Smoking

Smoking

: Parent Category: ROOT; Category: You and Your Health; Created: Thursday, 17 April 2014 11:53; Written by Caroline Hudd

Health, family, money, appearance, energy and fertility are just some of the reasons why people want to quit smoking but for most people, quitting smoking is tough.

As well as being addicted to the nicotine in cigarettes, smokers can also be caught in the habit of smoking as part of their daily routine and/or use smoking as a way of coping with stress, anxiety and depression.

Whether you want to try quitting on your own or with some free support from our friendly and flexible service - understanding your smoking habits and having a plan for dealing with these can be the key to quitting smoking for good.

It might take a few attempts but it's really worth it when you finally kick that habit for good!

ABL Wirral can help you quit!

Click here to find support in Wirral

Stop smoking for your...

Smoking facts

70% of smokers say they would like to quit
Up to 120,000 men in the UK in their 20s and 30s are impotent as a direct result of smoking
Children who grow up with a parent or family member who smokes are three times as likely to start smoking themselves

Your health

As well as nicotine, each lit cigarette releases more than 4,000 poisonous chemicals which seriously increase your risk of having a stroke, heart attack or developing fatal diseases such as cancer, pneumonia and emphysema.

The chemicals and toxins affect all parts of your body...

nicotine stimulates your body to produce adrenaline raising your blood pressure and forcing your heart to beat faster
carbon monoxide reduces the amount of oxygen in your blood so the heart has to work harder to supply the body with the oxygen it needs
your blood is affected making it thicker and more prone to clots
the fine capillaries under your skin contract restricting the blood flow and fresh oxygen getting to your skin so it looks dull and lifeless
smoke residue clogs up your lungs and airways leading to breathing problems reducing the amount of fresh oxygen and blood getting to your organs
bone density is lost because the balance of hormones (such as oestrogen) that they need to stay strong are affected. This can lead to joint pain, early onset osteoporosis, frequent fractures and slower healing injuries
chemicals affect the good bacteria in your mouth, your teeth are coated in tar giving them a yellowish tinge
the walls of blood vessels are weakened
the walls of your arteries are damaged leading to a build-up of fatty material which narrows the artery and restricts blood flow
for men - blood vessels that supply blood to the penis are damaged and can cause male impotence, damage/reduce sperm count
for women – it can reduce fertility and lead to miscarriage

Chemicals in cigarette smoke

Here are some of the most common chemicals in cigarette smoke:

Tar - material for paving roads
Carbon - Monoxide released in car exhaust fumes
Acetone - found in nail polish remover
Ammonia - a common household cleaner
Arsenic - main ingredient in rat poison
Formaldehyde - embalming fluid
Cadmium - an active component in battery acid
Shellac - used in wood varnish
Benzene - found in rubber cement
Cyanide - a deadly poison
Methanol - a main component in rocket fuel

Here's how quickly your body can start to recover after you quit:

After 20 minutes – blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal.

After 8 hours - Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in blood reduce by half and oxygen levels return to normal.

After 48 hours - Carbon monoxide will be eliminated from the body. Lungs start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris.

After 48 hours - There is no nicotine in the body. Ability to taste and smell is greatly improved.

After 72 hours - Breathing becomes easier. Bronchial tubes begin to relax and energy levels increase.

After 2-12 weeks - Your circulation improves.

After 3-9 months - Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung function increases by up to 10%.

After 5 years - Risk of heart attacks falls to about half compared with a person who is still smoking.

After 10 years - Risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker. Risk of heart attack falls to the same as someone who has never smoked.

Your family

Secondhand smoke

The smoke from the burning tip of a cigarette and the smoke exhaled, release more than 4,000 different chemicals into the air. Smoking around other people puts them at risk of developing the same illnesses and diseases as you, including heart disease and cancer.

The chemicals from the smoke can stay in the air for several hours after a person has smoked – even with a window open. It's still there even if you can't see or smell it.

Smoking around children and babies

If you smoke around children, they can inhale the equivalent of 150 cigarettes per year.

Children and babies are more at risk of developing problems as they breathe faster and deeper than adults. Children who grow up in a smoky environment are much more likely to suffer from breathing problems, allergies and infections.

Pledge to a smoke free home and car!

Smoking in your house or car exposes others to the harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke. Pledge to have a smoke free home and car and you'll find there are other benefits too, including:

yours and your children's eyes will no longer be irritated by smoke
your children will be less likely to miss school through illness
your children will be less likely to start smoking
your home will be cleaner and fresher
you will be less likely to have a house fire
you'll find it easier to give up smoking
your pets are likely to be healthier and live longer

Save money

Smoking is getting to be a more and more expensive habit to fund but as a smoker it can also cost you more in life insurance and income protection.

How much could you save if you quit smoking?

+ - Five a day Click to collapse

Based on smoking 5 per day...	Savings	Benefits
After one month...	£46	If you stopped smoking, after a month, you could put the money towards a table at your favourite restaurant and enjoy a well-earned treat. Your skin would begin to look clearer, brighter and younger as well.
After six months...	£274	After six months, the savings would be really mounting up. The money you'd have saved would go a long way towards a weekend break or a special day out. Your clothes and home would smell fresher too.
After one year...	£548	If you've saved all you would have spent on smoking, you could have a nest egg of anything up to the equivalent of the average weekly wage. Think what you could do with all that extra in your pocket. In addition, you would get fewer coughs and colds.
After five years...	£2,738	After five years, your savings would have really mounted up. You would have enough to go towards a brilliant holiday for the family or for a down payment on a new car. Your risk of suffering a heart attack would now have fallen too.
After 10 years...	£5,475	After 10 years, you would have saved hundreds, or even thousands, of pounds and wouldn't be far from buying yourself a new car. Your risk of lung cancer would now have fallen to about half that of a smoker as well.

+ - Ten a day Click to collapse

Based on smoking 10 per day...	Savings	Benefits
After one month...	£91	If you stopped smoking, after a month you could afford to buy a new outfit or put it towards a special weekend away as a treat. Your skin would begin to look clearer, brighter and younger too.
After six months...	£548	After six months, the money you'd have saved could cover a holiday or a new laptop computer. Your clothes and home would smell fresher as well.
After one year...	£1,095	After a year, if you've saved all the money you would've spent on cigarettes you'd have a nest egg equivalent to twice the UK's average weekly wage. Think what you could do with all that extra money. You would also suffer fewer coughs and colds.
After five years...	£5,475	After five years, your savings would have really mounted. That's almost a quarter of the national average annual salary and you wouldn't be a long way from buying a new car. Remember too, your risk of a heart attack would now be half that of a smoker.
After 10 years...	£10,950	After 10 years you would have saved the equivalent of one year's average mortgage repayments. Imagine paying off your mortgage one year early. Your risk of lung cancer would have fallen to about half that of a smoker too.

+ - Twenty a day Click to collapse

Based on smoking 20 per day...	Savings	Benefits
After one month...	£183	If you stopped smoking, after a month, you could put the money towards a table at your favourite restaurant and enjoy a well-earned treat. Your skin would begin to look clearer, brighter and younger as well.
After six months...	£1,095	After six months, the savings would be really mounting up. The money you'd have saved would go a long way towards a weekend break or a special day out. Your clothes and home would smell fresher too.
After one year...	£2,190	If you've saved all you would have spent on smoking, you could have a nest egg of anything up to the equivalent of the average weekly wage. Think what you could do with all that extra in your pocket. In addition, you would get fewer coughs and colds.
After five years...	£10,950	After five years, your savings would have really mounted up. You would have enough to go towards a brilliant holiday for the family or for a down payment on a new car. Your risk of suffering a heart attack would now have fallen too.
After 10 years...	£21,900	After 10 years, you would have saved hundreds, or even thousands, of pounds and wouldn't be far from buying yourself a new car. Your risk of lung cancer would now have fallen to about half that of a smoker as well.

Quitting smoking

You are four times more likely to stop smoking with the help of ABL Wirral so get in touch today for free, confidential advice.

ABL Wirral currently deliver the Stop Smoking Service in Wirral.

Call 0151 541 5656, text ABL to 60777 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

You can also come and meet up face-to-face at one of our drop in clinics (no appointment needed).

Tuesday – Tesco, Bidston Link Road, Bidston, CH43 7AA, 5pm-7pm
Wednesday – Orchard Surgery, Bromborough Village Road, CH62 7EU, 6pm-8pm
Thursday – Birkenhead Medical Centre, 31 Laird Street, CH41 8CB, 9.30am-12.30pM

For more information, visit http://www.ablhealth.co.uk/wirral/access-our-support/

What type of smoker are you?

Whether you are a social smoker, heavy smoker, only smoke after meals or just do it to relieve stress or boredom... Understanding why you smoke can be the key to help you quit.

How to quit smoking

Everyone is different and what works for one person might not work for another. Some of the methods people use includes:

quitting cold turkey
slowly reducing the amount you smoke over time
reducing your intake of nicotine over time
using nicotine replacement therapy or non-nicotine medications to reduce withdrawal symptoms

Dealing with Withdrawel Symptoms

As your body starts to recover, you might find you start experiencing some withdrawal symptoms.

You may still have the urge to smoke and you may feel a little restless, irritable, frustrated or tired. Some people also find that they have difficulty sleeping or concentrating.

These are different for everyone but they are temporary.