Stop Smoking: The Health Benefits, Costs and Ways to Quit
Updated: Sep 5
If you smoke and have been thinking about stopping, you probably don't need another lecture about why smoking is harmful. Most smokers already know the risks. Knowing you should stop and actually managing to do it, however, are two very different things.
Nicotine is highly addictive, and smoking often becomes tied to everyday routines and emotions as well. A cigarette may become associated with having a coffee, taking a break, driving, socialising or dealing with stress. This is one reason quitting can feel difficult even when you genuinely want to stop.
I have worked with people who wanted to stop smoking both as a clinical hypnotherapist and a former NHS smoking cessation group adviser. One thing that experience taught me is that there isn't one approach that suits everybody.
The good news is that there are now several ways to get help, from NHS stop-smoking support and nicotine replacement products to medication, vaping and psychological approaches such as hypnotherapy.
Why Is Smoking So Harmful?
Tobacco smoke contains thousands of chemicals, many of which can damage the body.
Smoking increases the risk of lung cancer and several other cancers, as well as heart disease, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It can also affect circulation, breathing and general health.
Second-hand smoke can affect the health of people around you too.
These risks can sound frightening, particularly if you have smoked for many years. But there is another side to the story which is far more encouraging: your body begins benefiting from stopping surprisingly quickly.
Are Roll-Ups, Cigars or Pipes Safer Than Cigarettes?
It's easy to assume that hand-rolled cigarettes might be safer because they can appear more natural, but they still involve burning tobacco and inhaling harmful smoke.
The same applies to cigars and pipes. They may be smoked differently from cigarettes, but tobacco smoke still exposes the body to harmful chemicals and increases the risk of serious disease.
Changing the type of tobacco you smoke therefore isn't the same as stopping smoking.
What About Vaping?
For an adult smoker, switching completely from cigarettes to vaping can reduce exposure to many of the harmful substances produced when tobacco is burned.
Some people find vaping particularly helpful because it deals with two sides of smoking at once: nicotine cravings and the familiar physical routine of smoking.
However, vaping isn't risk-free, and people who don't smoke shouldn't start vaping. If you are using a vape to stop smoking, the aim should be to move away from cigarettes completely rather than continuing to smoke and vape indefinitely.
How Much Money Could You Save by Stopping Smoking?
The financial cost of smoking has risen considerably over the years, so even smoking relatively few cigarettes each day can add up to a substantial amount over twelve months.
Instead of concentrating on a particular price per packet, try working out what you currently spend.
If you buy cigarettes several times a week, multiply that figure by 52. Seeing the annual amount rather than the price of an individual packet can be quite an eye-opener.
Then consider what else you could do with that money. A holiday? Days out? Something for your home? Or simply having more money left in your account each month?
For some people, the financial benefit becomes almost as motivating as the health benefit.
What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Smoking?
One of the most encouraging things about quitting is that the benefits don't only appear years into the future.
Your body begins adjusting after your last cigarette, and over time your circulation, breathing and longer-term health risks can improve.
The exact changes and timescales vary from person to person, particularly according to how long and how heavily someone has smoked. What matters is that stopping smoking is worthwhile at virtually any age.
Even if you have smoked for decades, stopping now can still benefit your health.
Why Is It So Difficult to Stop Smoking?
There are usually two parts to smoking dependence.
The first is physical dependence on nicotine. When nicotine levels fall, you may experience cravings, irritability, restlessness or difficulty concentrating.
The second is habit and association.
You may automatically reach for a cigarette:
with your morning coffee
after eating
when drinking alcohol
while driving
during a work break
when you're stressed
when you're bored
when other people are smoking
After years of repetition, these associations can become remarkably automatic.
That's why deciding “I'm simply not going to smoke anymore” can sometimes be more difficult than expected. You're not only stopping nicotine; you're changing numerous established patterns at the same time.
If you'd like to explore this in more detail, I've written a complete guide to stopping smoking and self-hypnosis, looking at nicotine dependence, smoking triggers, cravings and how self-hypnosis may support your quit-smoking plan.
What Can Help You Stop Smoking?
There is no reason you have to rely on willpower alone.
NHS Stop Smoking Services
Local NHS stop-smoking services can provide professional advice and support and help you decide which quitting methods may suit you.
Depending on where you live, support may be available individually, in groups, by telephone or online.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) supplies nicotine without tobacco smoke.
Options include patches, gum, lozenges, sprays and inhalators. These can reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms while you adjust to not smoking.
Some people benefit from combining a longer-acting product such as a patch with a faster-acting product for sudden cravings.
Stop-Smoking Medication
Medicines are also available that can help reduce nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
Current NHS options include varenicline, cytisine and bupropion, although which treatments are appropriate will depend on the individual.
Your GP, pharmacist or local stop-smoking service can advise you about the available options and whether they are suitable for you.
Counselling and Behavioural Support
For some smokers, understanding when and why they smoke is particularly useful.
If cigarettes have become a response to stress, anxiety, boredom or difficult emotions, finding different ways of responding to those situations can make stopping easier.
Behavioural support can also help you prepare for situations in which you would normally smoke and decide beforehand what you'll do instead.
Can Hypnotherapy Help You Stop Smoking?
Hypnotherapy takes a different approach because it concentrates particularly on the thoughts, habits and associations surrounding smoking.
Rather than simply telling yourself repeatedly that you shouldn't smoke, hypnosis can be used to encourage you to begin seeing yourself as a non-smoker and to weaken some of the automatic connections you've developed with cigarettes.
For example, if you've smoked with a cup of coffee every morning for twenty years, coffee itself may eventually become a trigger for wanting a cigarette.
Hypnosis can be used to help change those established associations and reinforce your reasons for wanting to stop.
It isn't magic, and nobody can guarantee that hypnosis will make someone stop smoking. Your own motivation matters. But some people find it a useful addition to their quit-smoking plan.
As a UK clinical hypnotherapist, I've created a self-hypnosis recording for stopping smoking for people who would like to explore this approach at home. Quit smoking hypnosis MP3
Preparing to Stop
Before your quit date, spend a little time noticing your smoking rather than doing it automatically.
Ask yourself:
When do I most want a cigarette?
Is it after food? With coffee? When you're stressed? In the car? When you're drinking alcohol?
Once you recognise your main triggers, you can prepare alternatives.
You might take a short walk instead of having a cigarette after lunch, change where you have your morning coffee, keep something else in your hands while watching television or use a nicotine replacement product when cravings are strongest.
Small practical changes can make a surprisingly big difference.
What If You've Tried to Stop Before?
Trying before and starting again doesn't mean you can't stop.
Many former smokers made more than one attempt before finally quitting. A previous attempt can actually give you useful information.
Think about what happened last time.
What was going well? What caused you to start again? Was it a stressful event? Alcohol? Being around other smokers? Strong withdrawal symptoms?
Rather than treating a previous attempt as failure, use what you learned to make your next attempt better prepared.
Ready to Stop Smoking?
There are more ways to get help with stopping smoking than there used to be, and you don't have to choose only one.
You might combine professional support with nicotine replacement, medication or vaping. You might also decide that working on the psychological habit through counselling, behavioural techniques or hypnotherapy would be useful.
The important thing is finding an approach that works for you.
Stopping smoking can be challenging, but every cigarette you don't smoke is a move in the right direction. And whether you've smoked for five years or fifty, deciding to stop is one of the most positive changes you can make for your future health.
