One in two smokers die as a result of smoking related disease.

Smoking is linked to a range of medical conditions such as: Dementia, COPD, Heart Disease and Stroke.  

The NHS has a 10-tip guide to stopping smoking these tips are:

• Think positive
• Make a plan to quit smoking
• consider your diet
• change your drink 
• Identify when you crave cigarettes
• Get additional support for stopping smoking
• Get moving
• Make non-smoking friends 
• Keep your hands and mouth busy 
• Make a list of reasons to quit

For the full list of tips and details for each see the NHS 10 self-help tips to stop smoking:

10 self-help tips to stop smoking – NHS (www.nhs.uk) 

The NHS smoking advice and support page also has information for managing potential weight gain during quitting, how to cope with cravings, potential relapses after stopping and much more.

The NHS have free guide to stopping smoking app available to download on mobile devises. Type ‘Smoke Free’ into your apps store. The smoke free app monitors your progress, offers loads of advice and support on your journey to smoke free, also, you will receive motivational notifications to help you maintain a smoke free lifestyle. 

For more information and advice to stop smoking and related pages such as: Stoptober, Breathe 2025 and Keep-it-out. See the Bradford ‘How can I quit smoking?’

How can I quit smoking? | Bradford Council

How to break the habit

There is a wide range of nicotine alternatives available on the market today. In this section we are going to focus on breaking the psychological habit of smoking, to help you alongside your smoke free nicotine alternatives.

Have a think about why it is that you smoke? “I enjoy it” “I need it” or “I just do it, it’s a habit.”

Habits are breakable, there are many ways psychologists advice to aid you to breaking the habit, A few of these are:

• Become hyper aware of your habit – Trying to ignore a habit will likely cause the habit to become worse.
• Writing down your feelings towards smoking – Write the usual routine of your habit and why you want to quit. When you are feeling overwhelmed you can come back to these notes and remind yourself why you are on this journey.
• Set a start date – Keeping track of your process will drive you to maintain the smoke free lifestyle. The NHS smoke free phone app is a great way to monitor your progress.
• Avoid going ‘cold turkey’ – When giving up a habit or addiction by simply stopping with no additional aid, when you start smoking again, this will feel as though you have failed and leave a negative thought towards your intentions of going smoke free.  

E-Cigarettes are considered an easy alternative and a useful tool to help wean yourself off the nicotine addiction.

However, e-cigarettes are the same as cigarettes in that you find yourself still hooked on the ‘habit’. 

To entirely break free from your smoking habits you need to be tackling the addiction and the habit both at the same time.

It is said that humans are only 20% addicted to the nicotine and 80% addicted to the routine habit of smoking.  

There are lots of great ways to help start your smoke free lifestyle! If you can go 28 days without a cigarette you are far more likely to stop completely.

Remember to tackle the habit and the addition together and take each day one step at a time.