At Home with Dr Christian Jessen - 87

| SMOKE FREE|

B

efore you make
the commitment
to stop smoking,
decide whether
you want to stop
completely or
cut back
gradually. Then, set a date to stop
- no smoking day on 11 March is as
good a time as any. Be prepared to
experience withdrawal symptoms
caused by the lack of nicotine in
your body, such as nausea, cravings,
headaches and irritability. The
symptoms tend to peak after a day and
slowly ease over a couple of weeks.

' TH E SM O K I N G
B A N H EL P E D
M E Q U I T'
Steve Hill, 37, stopped smoking
when it became illegal to smoke
cigarettes in public places
'I started smoking as a teenager but
as I got older and realised how bad
it is for your health, I thought about
quitting. I tried a few times, but I'd
always cave in when out drinking
with friends. Then, when I was 30ish,
the smoking ban was introduced in
pubs and restaurants, which gave
me the impetus to give up. I didn't
want to sneak outside for cigarettes
every 10 minutes. It was really hard
to stop though, and when willpower
didn't work, I went to my GP,
who gave me an information
pack, patches and gum.
'I stopped drinking beer for the
ﬁrst few months as I associated
having a pint with a cigarette. It
took me a year to stop using the
patches, and I had a few setbacks
- a cheeky cig or two when out.
'I haven't smoked for two years
now and feel much better. I ﬁnd
I don't get puffed out walking my
dog and my girlfriend can kiss me
without wincing because I stink!
'I'm so glad I quit. When I
see people shivering outside pubs
having a fag, I think: "Thank
God that's not me."'

' I QUIT WITH
E-CIGA RETTES
FOR THE S A KE OF
M Y D A UGHTER'

'I told my GP how much I wanted
to quit and he suggested that I try
Champix, one of the prescription
medicines that are intended to
remove nicotine cravings. He
explained that Champix mimics
Andrea Mitchell, 39, quit the
the action of nicotine in the body
habit after daughter, Nicole,
and blocks its effects.
'Shortly after that, my mother was
seven, tried to mimic her
advised to quit as she was diagnosed
with bladder cancer. This prompted
'As soon as my daughter tried
me to stop, and we decided to do
to copy the action of smoking,
it together, using Champix.
attempting to take cigarettes out
'Even with the
of my hand and pose
medication, it was
with them, I knew
difﬁcult - I was
it was time to quit.
Paying
living with a
'My previous
smoker, so it was
attempts to stop
the price
a testing time.
smoking all failed
SMOKING COSTS
'The hardest
because none
moment was after
simulated the
THE NHS £2BILLION
a drink as I'd
cigarette in my
A YEAR TO TREAT
really crave a
hand. They
NICOTINE-RELATED
cigarette. A
included everything
quit-smoking
from going cold turkey
DISEASES
helpline encouraged
and chewing gum, to
me in these situations
using patches and being
- and ﬁnally, mum and
hypnotised. I then heard about
I managed to succeed!
e-cigarettes. They seemed like
'I now have more energy, a better
the perfect solution for me.
sense of smell and taste - and a lot
'As it's the action of smoking
more money, of course.
which I like (along with the nicotine
'My health has improved, too.
hit), e-cigarettes were perfect as
I used to run quite a bit in the days
a device for me to keep the habit
when I smoked (even though the
and motion. With many ﬂavours
habit caused me to be short of
to try, the cigarettes are a little
breath at times - something that's
like smoking a sheesha pipe.
got better now), but I hadn't done so
'After two weeks, my cravings had
for several months. I went running
gone - particularly in the mornings.
eight months after giving up and
They're great, I've recommended
noticed a huge difference - in fact,
e-cigs to all my friends.'
my legs gave out before my lungs!'

' PRES CRIPTION
M ED ICATION
WORKED FOR M E'
Fiona Rogers, 39, teamed up with
her mother to stop smoking, and
called on her GP to help
'I started smoking at 14 due to peer
pressure. I did try to give up several
times over the years, using nicotine
replacement patches, gum and
willpower; but nothing worked.

' HYPNOT H E RAP Y
ENA BL ED ME
TO V IS UA LISE A
S M OKE-FRE E LIFE !'
Emma Worthington, 43, didn't
want to look old before her time
'I had my ﬁrst fag at 13 with some
school friends and remember feeling
sick and light-headed. But it was
deemed cool, so I persevered and >

www.athomemagazine.co.uk MARCH 2015 | 087
http://www.athomemagazine.co.uk
At Home with Dr Christian Jessen

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