9 months

Lung functions improve by 10% in 3 to 9 months.

1 year

Your risk of heart attack will become half that of a smoker

10 years

Your risk of lung cancer will be less than half that of a smoker

15 years

Your risk of heart attack will become the same as that of a non-smoker

Other personal benefits

Other health benefits you can experience if you successfully quit smoking can include a significant improvement in your fitness and sporting performance. Also, personal hygiene will improve, meaning gum disease, stained teeth and bad breath can be avoided. In addition, your complexion can be enhanced, ensuring that your skin can be returned to its natural colour.

Benefits to others

By quitting smoking, others around can also feel the benefit. By stopping smoking the quality of the air in your home or car will greatly improve, ensuring that the fabrics will smell fresh and clean. In fact, whilst we're used to dodging smoke we can visually see, the vast majority is invisible and clogs all fabrics in your home and belongings. Also, passive smoking can be avoided, which is highly beneficial if you have any children and babies in your household, as they are particularly vulnerable around second-hand smoke.

Financial benefits

As well as health benefits, you can reap substantial financial rewards from quitting. Estimates suggest that an average smoker in the UK will spend £1,500 a year smoking between ten and 15 cigarettes each day. In fact, a 20-a-day cigarette habit can cost over £2,000. With the prices of cigarettes going up each year, now has never been a better time to stop.

Buying treatment

It is common knowledge that smoking is damaging to your health and can be the cause of a number of conditions such as erectile dysfunction and life-threatening illnesses like cancer. However, these harmful effects can be avoided by using an effective treatment to help you to successfully quit smoking. Studies have shown that combining methods can have a stronger effect than going cold turkey, or sticking to one option. One of these methods is available at OnlineClinic in the form of Champix, the most effective and recognised smoking cessation treatment available today. When combined with support and altering other lifestyle factors, taken over the course of 12-weeks, Champix 1mg tablets have been proven to be more effective than nicotine replacement therapies, such as nicotine gum or patches. It is also twice as successful as Zyban; the only other existing prescription medication to aid smoking cessation. This medication can be safely purchased from OnlineClinic after completing a quick and simple online consultation. To seek assistance and learn more about this quit smoking treatment you can visit our Champix page.

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