Be keen to stop smoking !

                    Smoking
Smoking causes a number of adverse health conditions and diseases, a number of which are fatal. It is not just the smoker who runs the risk of affecting his or her own health; smoking also affects non-smokers as well. 

According to the Department of Health, a smoking related death occurs every 4 minutes in the UK.

Some of the conditions and diseases related to smoking are:

•lung cancer (smoking causes over 80 per cent of all lung cancer deaths) 
•heart disease 
• bronchitis 
• strokes 
• stomach ulcers 
• leukemia 
• gangrene 
• other cancers eg mouth and throat cancer 
• tuberculosis
• fertility problems
• premature ageing
• diabetic retinopathy

Another worrying smoking fact is that smokers on average have a life expectancy 8-12 years less than non-smokers.

The benefits begin straight away. You reduce your risk of getting serious disease no matter what age you give up. However, the sooner you stop, the greater the reduction in your risk. 

              *( Benefits of not Smoking )*

The good new is that if you stop smoking before you reach the age of about 35, your life expectancy is only slightly less than people who have never smoked. For older smokers there are also considerable health benefits. If you stop smoking before the age of 50, you significantly decrease the risk of dying from smoking-related diseases by as much as 50%. 

Whenever you take the positive decision to improve your health and stop smoking, your life will improve in many different ways, including:

• Breathing improves. 
• Chest infections and colds become less frequent. 
• Reduction in 'smoker's cough'. 
• The smell of stale tobacco goes from your breath, clothes, hair, and face. 
• Foods and drinks taste and smell much better. 
• Finances improve. You will save well over £2000 per year if you smoked 20 a day.

How can I stop Smoking?

There is a lot of support available for those people who decide to give up smoking. Willpower and determination are the most important aspects when giving up, but GPs, practice nurses, or pharmacists can provide help, information, encouragement, and tips on stopping smoking. 

Also, many parts of the country now have specialist NHS 'Stop Smoking Clinics' which have a good success in helping people to stop smoking. Your doctor may refer you to one if you are keen to stop smoking but are finding it difficult to do so. 

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) can help with withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine gum, sprays, patches, tablets, lozenges, and inhalers are available. Using one of these roughly doubles your chance of stopping smoking if you really want to stop. A pharmacist, GP, practice nurse, or Stop Smoking Clinic can advise about NRT.

As well as traditional willpower and NRT there are a number of alternative therapies that have proved highly effective in helping to give up smoking; Acupuncture and Hypnotherapy being the most successful of these. Many Health Cash Plans and Hospital Plans offer help with the costs of these treatments; to compare some the UK’s leading Health Cash Plans click here
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