Stop smoking. Start Living.
Why do teenagers smoke?
Teenagers start smoking for a variety of
reasons:
• the curiosity of trying something new
• copying friends and family
• peer pressure
Whatever sort of pressure they’re put under,
it's a lot easier to say no than taking up the
habit and trying to give up after years of
regular smoking.
• Did you know… ?
• Addiction to nicotine is usually established in young
smokers within about a year of first experimenting
with cigarettes, in many cases before reaching the
age at which it is legal to buy cigarettes.
• It only takes 6 or 7 cigarettes to trigger off the
nicotine seeking cells in the brain.
• Once this has occurred it is very easy to become
addicted.
• Most young smokers are already addicted by the age
of 14.
So what is nicotine?
• Nicotine is one of the most powerfully addictive
drugs.
• It comes from a leafy plant grown in many areas of
the world and when it is inhaled through tobacco
smoke it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream.
• It is a stimulant and the active ingredient in tobacco.
• Immediate effects on the body include increased
heart rate and rise in blood pressure.
What else is in a cigarette?
• Did you know that there are about 4,000 chemicals in
tobacco smoke?
These poisonous chemicals include:
• Tar
• Carbon Monoxide (CO)
• Acetone
• Ammonia
• Arsenic
• Formaldehyde
• Cadmium
• Shellac
• Benzene
• Cyanide
Why stop smoking?
• Teenage lungs are more at risk of damage because
they are still growing and developing .
• Smoking at any age can potentially lay the groundwork
for any from of cancer and affect fertility.
• 25% of people who smoke will never reach their
pension age.
Smoking myths
• cigarettes don't make you relaxed. In fact, smoking
actually speeds up your heart rate
• giving up doesn't mean you'll put on lots of weight.
You may start eating more when you're giving up, but
a couple of extra pounds is a lot healthier than
continuing to smoke
• you might think that you'll give up when you're a bit
older, but the longer you carry on smoking, the harder
it will be to quit
• the only way smoking makes you look older is by giving
your wrinkles at an early age
Quitting will make your life
better
• Here are some of the great benefits of stopping smoking:
• MONEY!
• Want to splash out on Christmas presents this year? Stop smoking and
you could
• If you smoke 5 a day, quitting will save you about £10 a week.
• If you smoke 10 a day, quitting will save you about £20 a week.
• If you smoke 20 a day, quitting will save you over £2,000 a year.
• WHITER TEETH
Ex-smokers don’t feel self-conscious when they smile
• LESS STRESS
Smoking is not a cure for stress – it creates it
And there’s more….
• IMPROVED SENSES
Invigorate your ability to smell and taste within 48 hours of quitting
• MORE ENERGY
Ex-smokers are stronger and fitter
• LONGER LIFE
Quit for a happier old age
Under 18?
• Since the 1st of October, shops can't sell
cigarettes to anyone under 18. It's a good
reason to quit.
• Here are seven more great reasons to quit
and nine tips that will help you do it. (Did you
know nicotine gum and patches are free to
over-12s, for example?)
Seven more good reasons to quit
• 1. You’ll be healthier and less out of breath: smoking
decreases your lung capacity.
2. You’ll save yourself a packet. Smoking 20 a day for
a year costs £2007. That’s a lot of downloads and
shoes. To work out your personal smoking bill, see the
smokefree caculator on NHS Choices website.
•
3. You’re being sold cigarettes even when you don’t
realise it. Tobacco companies are infiltrating YouTube
and Facebook with 'positive' messages about smoking.
4. The younger you start smoking, the more damage there will be to your
body as an adult, even after you’ve given up smoking. Someone who
starts smoking at 15 is three times as likely to die from cancer than
someone who starts in their mid-20s. Half of all teenagers who
currently smoke will die of tobacco-related diseases.
5. Quitting helps save the planet. Deforestation due to tobacco production
accounts for nearly 5% of overall deforestation in the developing world,
according to research published in the BMJ.
6. You’ll look better. Chemicals in cigarettes restrict blood flow to your
skin. Smokers have more wrinkled and saggy faces by the time they’re
in their mid-20s. Bleugh.
7. Not smoking will make you instantly more attractive. Most people prefer
kissing non smokers.
Nine good ways to help yourself
through it
• 1. Make a deal with good friends to quit.
• 2. It’s very hard to give up using willpower alone, so
get all the help you can find.
•
3. Smokers often hate other people quitting, so be
prepared for a few put-downs.
• 4. Prepare for a tough few days when you first quit as
these are the hardest to cope with for most people.
• 5. Drink plenty of water to flush away the toxins in
your system while you’re quitting. Take water bottles
to school, work or college.
• 6. Worried about weight gain while you’re quitting?
•
7. Get your family to back you.
• 8. Do your best to stay away from alcohol, coffee,
sugar and sweets during your quit.
• 9. And remember... it takes about a month for the
nicotine cravings to subside. Take it one day at a time
and soon you’ll be smokefree for the rest of your life.
What if willpower isn’t enough?
• Professional advice and support
• Nicotine replacement products
• “Together Programme”
• NHS Choices website
• Gosmokefree.co.uk
Coping with withdrawal symptoms
• For some people, the symptoms associated with
stopping smoking are what makes them start again.
Nicotine replacement products can help with this.
• The first few days may be hard going, but many of
the symptoms are a sign that the body is already
starting to recover.
• For example: intense desire to smoke, coughing, dry
mouth, hunger, constipation/diarrhoea, trouble
sleeping, dizziness and mood swings.
Because you are only human….
• What if you start smoking again?
• Don’t panic!
• It often takes people 4 or 5 attempts to stop
smoking for good.
• Next time you try, you can use what you have
already learnt from this experience to help
you go smoke free again.
• There are lots of reasons why people stop being
smoke-free, these are some of the commonest:
• They thought they could just have one
• They didn’t prepare well or think about their smoking
triggers
• They didn’t work out other ways of dealing with
stress
• They put on weight
• They thought of themselves as being ex-smokers not
non-smokers.
Scotland's smoke-free success
• Scotland went smoke-free over a year ago and
the Scots are now reaping the benefits, with
a fall in smoking-related conditions.
• A recent study carried out in nine Scottish
hospitals found a 17% fall in admissions for
heart attacks since the smoke-free legislation
came into force. This is compared to an annual
fall of 3% a year in the decade before.
Scotland’s smoke-free success
• There has been a 39% fall in exposure to second-hand
smoking in both adults and children, and a fall of 89%
in exposure to second-hand smoke for non-smoking
bar staff. This has in turn led to bar workers
reporting fewer smoke-related problems, such as
coughs and sore eyes and throats.
And best of all….
• The new law has also been used as an
opportunity to get help and support about
quitting; 70% of smokers want to stop.
• Once you are smoke-free for good, you’ll look
back and hardly be able to believe all the
time, money and sheer human energy you’ve
wasted on the habit.
• So stop today and get back in touch with the
real you. Good luck!