NHS: More Brits are Quitting Smoking
Many more people in the UK are realising the importance of quitting smoking. On the quarterly report published by the NHS this month, there were a total of 378,724 people in England who set a date to stop smoking in the 6 months to September last year. This data shows many people are becoming more concerned of their health.
NHS Stop Smoking Services
Smoking is one of the top causes of death in the UK. There are so many health risks involved in smoking. Cigarette smoking can cause cancer, heart problems, breathing problems and so on. But when the NHS launched its ‘Stop Smoking’ Services, a significant number of individuals aimed to quit smoking. According to NHS, there was a 3% increase last year and a 7% rise on April to September period for 2009. The NHS is very positive that more Brits will finally put an end to this dangerous habit.
On the report released by the NHS, it was found that younger smokers are less likely to give up smoking as compared to their older counterparts. Among those who have given up smoking, 30% were below 18 and 55% were 60 and over. In addition, women showed more success on quitting smoking than men. After 6 months of joining the Stop Smoking Service, there were a total of 200,710 women happily announced that they have given up smoking while 178,014 men became successful. In addition to the figures, it was revealed that 5,315 pregnant women were still not smoking during the four-week follow-up from NHS out of the 12,379 who made manifestations that they’re going to quit.
Why Can’t People Simply Quit Smoking?
Smoking is one of the hardest habits to break. A UK study revealed that it takes 7 years and 7 attempts for an average smoker to give up the fag. Professor Cary Cooper, a professor from Lancaster University said that giving up smoking especially in the first week can be very difficult as the smoker is likely to experience cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Other than the physical side effects of quitting smoking, the psychological effect is more debilitating. People who smoke a pack of cigarettes a day are expected to experience intense cravings during their initial attempt to quit smoking.
Natural Ways to Quit Smoking
Other than using medications and medical treatments such as Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), prescription medications, there are alternative ways that can help smokers kick off their habit. These methods were all proven safe and effective in helping people quit smoking.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) – Most people smoke to cope with stress. CBT involves working with a trained therapist to talk about issues concerning one’s feelings, emotions, and problems. The therapist helps the client determine the distorted and negative thinking and replace them with those that are more positive. With CBT, smokers will learn how to deal with stress and avoid unwanted behaviour such as smoking.
Hypnotherapy – this includes a series of techniques performed by the therapist to allow the client to relax and see images that will help him or her quit smoking. The hypnotist makes use positive suggestions to encourage the smoker to quit. Hypnotherapy has been widely used today by people who wish to quit smoking and this treatment has high success rate.
Acupuncture – similar with CBT, acupuncture works by helping a person cope with stress. The treatment involves the insertion of needles to certain points or areas in the body with the aim of balancing the flow of energy. When people are not stressed, they’re less likely to smoke.
If you have some good ways to quit smoking that you wish to share with others, please let us know in the comments below.
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