Smoking:

Less than 100 years ago, smoking was widely believed and fiercely advertised to be good for you. It would be an understatement to say that this is no longer thought to be the case.

The Bad News:

Smoking Kills - Half of all smokers die from their habit: if you and your partner smoke, one of you will die from it.

Smoking is the biggest single preventable cause of premature death in the UK.
About 120,000 people die each year (330 per day) in the UK directly because of smoking.
On average people who die because of smoking do so 15 years earlier than would have normally been expected and, moreover, spend many of their latter years in chronic ill health from emphysema, chronic bronchitis and heart disease (such as angina).

Smokers are addicted to a drug, nicotine, in exactly the same way as heroin addicts are addicted to heroin. When a smoker's blood level of nicotine falls, "withdrawal symptoms" such as headaches, irritability, restlessness and anxiety occur prompting another cigarette to relieve these. Stopping smoking is therefore not easy…. but no-one has died from stopping. As we have seen, 50% of all smokers will die from their habit. It is a strange quirk of human nature that almost every smoker assumes that their habit won't kill them - remember, 50:50 odds - do you really feel that lucky!?

The Good News:

Stopping Smoking - people manage to stop smoking each and every day.

Stopping smoking can be difficult but is not impossible - in the 1960's some 70% of men smoked, nowadays the figure is about 30%. Indeed it has never been easier as there are several types of nicotine replacement that can be used to try and help you break the habit. The anti-smoking tablet Zyban, which was released in the summer of 2000, offers further hope to smokers and can be obtained as part of a structured 'smoking cessation' programme via your GP or Practice Nurse.

It is important not to stop trying to quit, even if you don't succeed on your first endeavour; most people who try to stop smoking are unsuccessful on their first, second or even third attempt. The good news is that with each successive attempt the chances of quitting increase, and it is never too late to quit.

Need Convincing ?

Five reasons to quit:

CANCER of the lung, nose, mouth, throat, larynx, oesophagus, pancreas, bladder, cervix and kidney
LUNG DISEASE with chronic breathlessness from emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
HEART DISEASE including angina and heart attacks.
EXPENSE Think of how much money you would have to spend on something else
INCREASED Life insurance/critical illness premiums.

Five reasons to keep on smoking:

Phone 'QUITLINE' NOW on 0800 00 22 00 or contact Wellway Medical Group Reception to arrange an appointment for Smoking Cessation with a specially trained Practice Nurse who will be delighted to help you help yourself.

Disclaimer: This page is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice or substituted for professional advice. Always consult your doctor with your questions and concerns.