With it being the start of Lent, now is a great time to commit to finally stop smoking for good. We have just launched our Stop Smoking Club – collect one sticker for every €10 spent on smoking cessation products and be rewarded with a gift voucher worth up to €50.
We also provide support in store to help you on your journey to a healthier and longer life. We have free blood-pressure checks. Our pharmacists are also on hand to help chose the correct Nicotine replacement products for your needs.
To help you on your way, Karen Graham MPSI in McCauley Pharmacy Charlemont Street shares tips to help you quit smoking for good.
Many smokers try to quit on their own but taking part in a structured program or getting support from a stop smoking advisor significantly increases your chances of quitting for good. Checking in with your McCauley advisor every week gives you a realistic target to aim for.
4 Steps To Stop Smoking For Good:
1. Set a quit date
You must be ready to quit. There is never an ideal date and it is easy to make an excuse for a cigarette so it’s important to set your quit date. Stop smoking products don’t speed up the quit process but they make stopping a lot easier.
2. Break the physical addiction
Cigarettes send nicotine to our brains in large amounts causing changes in the natural chemical balance. Stop smoking products contain nicotine too but in lower, more stable amounts and they don’t contain tar. It will take 12 weeks to beat the physical addiction and the first 3 weeks can be the hardest. Cravings last 3 minutes – time them to see how long they last.
3. Beat the emotional addiction
smokers often say that smoking helps with stress but non-smokers get stressed too. While quitting smokers have to deal with everyday stress as well as nicotine withdrawal (so double the stress) and your advisor can help with this.
4. Break the habit
Unfortunately products can’t help with habit so instead stay busy and change your routine. If you smoke 20 cigarettes a day that takes 1hour 40minutes a day which is 12 hours a week or 26 days in a year – what could you do with all that extra time?
Nicotine replacement products (NRT) such as patches, sprays and gum contain nicotine, but it is delivered slowly so your cravings won’t be as bad. The aim of NRT is to take the edge of your cravings while breaking the physical addiction. Speak to your stop smoking advisor to see which product may suit you best.
If you have tried vaping and failed then this shows a willingness to change. Why not try working with our stop smoking advisor to try quit again? No product will work unless it is part of a committed attempt to quit.
Worried about weight gain – look after yourself by sleeping well and eating healthy tasty, food. Keep busy and replace your smoking with something else such as a short walk. Quitting smoking is far more important than putting on a few kilos.
The benefits to quitting are huge – you will be healthier, have more money and more time so why not give it go?
Remember that you have more success in your quit attempt if you combine products with advice and that is why we are here to help. Pop in to your local McCauley Pharmacy and speak to one of our stop smoking advisors today to start your quit plan.
