Planning to stop smoking

Overview

Stopping smoking often involves both dependence and familiar routines. Cravings may be linked to stress, social situations, breaks or particular places. Understanding those links can help you prepare. A previous attempt that did not last can still provide useful information about what helped and what made continuing difficult.

You do not need to wait until motivation feels perfect to ask about support. NHS stop-smoking services provide specialist advice, although the way to access local help can differ. Support can address practical planning and ways of managing cravings, rather than relying only on willpower or a single decision.

By telephone

A conversation can explore why you want to stop, your usual smoking pattern and the situations you expect to find hardest. Describe earlier attempts, including useful support and the circumstances in which you started again. Mention other health conditions, current treatment and any concerns about changing established routines.

It may help to identify people who can support you and changes you could make to common triggers. Your questions might concern finding a local service, preparing for cravings or managing a lapse without abandoning the whole attempt. The discussion can focus on a realistic next step rather than demanding that every challenge is solved immediately.

What cannot be done remotely

General advice does not replace an individual assessment by an appropriate stop-smoking professional, especially where health circumstances affect the choice of support. This page does not offer a particular product or imply that a telephone appointment includes a smoking-cessation programme.

New chest symptoms, significant breathlessness or coughing blood need assessment in their own right. They should not be assumed to be an expected effect of stopping. If you feel unwell during an attempt, seek advice about the symptom and explain the recent change in smoking rather than restarting as a way of testing its cause.

What to prepare

• Write down your reasons for stopping and what matters most to you.
• Identify your strongest triggers and the routines connected with smoking.
• Note previous attempts, useful support and reasons for returning to smoking.
• List health concerns and questions for an appropriate local stop-smoking service.

Sources

• NHS: Stop-smoking services
• NHS Better Health: Quit smoking
• NHS: Coughing up blood

Related guides

• Stress and feeling burnt out
• Anxiety and panic
• Alcohol concerns and finding support