From 1 March smokers are being asked to sign up to a HSE quitting programme for 28 days. Stop for 28 days and you are five times more likely to succeed, they say, and the benefits are many.

“It is possible, there is hope – and lots of support. The key message is to keep trying. Try, try, try again and you will get there eventually. Use all the supports and you will be able to do it.”

That’s the message from Martina Blake, national lead for the HSE’s Tobacco Free Ireland Programme.

“One hundred and sixty-five thousand smokers in Ireland have given up in the last five years so it can be done,” she says.

“The figures are down from 23% to 17% for daily and occasional smokers and daily smokers now only make up 14% of the population which is great, but we need more people to give up.”

Martina advises that someone wanting to quit shouldn’t try to do it on their own, but instead get all the support available from the HSE’s Quit programme.

Quit.ie staff are currently encouraging smokers to try the 28-day quitting programme this March.

“We are trying to gather a community of quitters to quit from 1 March for 28 days. If you quit for 28 days you are five times more likely to quit for good. It’s about breaking the quitting down to smaller pieces where people can say, ‘I’m quitting for today’ and do it step by step rather than thinking too far ahead.”

Acknowledging that nicotine is a really addictive drug paves the way for seeking support when trying to quit, she adds. “Fifty per cent of people try going cold turkey, but it is difficult to quit that way.”

She outlines how the addiction beds in. “Addiction to cigarettes changes your brain chemistry,” she says. “When you start smoking it develops nicotine receptors in your brain and causes these receptors to release ‘feel-good’ hormones called endorphins that can make you feel good. Once those pathways are stimulated they are stimulated forever.”

Because of this it is not a good idea to say, “Oh I’ll just have one” after you’ve given up.

“A person who has quit might be on an enjoyable night out or not feeling the best and think, ‘I’ll just have one’ but that is a bad idea because when you start releasing those receptors again the cravings start. It is a very risky game to play and we don’t recommend it. Even a puff will stimulate those receptors.”

Smoking and stress

Giving up is difficult and what’s called “cognitive dissonance” can play its part in not trying.

“This is where smokers make excuses for themselves,” Martina says. “They say things like, ‘My granny smoked until 90 and she was fine’ but what about those people that didn’t make it? Or they say, ‘I can’t, I’m too stressed’. A lot of people think that cigarettes help ease stress but that’s a myth. The reason why people associate cigarettes with stress relief is because they’re taking a break from work but smoking actually makes you stressed.

“Your nicotine levels are up and down all day. When you smoke you feel relief because you have fed your addiction. Also, when you smoke your body produces adrenaline which raises your blood pressure and heart rate.

“Quitting can mean changing the way you react to stress, to finding other ways of coping rather than reaching for a cigarette.”

Reasons to quit

There is a myriad of good reasons why you should quit.

“You will benefit straight away,” Martina says. “You’ll have fresh hair and clothes. After one day your risk of heart attack reduces, by day three or four breathlessness improves. There are so many positive health effects. It is the most positive thing you can do for your health.”

Patches

Fear of withdrawal symptoms can put people off, she says, but quitters should try and overcome their fear.

“Weigh up the pros and cons but don’t do it alone. There are nicotine replacement products to help you initially. You’re not swapping one drug for another, it is just a small dose in a different format that is preventing you from having the negative withdrawal effects.”

She suggests a combination of a patch (a slow-release product) and also using a fast acting product every hour on the hour, like a spray, gum or lozenge.

You can also take a tablet that makes smoking distasteful to you.

“It is called Champix and it blocks the nicotine receptors and has to be prescribed by your GP.”

Thinking positively

Changing your mindset about the experience of quitting is important too.

“A lot of people have this feeling that they are missing out and sacrificing. Just try and change your mindset about what you’re achieving. People feel proud when they quit. Getting your head in the right space is key. You have to be ready, to want to do it for yourself. No amount of nagging will work if you don’t.”

Tips

But what are the most useful tips for quitting? While there are many that can be checked out on www.quit.ie these are three important ones:

1 Watch your pattern of smoking for a week before quitting.

2 Change your routine.

3 Take up an activity

Support

When you sign up to a Quit Plan, you get personalised support that’s right for you. See www.quit.ie

A reader’s story

Una Boyle started smoking when she was 14 years old.

“Everyone was doing it and although cigarettes made me feel sick I kept smoking in order to fit in,” she says.

By the age of 16 Una was buying cigarettes. Looking back she says she thought she enjoyed smoking for most of her life but things changed dramatically for her five years ago.

My cough was getting worse at that stage and I felt really embarrassed about the whole situation

“I was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 2015 and I got frightened,” she says. “My doctors said that if I continued smoking that I would end up in a wheelchair on oxygen.”

A lengthy thinking time about quitting followed and while she did try a few times, she always went back on the cigarettes again.

“My cough was getting worse at that stage and I felt really embarrassed about the whole situation,” she says.

It was after her son Eamonn’s advice that she decided to go see a HSE tobacco cessation advisor in Donegal.

“Between the two of them they developed a plan to help me,” she says. “One of the first steps was for me to make the house smoke free which helped me break the habit. I started walking too and I reduced my coffee intake. I found that changing the cup to my other hand helped also. I also took Champix which really helped to take the craving edge off.”

As she progressed, Una was also attending a Respiratory Integrated Care programme to ensure she was using her medication correctly.

I knew that would be my downfall and that I would relapse back to smoking again

“This was helping me with my exercise programme as well.”

Una understood the importance of not taking even one puff of a cigarette.

“I knew that would be my downfall and that I would relapse back to smoking again.”

First thing in the morning was the most difficult time for her, she says, but to get over this she had a mantra.

“I said to myself each morning ‘I am not smoking – I’ve made up my mind and I’m sticking to it this time’.”

She also found the nighttime tricky because she was in the habit of smoking if she woke during the night.

“Now I take a glass of water to bed and if I wake up I drink that instead. The good thing is that I’ve noticed that I now get back to sleep much easier.”

I used to feel down a lot of the time but I now know it was the cigarettes

The fact that family members no longer smoke in the house since Una quit has also been a huge help.

But what does Una see as the benefits?

“Better sleep and more energy. My mind is happier and brighter. I used to feel down a lot of the time but I now know it was the cigarettes. I’ve a lot more money in my purse now too as cigarettes were so expensive.

“Quitting has helped my self-esteem too, and I’m proud of quitting and my family are proud and delighted with how I’m getting on too. It also means a lot to me that I am not smoking around my grandkids. Overall, I have a much better life now since I quit.”

Una is thankful for all the help and support she has received.

“I think you need help to quit and it does help talking to someone who understands. You get more courage and are more likely to keep at it if you are checking in with someone regularly at the clinic. It’s a very helpful, friendly service. I would recommend that people go along even for a chat. It’s the best thing I’ve done.”