Smoking – why quit?

Stopping smoking is one of the best things you will ever do for your health and your whānau.

Quitting smoking has many great benefits, in fact it is the one thing shown to make the biggest positive impact on your health. It is also great for your whānau’s health and for your wallet too.

Nobody will pretend quitting cigarettes is easy and you might have tried quitting before. But if you are thinking about quitting, and you feel the time is right for you to make the change from being a smoker to a non-smoker, then there is a lot of support available to help you.

There are lots of health benefits to stopping smoking

There are lots of great reasons to quit. Here are a few health benefits:

Smoking starves your skin of oxygen making it dry and grey. You develop wrinkles around your eyes and mouth much earlier, and the tar stains your teeth and fingers.
Smokers who do not quit have a 1 in 2 chance of dying of a smoking-related illness – most commonly lung cancer and other lung disease such as emphysema, heart disease and stroke.
Smoking is a major cause of blindness.
Quitting can also improve mood, and help relieve stress, anxiety and depression.
Quitting smoking is a challenge. Once you have set the goal to quit and succeeded, you will feel really proud of yourself. Quitting helps you take on other challenges.
Your sense of smell and taste will get better.

Credits: Heart Foundation, NZ

Smoking also damages the health of those around you, your fertility and your unborn child if you are pregnant. If you are pregnant, it is vital for your baby's health that you stop smoking. Read about smoking and pregnancy and being smoke free for your children.

Learn about all the nasties that exist in a cigarette - it may put you off smoking for good.

Use the interactive tool What is smoking doing to your body? developed by Smokefree Aotearoa NZ to learn how smoking damages your health and the health of your whānau.

You'll save lots of money

Fancy some extra money? An average packet of cigarettes now costs more than $30. If you smoke a pack a day then you will spend more than $12,000 a year on cigarettes.

Image credits: Te Hiringa Hauora, NZ & Smokefree Aotearoa NZ

Image credits: Te Hiringa Hauora, NZ & Smokefree Aotearoa NZ

Work out how much you could save each year by not smoking by using the smoking cost calculator.

Overcome the excuses

We can all come up with excuses and reasons why we can’t make lifestyle changes like quitting smoking. More often than not these reasons are unfounded, and dispelling them can be a helpful step in kicking the smoking habit.

If you are a smoker, it can take a couple of attempts to quit – but you can do it. Help is just a phone call away. Call the Quitline 0800 778 778

Remind yourself why you're doing this

Everyone has different reasons for wanting to reduce their smoking use, or to stop all together. Write a list of your reasons for becoming smokefree and keep the list with you so you can remind yourself why you want to stop smoking. Here are some questions that might help you start your list.

What stops you from quitting smoking?
What could you do instead when you want to smoke?
Who could help you to stop smoking?

Read some top tips on how to quit.

Learn more

QuitStrong NZ
Smoking Fresh Minds, NZ
Why quit smoking Quitline, NZ
Seven common excuses people have about quitting smoking and how to overcome them NHS, UK

References

How smoking harms and kills us Smokefree NZ
Quit Smoking Heart Foundation, NZ

Credits: Health Navigator Editorial Team. Page last updated: 23 May 2022

Top tips on how to quit

Set your quit date

The first step to becoming smokefree is to choose when you want to quit. Give yourself time to prepare but don't put it off too long. Picking a date too far away gives you time to change your mind or become less motivated. Choose a date that is no more than a week or two away.

Take one day at a time. Mark off each successful day on a calendar. Look at it when you feel tempted to smoke, and tell yourself you don't want to start all over again.

List your reasons for quitting

Write a list of your reasons for becoming smokefree and keep the list with you as a constant reminder of the reasons to stop and the benefits you will enjoy. For example: to improve my health, to save money, for my children. If you have tried to quit before, remember what worked and what has not worked.

Get your whānau and friends involved

Quitting smoking is easier when your friends and whānau are on board. It's helpful having someone to call to keep you motivated when you have those strong urges and cravings. If they don't want to quit or aren't ready to quit, make some rules like not offering you cigarettes or leaving them lying around for you to be tempted.

Image credit: Canva

Reduce the cravings

Nicotine is very addictive. There are lots of treatments available that can help replace the nicotine such as nicotine replacement therapy. Read about treatments here.

Handle the urge to smoke

Avoid triggers or situations that make you want to smoke and make a plan if you are tempted to smoke. Triggers might include social triggers, emotional triggers or habits such as having a cigarette with your coffee. Have some back up activities such as walking around the block, doing a quick house chore, breathing deeply and being mindful or phoning a friend.

Reach out for professional help

Talk to your doctor, nurse or support person about help with quitting including quit treatments and support programmes. Using quit treatments together with support programmes increases your chances of successfully quitting considerably.

Reward yourself

Be kind to yourself during this time. This could be going for that walk or run that you found it difficult to do before you quit or spending some of the money that you've saved from quitting.

Be prepared for withdrawal symptoms

When you stop smoking, you are likely to get symptoms which may include feeling sick (nausea), headaches, anxiety, irritability, craving, and just feeling awful. These symptoms are caused by the lack of nicotine that your body has been used to. They tend to peak after 12-24 hours and then gradually ease over 2-4 weeks.

Some people worry about gaining weight when they give up smoking, as the appetite may improve. Anticipate an increase in appetite and try not to increase fatty or sugary foods as snacks. Try fruit and sugar-free gum instead.

Good luck. Throw away all your cigarettes before you start. Remember, there is never "just 1 cigarette". You can do it!