‘COVID-19 is an infectious disease that primarily attacks the lungs. Smoking impairs lung function making it harder for the body to fight off coronaviruses and other diseases. Tobacco is also a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease and diabetes which put people with these conditions at higher risk for developing severe illness when affected by COVID-19. Available research suggests that smokers are at higher risk of developing severe disease and death.’

Is this a good time to quit smoking?

Stopping smoking is the single most important thing that you can do to improve your health – no matter what the time! The immediate benefits though may be especially important at this time:

‘Within 20 minutes of quitting, elevated heart rate and blood pressure drop. After 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in the bloodstream drops to normal. Within 2-12 weeks, circulation improves and lung function increases. Over time immune function improves.’

The COVID-19 pandemic may be the inspiration you need to motivate a quit attempt. GoSmokeFree is an evidence based stop smoking programme combining pharmacotherapy, behaviour change and support sessions to give the smoker the best chance of quitting and staying smoke free. The programme is supported by various medical aids and is available through a trained nursing sister in various pharmacies throughout South Africa.

The post Does smoking increase the likelihood of contracting COVID-19? appeared first on GoSmokeFree.

There are 7.4 billion people on earth of which a staggering 1 billion smoke. Needless to say the resolution, in the top 10 each year, is the intention to kick the habit and stop smoking for good.

The good news is that if you manage to stop smoking for 28 days you’re five times more likely to stop smoking for good. The bad news is, it’s really hard. Especially the first few days while you try to weather the withdrawal symptoms which makes this particular goal the most difficult of all New Year’s resolutions to keep.

So here are a few interesting numbers to inspire you to keep going:

1. 8 trillion cigarettes were smoked in 2014.
2. 8 million smokers in South Africa.
3. 6 million the approximate number of people tobacco kills each year across the world. About 5.5 million of those are the result of a tobacco related disease while more than 600 000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.
4. 4000 chemicals in tobacco smoke. These include carbon monoxide, arsenic, formaldehyde, cyanide, benzene and more than 50 cancer causing agents.
5. R38 is the average price of a pack of 20 cigarettes in South Africa in 2019. A 20-a-day smoker spent nearly R14 000 last year on cigarettes alone.

A great tip to help you stop smoking is to keep reminding yourself of the many health benefits of quitting smoking.

According to the American Cancer Society, the sooner people quit smoking, the more they can reduce the risk of acquiring cancer and other diseases. In fact 20 minutes after smoking that last cigarette your heart rate and blood pressure start to drop. After 12 hours, carbon monoxide levels in your bloodstream drop to normal and your breathing becomes easier.

By 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting smoking, your blood circulation improves and lung function increases. By year one, the excess risk of coronary heart disease halves compared to someone who still smokes. By 5 years, the risk of cancer in the mouth, oesophagus, throat and bladder is reduced by half.

After 10 years, the risk of dying from lung cancer is reduced by half and by 15 years, the risk of coronary heart disease is the same as that of a non-smoker’s.

Together with the health benefits there are so many more reasons to quit smoking such as;

1. Feeling great
2. Extra money in your pocket
3. Improved breathing and general fitness
4. Fresher breath
5. An improved sense of smell and taste
6. Less stress and anxiety
7. Cleaner lungs and a stronger heart

List your own reasons for wanting to quit and keep going back to them during your quit attempt.

There will be times when you feel like you’re about to cave and this is when you need to distract yourself. Here are 5 quick and easy distractions to get you through those inevitable moments of weakness;

1. Talk to someone – call a friend or relative to get some support
2. Go for a brisk walk – this will help clear your head and lungs
3. Stay busy – play a game on your mobile phone
4. Drink a glass of water or juice – keep yourself occupied for those crucial few minutes
5. Change scene – just moving to another room can help, or step outside and get some fresh air

Remember that you can expect to experience about 3 to 4 intense cravings for a smoke during the first couple of weeks after you stop smoking but each of those cravings only lasts about 3 minutes and they reduce in number and intensity over time.

You may have unsuccessfully tried to quit smoking many times before, don’t despair – millions of smokers across the country are also wrestling with temptation this month as they too try to put a stop to their smelly addiction once and for all. To help prepare your mind to succeed in maintaining your resolution a very useful tip is to use the analogy of learning a new sport or skill. When you decide to learn a new sport or skill you are bound to slip up and make mistakes, it is part of the learning experience and not a reason to quit.

So, as an example, if you wanted to learn to play the piano or tennis you would probably have to take lessons. It would take time, and you are likely to make mistakes. Successful people know that a slip is not a fall and relapses are common and expected. If you missed a shot during a game of tennis you wouldn’t give up, you would try again. The same should apply to a quit smoking attempt. Learn from your slips or lapses and keep on practicing the new skills until you achieve your goal.

Achieve your goal to stopping smoking this New Year.

Visit www.gosmokefree.co.za or email info@gosmokefree.co.za for more information.

The GoSmokeFree stop smoking service is based on the proven combination smoking cessation programme which includes support, behavioural modification and traditional nicotine replacement therapy such as medical nicotine gum or patches. The programme is available at leading pharmacies across South Africa.

Triple your chance of successfully stopping smoking with the GoSmokeFree smoking cessation programme and make this the year you quit smoking for good. Take back your health and your life from the chains of addiction.

You are worth it!

The post New Year, New You appeared first on GoSmokeFree.

It seems obvious that tobacco use would affect your lungs but contrary to this, many smokers, particularly in developing countries, remain uninformed about the real risks they face. When we look at South Africa, it is a pleasing trend that the percentage of South Africans who smoke has decreased over the past two decades. This is largely due to taxation (more than 52% of the cost of a cigarette to consumers is made up by tax) and legislation around marketing and packaging with warning labels featuring prominently on the front and back of cigarette boxes. However, in spite of these measures about 7 million South Africans still use tobacco products resulting in an estimated 42 100 deaths per year. 

HOW SMOKING EFFECTS YOUR LUNGS

You may think of your lungs as organs for drawing oxygen into your blood, and while this is true, they do so much more than that. They also act as filters that remove pollutants from the air. These pollutants are trapped in a thin layer of mucous coating in the lungs, while specialised hair-like brushes known as cilia sweep out the harmful particles and they are expelled as mucus. Smoking destroys these cilia greatly affecting your lungs’ ability to clean the air and get particles out. 

The damage to cilia caused by smoking has a knock on effect. Your lungs consist of an intricate tree of tiny air sacs called alveoli. When the cilia stop functioning well the harmful chemicals from tobacco smoke start building up in the alveoli walls and starts breaking them down. This causes them to be less efficient and eventually can cause them to rupture, leading to a host of breathing problems.

Each cigarette can contain a staggering 7000 chemicals and as many as 250 of these are known to be poisonous with over 70 believed to be carcinogenic. It is these chemicals that increase your risk of lung cancer one of the major respiratory diseases associated with smoking. 

Finally, even if your alveoli aren’t damaged yet, the inflammation caused by smoking can lead to chronic bronchitis and damage the breathing tubes and bronchi.

SMOKING RELATED DISEASES

While heart disease remains the biggest cause of tobacco related death worldwide, the second and third spot are taken by lung diseases. Over two thirds of lung cancer deaths are related to tobacco smoking, in fact the Centre for Disease Control in the US claims that 80 – 90% of US lung cancer is caused by smoking. This is further compounded by the fact that lung cancer has an extremely high mortality rate with less than 1 in 5 diagnoses resulting in successful treatment and remission. 

The third biggest smoking related killer is called Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). This is an umbrella term referring to a host of conditions and diseases that cause a mucus build up in the lungs and difficulty breathing. The diseases covered by this umbrella term include (but are not limited to) emphysema, chronic bronchitis and severe cases of asthma. 

While the link between Tuberculosis and smoking has long been suspected, it is only in recent studies that a definitive connection has been proven. Not only does smoking greatly impair the treatment of TB it can now also be directly linked to increased chances of contracting the disease, developing the active form and eventually dying. 

And it’s not just smokers themselves who are at risk, the World Health Organisation estimates that 165 000 children under the age of 5 die every year due to lower respiratory infections caused by second hand smoke. 

BUT LET’S TAKE A DEEP BREATH –  ALL IS NOT LOST

If this all sounds very scary, that’s because it is. Damage to the alveoli in the lungs is irreversible and directly dependent on how much a person smokes per day and the time period they have smoked for. However, the best time to quit is right now, and the sooner you quit the better it will be for your lungs.

After quitting the cilia in your lungs will start functioning again (this is why people often cough immediately after stopping as these amazing little organs start cleaning the air again). The decrease in inflammation will make breathing easier even a few days after stopping. However, the biggest reason for stopping is the reduction in the risks associated with TB and lung cancer. If you stop smoking today, after 10 years your risk of contracting lung cancer can return to that of a non-smoker. 

Of course if it were easy to quit, we wouldn’t need initiatives like World No Tobacco Day. The myriad health risks and mountains of scientific evidence would be enough to put smokers off cigarettes for good, but it isn’t that simple. Not only is nicotine highly addictive but the habit of smoking is deeply rooted in people’s lives and routines and it is this psychological dependence that makes people not want to stop even if they know the risks they face. 

That’s why our program, GoSmokeFree, places ongoing support at its heart with an evidence based program designed around motivational interviewing, behaviour change and medication to give you the tools you need to kick the habit, and make sure it stays kicked. 

Read more on GoSmokeFree and quit this World No Tobacco Day!

World Health Organisation – World No Tobacco Day 2019

Triple your chances of successfully stopping smoking

7 Ways to Fight Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms this World No Tobacco Day

The post WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY 2019 – DON’T LET TOBACCO TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY appeared first on GoSmokeFree.

Every year on the 31^st of May the WHO (World Health Organisation) marks World No Tobacco Day highlighting the health and other risks associated with tobacco use.

This year the focus is on Tobacco and Heart Disease.

Tobacco use is an important risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.

Did you know that the global tobacco epidemic kills more than 7 million people each year of which close to 900 000 are non-smokers dying from breathing second-hand smoke?

How smoking kills your heart

• The chemicals in tobacco smoke damage the function of your heart and the structure and function of your blood vessels
• Carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke reduces the amount of oxygen in your blood causing your heart to work harder to supply your body with the oxygen it needs
• Nicotine causes your heart to beat faster and raises your blood pressure

– a potentially lethal combination of effects leading to the increased risk of angina, heart attack and stroke.

The good news is that the risk of heart disease diminishes by 50% within the first year of stopping smoking.

Why not use the 31^st May, World No Tobacco Day, as the day you quit smoking!!

Tobacco users need help to quit.

Smoking is a complex combination of behaviours driven by social and psychological factors as well as a pharmacological addiction.

But it can be beaten – an evidence based stop smoking programme designed around motivational interviewing, behaviour change, medication and support gives you the best chance of quitting and staying quit.

Read more on GoSmokeFree and quit this World No Tobacco Day!

The post World No Tobacco Day – 31 May 2018 appeared first on GoSmokeFree.

Ditching the ciggies isn’t only good for your insides – it can help you look great on the outside too.

Five fantastic reasons to stop smoking:

1. Less Wrinkles

Smoking reduces the blood flow to your skin. Over time, this dries it out, meaning it’s more likely you’ll get wrinkles around the eyes and mouth. The good news is that the sooner you give up, the more likely it is that blood flow and collagen levels will return to normal, making your complexion clearer and your skin supple.

2. White Teeth

 Smoking makes your teeth turn yellow over time, due to the nicotine in cigarette smoke. By kicking the habit, you’ll soon have a picture perfect smile.

3. Gorgeous Hair

There’s some evidence to suggest a link between smoking and thinning hair. One thing’s for sure, giving up won’t harm your hairdo, and it might make you smell fresher too!

4. Fabulous Fingers

Smokers often get yellow nicotine stains on their fingers. Just like tooth-staining this comes from the nicotine in the tobacco. Give up for good, and yours can look fabulous again.

5. Graceful Aging

Cigarettes are full of toxic chemicals that make you appear older than you really are. Just days after you give up your body will start to push these toxins out, and you can start looking as good as you feel.

Stopping smoking is the single most important thing that you can do for your health. Read more about GoSmokeFree, an evidence based stop smoking programme that is three times more likely to help you stop.

The post Five Fantastic Reasons to Stop Smoking appeared first on GoSmokeFree.

Dr Hugo van der Merwe from The Urology Hospital in Pretoria warns the public to consult an urologist at the first sign of blood in the urine, he adds; “This is often diagnosed as an infection but I urge the public to immediately see an urologist because early detection is vital.”

Van der Merwe said bladder cancer was relatively common but most types are benign and easily treatable. “There is, however, a certain sub-group of bladder cancers, about 20%, which are much more aggressive and which require radical therapy, often a combination of chemotherapy and surgery.” Fortunately most bladder cancers are diagnosed at an early stage when they are highly treatable.

Smoking is the greatest risk factor for developing bladder cancer in both men and women. According to cancer.org, smokers are at least three times more likely to get bladder cancer than non-smokers and about half of all bladder cancers can be linked to smoking. It is thought that carcinogenic chemicals in tobacco smoke are absorbed through the lungs into the blood stream. The kidneys then filter these cancer-causing chemicals out of the blood stream and concentrate them in the urine where they can damage the cells lining the bladder thereby increasing the risk of developing cancer.

There are a number of causes, such as inherited risk factors, of bladder cancer over which we have no control, but there are a number of risk factors that are directly in our control. The main risk factor, with the greatest contribution to bladder cancer and which is totally preventable, is smoking. Stopping smoking prevents the carcinogens present in tobacco smoke from entering the bladder and significantly reduces the risk of developing bladder cancer. The cancer association also recommends drinking lots of fluids, especially water, to reduce the risk of developing bladder cancer. It is thought that people that drink plenty of fluids have less concentrated urine and empty their bladders more often thereby reducing exposure of the delicate cells lining the bladder to irritants and cancer-causing chemicals.

Convincing smokers to stop smoking can be extremely challenging especially the younger smokers who may not appreciate the risks associated with smoking. It is also difficult to stop smoking once the habit is established and the body is dependent on nicotine. Withdrawal is unpleasant and relapse is high even when a smoker desperately wants to quit smoking.

Evidence shows that the best way to quit smoking is through a full stop smoking programme that combines support, nicotine replacement therapy or other stop smoking medication and behavioural modification. Gosmokefree is a fully supported stop smoking programme that uses the proven combination therapy. The Gosmokefree programme greatly increases a smokers chances of stopping smoking when compared to a smoker who attempts to quit cold turkey.

GoSmokeFree smoking cessation programme

Triple your chance of successfully stopping smoking with the GoSmokeFree smoking cessation programme which uses a proven combination of behaviour change therapy, support and medication such as nicotine replacement therapy.

GoSmokeFree Smoking Cessation services are available at Clicks, Dis-Chem, Pick n Pay and leading independent pharmacies – visit http://www.gosmokefree.co.za/find-a-pharmacy/ to find a participating pharmacy near you.

Visit www.gosmokefree.co.za or email info@gosmokefree.co.za for more information.

Resources:

• http://www.gosmokefree.co.za
• https://www.cancer.org/cancer/bladder-cancer/causes-risks-prevention/risk-factors.html
• www.urology.co.za

This article contains opinions and facts and references to other information sources. You should always consult a registered healthcare professional for any personal advice.

The post Smoking: A major cause of bladder cancer appeared first on GoSmokeFree.

The researchers used the ‘cost of illness’ approach which was first devised in 1960. This divides the economic impact of an illness into direct costs, such as hospital admissions and treatment, and indirect costs representing the value of productivity lost to death and disability in current and future years, for a given year. The direct and indirect costs are then added up to provide the overall societal cost, usually expressed as a percentage of annual gross domestic product (GDP). These showed that in 2012, diseases caused by smoking accounted for 12% (2.1 million) of all deaths among working age adults aged 30-69 and 1.4 million of these adults would have been employed. They then calculated the number of working years lost due to the smoking related ill health and this added up to 26.8 million, 18 million of which were lost to death with the remainder lost to disability. It is important to point out that these calculations did not include the health and economic harms caused by second hand smoke or smokeless forms of tobacco, and that their estimates of lost productivity applied only to those who were economically active. In other words this staggering figure for 2012 is on the conservative side!

These findings highlight the urgent need for all countries to implement comprehensive tobacco control measures to address these economic costs. If the countries are to reach their goal for Sustainable Development which is to cut early deaths from non-communicable diseases such as those caused by smoking by a third by 2030, a lot of work needs to be done.

Curbing the habit globally would go a long way to achieving this goal. The South African government has been very proactive in its bid to reduce smoking. They have introduced heavy “sin” taxes on all tobacco products and there has been a drop in the prevalence of smoking mainly attributable to sharp increases in cigarette prices. They have also banned advertising and promotion of cigarettes and smoking in public places.  As the government intensifies the fight against tobacco smoking the Department of Health is busy preparing a Draft Bill to introduce plain packaging of tobacco products. This measure was introduced in the UK, Northern Ireland and France in May 2016, and the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) welcomes its introduction here. The purpose of plain packaging is to make tobacco products less attractive. Graphic warnings will show the harmful effects of smoking. Plain packaging restricts the use of logos, colours, brand images and promotional information.

Prevention is always better than cure and the legislative measures to deter new people from starting smoking is the best approach to preventing death and disability due to tobacco related diseases. According to a study published in the South African Medical Journal (2010) smoking causes an estimated eight percent of adult deaths in South Africa and since current estimates are that nearly 8 million South Africans smoke, something urgently needs to be done to help these smokers.

CANSA encourages people to reduce their cancer risk by quitting smoking and enjoy the benefits of a healthier lifestyle. Cessation rates however, are low. Stopping smoking is hard and many ex-smokers say that quitting smoking was the hardest thing they ever did. However, millions of smokers have managed to quit smoking and any smoker who really wants to stop smoking can.

The best way to quit smoking involves a combination of the following:

• A willingness to stop smoking – sounds simplistic but a smoker must want to quit smoking
• The right attitude – to believe that they can stop smoking
• Support – to teach problem solving, coping skills and to guide the smoker
• Behaviour modification – trigger avoidance and management, creating a healthier lifestyle
• Medication – products (such as nicotine replacement therapy) to help quit smoking & assist with nicotine withdrawal (if indicated)

Smokers who are serious about improving their health by stopping smoking should consider using an evidence based smoking cessation programme to give them their best chance of success.

Tips to quit smoking

Current research shows that the best way to quit smoking is through a smoking cessation program which includes support, behavioural modification and traditional nicotine replacement therapy such as medical nicotine gum or patches.

A smoker can triple their chance of successfully stopping smoking by using a combination smoking cessation programme such as GoSmokefree. Visit www.gosmokefree.co.za or email info@gosmokefree.co.za for more information.

Resources:

• http://www.gosmokefree.co.za
• http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/suppl/2017/01/31/tobaccocontrol-2016-053305.DC1/tobaccocontrol-2016-053305_Press_release.pdf
• http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Local/Coastal-Weekly/sa-set-to-join-global-plain-cigarette-packaging-trend-20160525

This article contains opinions and facts and references to other information sources. You should always consult a registered healthcare professional for any personal advice.

The post Smoking costs $1.44 trillion in health care and labour losses: study appeared first on GoSmokeFree.

The good news is that deciding to stop smoking is the most important decision a smoker can make to improve your health. The bad news is, it is really tough quitting smoking and it, along with losing weight, is the most commonly broken New Year’s resolution.

So before you become a statistic for broken resolutions here are 10 tips to quit smoking.

1. Plan properly

Don’t let fear and self-doubt stop you before you get started. Think about your quit attempt and plan properly before you stub out that last cigarette. A well thought out plan of action will ensure that you can do it and the rewards afterwards are well worth the effort it takes to quit smoking.

2. Find a friend to support you

Having family and/or friends who are interested in your success is important. Chat to ex-smokers, join a stop smoking forum – there are many people out there that know exactly what you are going through. Learn from them.

3. Drink water

Keeping well hydrated will make you feel better in general. Extra fluids will also help flush out any residual toxins in your system. Drinking a glass of water during cravings also helps distract you long enough for the craving to pass.

4. Eat smart

Nicotine withdrawal can introduce a host of symptoms which throws your body into shock initially. Taking care of your body and giving it healthy foods will give it the fuel it needs to run properly and to minimise the discomforts associated with this phase. Watch out for empty calories that will leave you feeling tired due to an insulin spike and can also cause weight gain as your metabolic rate normalises. Keep healthy snacks within easy reach to support you.

5. Get enough sleep

When you are tired your resistance is low. You will not have the energy to resist temptations, triggers and cravings will seem stronger. Try and get 8 hours of sleep every night and take a power nap during the day if you need it. If you have trouble sleeping when you first stop smoking, try taking a long walk a few hours before bedtime. The fresh air and exercise often help overcome that initial insomnia.

6. Get moving

If you do not already have a daily exercise regimen now is the perfect time to start one. Choose something you enjoy doing and start off slowly. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise each day. Walking is suitable for most people and is a quick fix to curb the urge to smoke. Get out for a 15 minute walk whenever you feel a bit stressed and you’ll come back feeling refreshed and relaxed. The extra exercise will help minimise weight gain and the endorphins created during the exercise will give you a much needed feel-good boost.

7. Avoid “stinking-thinking”

Quitting smoking is a gift, not a sacrifice. Don’t sabotage your quit smoking attempt by feeling sorry for yourself because you can’t smoke. You have chosen not to smoke. Your choice will free you of this killer of an addiction. So pay attention to your thinking processes and keep yourself positive.

8. Let it go

Relax into your smoking cessation programme and embrace the cravings as they come. Don’t try and fight them, just let them run their course and then let them go. Think of them as signs that your body is healing itself because that is exactly what they are. If withdrawal is intense consider nicotine replacement therapy to take the edge off the symptoms.

9. Patience

People don’t quit smoking in a day. Reward yourself when you achieve small goals. Slow and steady habit change might not be sexy, but it’s a lot more effective than the “I want it ALL and I want it NOW!” mentality. It takes time and practice to establish new healthy habits but each day you complete smoke-free is a day closer to the lasting freedom you are after.

10. Invest in a good smoking cessation programme – it will pay dividends for years to come

If you are really serious about quitting smoking for good then invest in a good smoking cessation programme. Research shows that the most effective stop smoking programme is one that has a combination of support, stop smoking medication and behaviour change therapy such as GoSmokeFree.

Achieve your goal to stop smoking this New Year and take back your health and your life from the chains of addiction. Visit www.gosmokefree.co.za or email info@gosmokefree.co.za for more information about the best way to quit smoking.

GoSmokeFree stop smoking service is based on the proven combination of professional support, behavioural modification therapy and traditional nicotine replacement therapy such as medical nicotine gum or patches. The programme is available at leading pharmacies across South Africa. Click here to find one near you www.gosmokefree.co.za/find-a-pharmacy/ .

Triple your chance of successfully stopping smoking with the GoSmokeFree smoking cessation programme and achieve your goal to quit smoking for good.  

You are worth it!

Resources:

• http://www.gosmokefree.co.za
• http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-reasons-why-new-years-resolutions-fail.html
• https://www.verywell.com/tips-to-quit-smoking-for-new-years-2824378

This article contains opinions and facts and references to other information sources. You should always consult a registered healthcare professional for any personal advice.

The post 10 Tips to Quit Smoking for New Year appeared first on GoSmokeFree.

There are 7.4 billion people on earth of which a staggering 1 billion smoke. Needless to say the resolution in the top 10 each year is the intention to kick the habit and stop smoking for good.

The good news is that if you manage to stop smoking for 28 days you’re five times more likely to stop smoking for good. The bad news is, it’s really hard. Especially the first few days while you try to weather the withdrawal symptoms which makes this particular goal the most difficult of all New Year’s resolutions to keep.

So here are a few interesting numbers to inspire you to keep going.

1. 8 trillion cigarettes were smoked in 2014.
2. 8 million smokers in South Africa.
3. 6 million the approximate number of people tobacco kills each year across the world. About 5.5 million of those are the result of a tobacco related disease while more than 600 000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.
4. 4000 chemicals in tobacco smoke. These include carbon monoxide, arsenic, formaldehyde, cyanide, benzene and more than 50 cancer causing agents.
5. R38 is the average price of a pack of 20 cigarettes in South Africa in 2016. A 20-a-day smoker spent nearly R14 000 last year on cigarettes alone.

A great tip to help you stop smoking is to keep reminding yourself of the many health benefits of quitting smoking.

According to the American Cancer Society, the sooner people quit smoking, the more they can reduce the risk of acquiring cancer and other diseases. In fact 20 minutes after smoking that last cigarette your heart rate and blood pressure start to drop. After 12 hours, carbon monoxide levels in your bloodstream drop to normal and your breathing becomes easier.

By 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting smoking, your blood circulation improves and lung function increases. By year one, the excess risk of coronary heart disease halves compared to someone who still smokes. By 5 years, the risk of cancer in the mouth, oesophagus, throat and bladder is reduced by half.

After 10 years, the risk of dying from lung cancer is reduced by half and by 15 years, the risk of coronary heart disease is the same as that of a non-smoker’s.

Together with the health benefits there are so many more reasons to quit smoking such as;

1. Feeling great
2. Extra money in your pocket
3. Improved breathing and general fitness
4. Fresher breath
5. An improved sense of smell and taste
6. Less stress and anxiety
7. Cleaner lungs and a stronger heart

List your own reasons for wanting to quit and keep going back to them during your quit attempt.

There will be times when you feel like you’re about to cave and this is when you need to distract yourself. Here are 5 quick and easy distractions to get you through those inevitable moments of weakness;

1. Talk to someone – call a friend or relative to get some support
2. Go for a brisk walk – this will help clear your head and lungs
3. Stay busy – play a game on your mobile phone
4. Drink a glass of water or juice – keep yourself occupied for those crucial few minutes
5. Change scene – just moving to another room can help, or step outside and get some fresh air

Remember that you can expect to experience about 3 to 4 intense cravings for a smoke during the first couple of weeks after you stop smoking but each of those cravings only lasts about 3 minutes and they reduce in number and intensity over time.

You may have unsuccessfully tried to quit smoking many times before, don’t despair – millions of smokers across the country are also wrestling with temptation this month as they too try to put a stop to their smelly addiction once and for all. To help prepare your mind to succeed in maintaining your resolution a very useful tip is to use the analogy of learning a new sport or skill. When you decide to learn a new sport or skill you are bound to slip up and make mistakes, it is part of the learning experience and not a reason to quit.

So, as an example, if you wanted to learn to play the piano or tennis you would probably have to take lessons. It would take time, and you are likely to make mistakes. Successful people know that a slip is not a fall and relapses are common and expected. If you missed a shot during a game of tennis you wouldn’t give up, you would try again. The same should apply to a quit smoking attempt. Learn from your slips or lapses and keep on practicing the new skills until you achieve your goal.

Achieve your goal to stopping smoking this New Year.

Visit www.gosmokefree.co.za or email info@gosmokefree.co.za for more information.

The GoSmokeFree stop smoking service is based on the proven combination smoking cessation programme which includes support, behavioural modification and traditional nicotine replacement therapy such as medical nicotine gum or patches. The programme is available at leading pharmacies across South Africa.

Triple your chance of successfully stopping smoking with the GoSmokeFree smoking cessation programme and make this the year you quit smoking for good. Take back your health and your life from the chains of addiction.

You are worth it!

Resources:

• http://www.gosmokefree.co.za
• http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs339/en/
• http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/research-data/view/6493 (SANHANES-1)
• https://www.verywell.com/tips-to-quit-smoking-for-new-years-2824378
• http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/04/health/new-years-resolution-quitting-smoking/

This article contains opinions and facts and references to other information sources. You should always consult a registered healthcare professional for any personal advice.

The post Quit Smoking for New Year appeared first on GoSmokeFree.

They add that it is difficult to explain the much higher risk of acute heart attack among younger patients but that the results should be a wake-up call to young smokers.

The study examines data from 1 727 adults who underwent treatment for a common type of heart attack known as a STEMI (ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction) between 2009 and 2012. A STEMI is a full-blown heart attack caused by the complete blockage of a heart artery and loss of blood supply to the heart beyond that point. When this happens the heart muscle stops working within minutes and dies within minutes to hours unless the artery can be opened back up.

The study found that across the South Yorkshire population 27% of adults under the age of 50 smoked but that 75% of the patients under 50 who had suffered a STEMI heart attack were smokers. It was also noted that smokers, on average, were at least a decade younger than ex-smokers when the heart attack struck.

Smoking prevalence (%) within the ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) cohort and in South Yorkshire derived from Office for National Statistics Integrated Household Survey (ONS-IHS) responses.

Amelia Lloyd et al. Heart doi:10.1136/heartjnl-2016-309595

Copyright © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & British Cardiovascular Society. All rights reserved.

What became clear from the study is that younger men and women who typically do not have as many of the health problems, such as hypertension, high cholesterol or diabetes, normally associated with an increased risk of heart problems, expose themselves to the most powerful of all risk factors by smoking and this risk factor exerts its effect much earlier than any other. The study concluded that survival following STEMI among smokers has not improved over the past decade despite corresponding changes in management strategies which have greatly improved prevalence within ex-smokers and non-smokers.

Cardiologist Yaron Arbel, writing in the same journal, said that the goal must be to help younger smokers quit smoking. All current smokers must be encouraged into smoking cessation therapy to reduce their risk of acute STEMI, with a focus on the youngest smokers whose increased risk is often unrecognised.

Convincing younger smokers to stop smoking can be extremely challenging especially as the younger smokers may not appreciate the risks associated with smoking, probably don’t suffer any disabling effects from smoking as yet and do not have the usual cardio-vascular risk factors for heart attack. It is unlikely they appreciate the benefits of stopping smoking and if they do try and stop the nicotine withdrawal is unpleasant.

Evidence shows that the best way to quit smoking is through a full stop smoking programme that combines support, nicotine replacement therapy or other stop smoking medication and behavioural modification. Gosmokefree is fully supported stop smoking programme that uses the proven combination therapy. The Gosmokefree programme greatly increases a smokers chances of stopping smoking when compared to a smoker who attempts to quit cold turkey.

GoSmokeFree smoking cessation programme

Triple your chance of successfully stopping smoking with the GoSmokeFree smoking cessation programme which uses a proven combination of behaviour change therapy, support and medication such as nicotine replacement therapy. Visit www.gosmokefree.co.za or email info@gosmokefree.co.za for more information.

Resources:

• http://www.gosmokefree.co.za
• http://www.internationaljournalofcardiology.com/article/S0167-5273(14)01200-5/fulltext
• http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2016-11-30-under-50-smokers-face-8-fold-higher-heart-attack-risk-study?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=First%20Thing%2030%20November%20HRW&utm_content=First%20Thing%2030%20November%20HRW+CID_3426f6258761ff5f12026b89d56e6dd9&utm_source=TouchBasePro&utm_term=Smokers%20under%2050%20have%20greater%20chance%20of%20heart%20attack#.WEVb3vl97IU

This article contains opinions and facts and references to other information sources. You should always consult a registered healthcare professional for any personal advice.

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