Therapies to help smokers quit

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Professional help and support
70% of smokers want to stop and the more support a person has, the greater their chance of quitting smoking.

Trained stop smoking specialists are an invaluable source of support and understanding and they can tailor a quit programme to each individual's particular needs.

• A UK-wide network of friendly, confidential, professional NHS Stop Smoking services is available to help smokers who want to quit. Details will be provided to any smoker who calls the NHS Stop Smoking helpline and requests details of their local service: Telephone 0800 169 0 169
• The NHS Stop Smoking helpline will provide confidential telephone stop smoking advice and information to support smokers who call: 0800 169 0 169
• The NHS Stop Smoking helpline provides specific, confidential, telephone stop smoking advice for pregnant women who call: 0800 169 9 169
• The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation provides on-line advice for smokers who want to quit visit www.roycastle.org - check out the quit smoking pages

Treatments
There are many effective treatments available on prescription for those who wish to quit. They significantly reduce the urge to smoke, particularly when used in conjunction with professional support.

Many health professionals and all trained stop smoking specialists offer advice on suitable treatments.

Nicotine replacement therapy
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) provides tobacco free nicotine and is very effective in treating the withdrawal symptoms experienced by many smokers when they quit.

Numerous clinical trials have shown that NRT doubles the smokers' chances of stopping smoking.

NRT products only provide nicotine. They contain none of the 4,000 toxic substances found in cigarette smoke.

NRT comes in a variety of forms to suit the needs of individual quitters:

• Nicotine patch - Patches deliver a controlled and continuous amount of nicotine through the skin, helping to take the stress out of quitting. The dose of nicotine is gradually reduced overtime.
• Nicotine Gum - Nicotine gum comes in different dosage levels, usually in 2mg and 4mg. Unlike the patch that continuously delivers nicotine, gum is taken as required. Like patches, chewing nicotine gum helps to reduce the symptoms of withdrawal.
• Nasal spray - Nicotine nasal spray is a nicotine solution, which you spray up your nose, using this method nicotine is absorbed more quickly than when using gum or a patches.
• Nicotine inhalator - A plastic holder with nicotine cartridges. You draw on it just like a cigarette.
• Microtabs - These are small tablets containing nicotine which are placed under the tongue where they dissolve.
• Lozenge - This is similar to a sweet. It is sucked and then rested against the cheek from where nicotine is absorbed into the body.

Zyban (Bupropion)
Zyban is an antidepressant that has been found to help people to stop smoking. It is thought to work on the parts of the brain involved in addiction and withdrawal.

It is only available on prescription and is used in conjunction with motivational counselling. It is taken for 7-10 days before stopping smoking, as it takes time to build up in the bloodstream. After this period, the smoker stops smoking and continues to take two tablets every day for the following 6 to 8 weeks.

Alternative therapies

Acupuncture
Acupuncturists use tiny needles inserted into the body at prescribed points to alleviate the urge to smoke. Whilst many smokers find acupuncture helpful in stopping smoking it is not a proven treatment and remains controversial because it has not been effectively researched and the evidence is inconclusive.

Relaxation
Since many people smoke as a reaction to stress smokers often find relaxation techniques, which are easy to learn, helpful when stopping smoking.

Cold turkey
This is still the most common method of quitting smoking. It involves stopping smoking completely without the use of any medication. Success rates are not as high as for those quitting with NRT or bupropion but millions of people have succeeded over the years using this method.