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Do you want to make 2025 the year that you quit smoking?
Whether you’re planning to have stopped before No Smoking Day on 12 March or set that as your quit date, there is free help at hand through every stage of your journey to becoming a non-smoker. Choose the best way for you.
“Cigarettes are the biggest cause of entirely preventable illness and death in the UK. Smoking substantially increases the risk of heart disease, strokes, many cancers, dementia, and lung disease, among others. It harms those around the smoker, including children and unborn babies.” - Professor Sir Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer
How to prepare for your quit day
- Pick the date and mark it on your calendar
- Think about what support you will need, discuss this with your stop smoking advisor
- Decide on a plan, will you want telephone support or face-to-face? What about vapes? Patches? Lozenges? Discuss this with your stop smoking advisor
- Think about your previous quit attempts, what would you do differently now?
- Think about triggers, are you more likely to smoke with friends or after a meal?
- Practice how you will react if you are offered a cigarette, “No thanks, I do not smoke”
- Tell people about your quit date, your friends/ co-workers are less likely to smoke near you if they know you plan to quit
- Remember, never stop trying to quit, its a journey. Discuss any issues you are having with your stop smoking advisor
Your body keeps the score
The benefits of becoming a non-smoker can be felt within minutes of quitting, as well as improving your health in the months, years and decades to come.
- 20 minutes after quitting, your heart rate returns to normal levels.
- 8 to 12 hours after quitting, you blood carbon monoxide level drops.
- 48 hours after quitting, your ability to smell and taste improves.
- 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting, your risk of heart attack drops.
- 1 to 9 months after quitting, you’ll feel less short of breath and cough less.
- 1 year after quitting, your risk of heart disease will be cut in half.
- 10 years after quitting, your risk of lung cancer drops to that of someone who’s never smoked
- 15 years after quitting, you risk of heart disease is the same as someone who’s never smoked.