SERIOUS QUITTERS - Ask about all the options
Your moment to quit
WHAT'S YOURS
People decide to stop for all kinds of reasons but everyone who successfully stops smoking finds their 'moment to quit' – the motivation that helps them become a non–smoker. Whatever your 'moment to quit' might be, make sure you remember it – it will spur you on when you need encouragement.
Don't forget – you're making the best decision of your life!
Is one of these your moment?
- My health could be suffering
- My family / friends are worried about me
- My appearance is suffering
- I'm sick of spending money on cigarettes
- I'm the only one of my friends still smoking
- I'm trying to start a family
- I'm starting a new job
HEALTH
"The moment I became serious about quitting was when I realised I couldn't run for more than ten minutes without being out of breath…"
Stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do for your health. Your body will start to recover from the effects of smoking as soon as eight hours after your last cigarette and will continue to heal years after you stop smoking.
What happens after your last cigarette?
After each of these periods of time it will have the following effect
8 hours
The nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in your blood will reduce by half and your oxygen levels will return to normal.
24 hours
Carbon monoxide and nicotine will be eliminated from your body.
48 hours
Your taste and smell will be improved.
1 month
Your skin will be improved and you'll have fewer wrinkles.
3-9 months
You'll cough and wheeze less.
1 year
Your risk of heart attack will be reduced by half compared to that of a smoker.
10 years
Your risk of lung cancer will fall to about half that of a smoker.
15 years
Your risk of heart attack will fall to the same as someone who has never smoked.
FRIENDS & FAMILY
"The moment I became serious about quitting was when I realised that my smoking was affecting the rest of the family..."
Here's how quitting can help your family:
- Your family won't have to breathe your second–hand smoke. Passive smoking causes a range of disorders from minor eye and throat irritations to heart disease and lung cancer. Children are particularly vulnerable because passive smoking increases their risk of cot death, asthma and other respiratory disorders
- You'll set a healthy example for your children
- You'll save money – smoking 20 cigarettes a day costs around £1,800 a year
- You'll have more energy for family activities
Do it together
Does someone else in your house/family smoke?
Remember – if you quit together it'll be easier. Support is key to quitting successfully. In fact only 3% of smokers who attempt to stop using willpower alone are still smokefree one year later. For more advice and support in stopping smoking, contact your healthcare professional – studies show that even brief advice from them can increase your likelihood of staying off cigarettes for good by up to 30%.
APPEARANCE
"The moment I became serious about stopping was looking at my face in the mirror, and seeing more wrinkles there..."
We know that smoking:
- Reduces blood flow to the skin – depleting it of oxygen and essential nutrients
- Causes squinting due to the irritating nature of the smoke – contributing to wrinkling around the eyes
- Puckers the mouth – contributing to wrinkling
The more you smoke, the greater the risk of premature wrinkling. Your skin can age by as much as 20 years, and the effects are irreversible. But you can stop all that now if you quit smoking.
"The moment I became serious about stopping was seeing how yellow my fingers had become…"
Prolonged smoking causes a 'yellowing' of the fingers and fingernails of the hand you use to hold your cigarettes. This can also happen to your teeth.
What else smoking can affect?
Smoking also:
- Causes as many as one quarter of all psoriasis cases
- Causes you to store fat around the waist rather than around the hips – associated with a higher risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure
- Puts you at an increased risk of gum disease and tooth loss
MONEY
"The moment I became serious about stopping was knowing I could afford to take that holiday a lot sooner if I wasn't spending so much on cigarettes..."
If you smoke 20–a–day, you're spending £1,800 a year on cigarettes. Think about what else you could do with that money:
- Invest in your children's future
- Book a dream holiday for your family
- Replace your car or TV
"The moment I became serious about stopping was when I realised I had to choose between buying lunch and buying another packet of cigarettes..."
People on low incomes spend proportionally more of their income on tobacco than wealthier people do. One study showed that in low–income households (the bottom 10%), 2.24% of their total weekly expenditure is spent on tobacco, compared with 0.51% for high–income households (the top 10%).
Want some professional advice and support?
Don't do it alone! Healthcare professionals can help find the best way for you to quit
Tried quitting before but been unsuccessful?
If you are serious about quitting then there are a number of options available to help you succeed this time.
How serious are you about giving up?
Next step, find out how you can quit
Brought to you by Pfizer Ltd SCE061a September 2008
In collaboration with Quit
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