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Quitting is worth itQuitting is worth it

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We all know that smoking is harmful, but most of us don’t realise just how harmful it is. Smoking causes or makes worse many conditions, including heart attacks, strokes, emphysema and lung cancer. Half of all lifetime smokers die from diseases caused by their smoking, and half of them die before the age of 70.

However, the good news is that quitting smoking has immediate and long-term health benefits. Within days, you can breathe and move around more easily. Within one year, your chance of having a heart attack is halved, and within 10 years your chance of dying from lung cancer is halved. It may also reduce your need for medicines.

Quitting

Cigarettes are addictive, so quitting smoking is usually difficult. You really have to want to quit if you are to have any real chance of succeeding. Even so, it often takes several attempts before success is achieved.

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It often pays to get support right from the start.

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There are many different ways of quitting, and different methods work for different people. Find out about the various methods, and choose what seems best for you. This may involve a combination of two or more methods.

Some people go ‘cold turkey’. Others gradually reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke each day, and then quit.

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Some people use aids such as medicines, supportive counselling, or complementary and alternative therapies like acupuncture, meditation or hypnosis to help them stop smoking.

Support and information

Because quitting is so difficult, it often pays to get support right from the start.

A doctor, pharmacist, nurse or Quitline (13 7848 or 13 1848) can give you support and information about the various methods of quitting and their pros and cons, help you choose a method, and give you tips and written information about quitting. Quitline can send you a free ‘Quit Pack’, which contains information about quitting, what to expect, and ways of dealing with the challenges you may face when quitting.

Attending individual or group counselling sessions, enrolling in a quit course, or joining a stop-smoking group can give you opportunities to obtain ongoing encouragement, support and helpful information from fellow quitters or someone experienced in helping people to quit. This can increase your chances of success by helping you to stay motivated and on track.

Enlisting the support of family and friends can also be vital. They can give you day-to-day encouragement and support, particularly when you are craving a cigarette.

Medicines

Several medicines have been developed to help people quit smoking. Research suggests that using these products can double your chances of quitting successfully.

Nicotine replacement therapy

Nicotine replacement therapy gives you a steady small dose of nicotine from a skin patch, chewing gum, lozenge, micro-tab or inhaler. The small dose of nicotine replaces the nicotine you previously obtained from cigarettes, which reduces the cravings and withdrawal symptoms often experienced when quitting. This makes it easier for you to break your old smoking habits, and learn to live without cigarettes.

Nicotine replacement products are much safer than cigarettes, because they do not contain the cancer-causing substances and other dangerous chemicals found in tobacco smoke. They are also less addictive than cigarettes.

Nicotine replacement therapy is available without a prescription from pharmacies. Brands include Chemist’s Own Nicotine, Nicabate CQ, Nicorette, QuitX and others. Your pharmacist and GP can give advice about which product to use and how to use it.

Prescription medicines

Two prescription medicines are available to help smokers quit: bupropion hydrochloride, which is sold under the brand names Buproprion-RL, Clorprax, Prexatoon and Zyban SR; and varenicline, which is sold under the brand name Champix.

Both medicines are available under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, but only in certain circumstances. Talk to your doctor if you think they might help you.

MedicinesTalk is a free quarterly newsletter for consumers written by consumers about using medicines wisely. Subscribe to the hard copy version using our online ordering system, or write to MedicinesTalk, National Prescribing Service Limited, PO Box 1147, Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012.

Date published: 2009-08-13 00:00:00

Reasonable care is taken to provide accurate information at the date of creation. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical advice from a qualified health professional. Health professionals should rely on their own expertise and enquiries when providing medical advice or treatment. Where permitted by law, NPS disclaims all liability (including for negligence) for any loss, damage or injury resulting from reliance on or use of this information. Read our full disclaimer.

References to brands should not be taken as an endorsement by NPS.