Looking for advice on how to stop smoking? We know quitting smoking is no easy task, so we offer expert advice, support and a range of products in store and online to help you achieve your goals.

Self-control alone may not be enough to help you stop smoking straightaway, which is completely fine. As well as offering a range of nicotine products to suit your lifestyle, you may be able to get help from Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT).

Though it is not entirely risk free, Nicotine Replacement Therapy is an effective way to help you get started, by managing your cravings and supporting your addiction.

It’s normal that when you stop smoking, the nicotine is quickly eliminated from your body, so there’s a chance you may experience withdrawal symptoms, such as:

• Bad moods
• Feeling irritable
• Difficulty concentrating

There’s also no need to try stopping on your own. With the FREE NHS Stop Smoking service available in selected pharmacies, you can discuss your goals with the healthcare team, who will be able to offer advice on the best way to achieve them. 

The free NHS stop smoking service varies across the country, but generally includes:

• Access to one-to-one behavioural support with a trained stop smoking advisor
• Supply of nicotine replacement therapy and advice on the most suited products for you

What happens when you stop smoking?

Stopping smoking can make huge improvements to your health, even in the first few days. After just eight hours, your nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in blood reduce by more than half and oxygen levels return to normal. By two days, there will no longer be any harmful carbon monoxide or nicotine in your body.

As well as your health, there are many other benefits of quitting smoking

• You will start to save money. A packet of 20 cigarettes in 2019 can cost between £8-12. So if you’re smoking 10 cigarettes a day, you could save between £1500-2200 a year. That could be put towards a holiday, new car or the start of a house deposit.
• Your fitness levels and breathing will improve.
• You’ll start to enjoy food and drink more as your sense of taste will return.
• Your skin appearance and dental hygiene will improve.
• Your fertility levels will improve, as well as your chances of having a healthy pregnancy.
• Your family’s health may also improve as they will not be exposed to your second-hand smoke.

Smoking poses a huge risk to your health. So huge, in fact, that it’s accountable for 80,000 deaths in England each year. Parts of your body that can be negatively affected by smoking include:

• Your blood – toxins from cigarette smoke enter the blood and can increase the chance of clot formation, increase blood pressure and narrow the arteries – these are all the factors that can lead to a heart attack, stroke, and coronary heart disease.
• The lungs – from minor ailments such as coughs, colds and wheezing, to more serious diseases such as pneumonia, emphysema and lung cancer. Smoking causes 84% of deaths from lung cancer.

Smoking can lead to many different forms of cancer, including cancer of the lips, tongue, oesophagus, stomach and kidney.

It can also affect areas of your body you wouldn’t expect, such as contributing to erectile dysfunction, reducing female fertility and even making your bones weak and brittle. Finally, there are the changes to your appearance, including: the premature ageing of your skin, stained teeth, gum disease and tooth loss. It can also cause damage to the sense of your taste and cause bad breath.

If the health impacts weren’t enough, smoking can be a massive drain on your money. Therefore it is very important to get all the help and encouragement necessary to quit. We know it’s not easy, but our trained specialists are here to help you.

No, the NHS Stop Smoking service is free and where it isn’t available in your local pharmacy, free advice on smoking cessation products (NRT) is available. You may be required to pay for NRT under the NHS Stop Smoking service unless you are exempt from paying for prescriptions.