31 May is World No Tobacco Day – an initiative hosted by the World Health Organisation that encourages people to stop smoking.

Tobacco kills up to half of its users – worldwide, smoking is responsible for around 6 million deaths each year and has been linked to cancer, lung disease, coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, miscarriage and birth complications. 

The evidence is clear; smoking kills, and the risks to your health start to increase from your first cigarette. But quitting isn’t always easy – the nicotine in cigarettes is addictive and stopping smoking can temporarily lead to feelings of anxiety, irritability and depression, derailing our best intentions. 

Most smokers know the dangers of tobacco, and most want to quit – but finding the right support is crucial to success.

Strategies to quit smoking

Most people find it hard to stop smoking once they’ve started – 70% of smokers say they would like to quit, yet still smoke anyway. For most people it takes more than just willpower to successfully stop smoking, and finding the right strategy and support to help you do it is the best way to plan for success.  

When you quit smoking, you start to see the benefits almost instantly; within 24 hours your blood pressure, blood oxygen level and pulse rate all return to normal. Within a few days you’ll start to notice that you’re saving money and you’ll have an improved sense of taste and smell. Within two weeks the risk of heart attack drops substantially – within a year your risk of coronary heart disease and stroke has dropped to less than half of that of a smoker.     

If you’re ready to quit smoking, speaking with a GP is the best place to start. From our private practice clinic in Edinburgh you can learn about a range of services to help you stop smoking. We can help provide you with a timeline to work towards and discuss options like nicotine replacement products and prescription medicines to help you stay on track. 

We also offer a range of complementary therapies to help you stay motivated and achieve your goal, such as hypnotherapy, a treatment that helps tap into the unconscious part of the brain and harness your natural abilities.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and counselling can also be effective treatments to help guide and support you as you quit by providing solutions and strategies as you meet any challenges along the way.

To find out more about how we can help you quit smoking , use our online booking form to book an appointment or call us on 0131 225 5656.

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