No smoking day

I hadn't realised that more Scots give up smoking in March than in January...but I am sure it has something to do with the extra bank holiday at New Year in Scotland!

Today is No Smoking Day
It is great to have a day when there is national support for those folk who really want to stop smoking. I have blogged about stopping smoking before and the services available from Barnton Pharmacy, so this time I wanted to tell you about my friend Debbie.

Debbie has always smoked - well for 33 years to be exact. For as long as I can remember I have not known Debbie without a fag in one hand and a large G&T in the other. Up until fairly recently Debbie was definitely a "contented smoker". No amount of lecturing, cajoling or any other sort of nagging would have persuaded her that giving up the fags was a good idea. She had tried many times without success and had tried patches, gum and all combinations of nicotine replacement.

Determined to change things a couple of years ago, Debbie found a gym which was working for her, bought a bike and she was fitter than she had been for years! The next thing to tackle was smoking. The next quit attempt was going to have to be different. ......So what was different?

This time Debbie discussed her smoking with her GP and a course of Champix was prescribed. This, together with great determination, planning and an even better reward system (beauty treatments, days out with the girls, champagne - whatever works!) means that this No Smoking Day Debbie has been smoke free for EIGHT WEEKS!!!! This is even more incredible if you know her husband is still smoking, but there is another story altogether!

Debbie is feeling and looking great! She can now run for 30 minutes without stopping and for the first time in 33 years she watched her beloved Newcastle United play Sunderland without caving in to nicotine (it was a draw in the end, I believe). There is even talk of a climb to the top of Ben Nevis in May!

Apart from being a true success story for Debbie, this tale is for anyone who has tried to give up before and gone back to the fags. Most people have to fall off the wagon a few times before giving up for good. It is for those of you who are "contented smokers" and for those of you who have tried every product available before.....try again!

If Debbie can do it.....so can you!

How to stop smoking and stay stopped for good in 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

So, now is the time for the resolutions to start and what better way to start the year than by giving up smoking?
Speaking from experience*, I know it is one of the hardest things to do and requires huge amounts of mental strength and physical will. But, if you need a little bit more motivation than that, here are ten more good reasons to stop:

1. If you smoke 20 a day and stop today, you'll be £2000 richer by next Christmas.
2. In 20 minutes, your blood pressure and heart rate return to normal
3. In three days, your breathing will be easier and you'll feel more energetic
4. In one year, your risk of having a heart attack is about halved from when you still smoked
5. Even if you've tried to give up before, try again....most people need a couple of attempts to stay stopped
6. Your family will  thank you for stopping. Kids exposed to second hand smoke are more at risk of cot death, asthma, chest infections and diabetes
7. If you stay stopped for 10 years, your lung cancer risk is half that of someone who still smokes.....it's never too late to stop.
8. By the end of January, you could have nearly £200 in spare cash!
9. You won't need to go outside for a fag in the middle of winter
10. We can help you!!!!

If you are serious about stopping, come and see Hazel, Sandra, Sally or Leanne at Barnton Pharmacy. We can sign you up for the NHS Pharmacy Stop Smoking Service which is FREE OF CHARGE to everyone. You commit to coming to see us weekly for 12 weeks and we will give you the motivation to stop and stay stopped as well as whichever nicotine replacement treatment is most  appropriate for you.


*My last cigarette was eight years ago, but some days it feels like yesterday and I still never say, never - just "not today, thanks"