Quitting smoking is not an easy task but there are a range of different methods that can be used to help you quit.

Review the options when it comes to quitting smoking with 12 top stop smoking tips.

NHS local stop smoking service

The

NHS
operates local stop smoking services up and down the country. At a local stop smoking service, a trained advisor will prepare you for quitting either in a group or on a one to basis. The service provides support throughout your bid to quit.

Benefits of quitting smoking

Smoking opens us to a range of health problems such as

heart disease,

stroke, various cancers and sexual and fertility problems.

A number of these problems are also associated with diabetes and the addition of being a smoker to having diabetes significantly ups the risks of developing

diabetic complications

Cancer is one of the big risks of smoking. Lung cancer is strongly linked with smoking and is the most common cancer of all.

It is far from the only cancer linked with smoking with mouth cancer, throat cancer, bladder and colon being examples of other cancers associated with regular smoking.

• Read more on
  
  smoking and diabetes

What are your reasons for quitting?

People wanting to quit are commonly recommended to the list the reasons why they want to quit.

It can be helpful to write these down and keep the list handy for any times when your will power is being testing.

You may want to put the list on your fridge or in the first page of a

diary
or book.

Going cold turkey

Making a decision to quit smoking with will power alone is possible.

The NHS states that about 3% of quitters succeed through will power alone. If the statics sound low, it could be because there are now a multitude of smoking cessation aids these days.

Alternative therapies

Alternative therapies for stopping smoking include:

• Acupuncture
• Hypnosis
• Group quitting therapy

Different methods may work better for different people but certainly each of these methods has reported significant success.

Nicotine replacement therapy

Nicotine replacement therapy involves taking nicotine without exposing yourself to the other associated dangers of smoking.

Nicotine can be taken orally, inhaled or taken through the skin and may include any of the following methods:

• Gum
• Patches
• Lozenges
• Nasal and mouth sprays
• Inhalators

You can use more than one of these methods at one time, for example using patches to control background cravings and lozenges or gum to treat more intense cravings.

Anti-smoking medication

Anti-smoking medications such as are distinct from nicotine replacement therapies. Rather than containing nicotine, they affect neurotransmitters and receptors in the

brain

Examples of anti-smoking medications include:

• Bupropion – under the trade name Zyban
• Varenicline – under the trade name Champix

Anti-smoking medications can be prescribed by your doctor but may not be suitable for everyone. Zyban should be used with caution by people with diabetes and Champix is not recommended in people with

depression

Your doctor will be able to advise on the suitability of anti-smoking medication. As with any

medication, a number of side effects are possible.

Feeling tense without a cigarette to hold?

Many people feel a sense of tension when quitting if they don’t have something to hold in their hands. Some people may carry a pen to busy their hands and a good book can also be a good way to tie up your hands when you have free time.

Drinking from a straw can also be used as a way to keep your hands occupied when having a beverage. If you need something to hold and are struggling with nicotine cravings, inhalators offer a possible solution.

Beating the triggers

If you are used to having a cigarette at specific times, upon waking, at work breaks, while watching TV or when out socialising then find ways to reduce, avoid or distract from the triggers.

If many of friends or colleagues smoke, it can be beneficial if one of your friends or colleagues is prepared to quit with you. This can help as you can support and motivate each other and can help you to socialise away from the temptation of others that smoke.

Making excuses

A lot of people may find themselves making excuses to smoke. A

stress
filled day can be a serious threat to the hard work you’ve put into quitting. It can be very tempting to have a cigarette and blame the need for it on someone or some event.

You need to be aware for this to happen and to be able to spot and step in with a strong counter argument to stop you from giving in. Refuse to make any excuses for a cigarette.

A healthy diet and lifestyle can help

Vegetables,

fruit
and exercise can really help on your path to quitting for good. They each have beneficial effects on the

body
Vegetables and fruit provide a vast array of vitamins and minerals which help our body to operate at its peak and can help to beat cravings.

Exercise, as well as improving our health, has been shown to increase mental well being and confidence, which makes a strong platform for quitting. Exercise can help to reduce stress and taking exercise when you crave a cigarette can help the craving to pass.

A

healthy diet
and

exercise
also serve a great secondary purpose of helping to better manage diabetes.

Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, have become a popular alternative to cigarettes.

Currently, most e-cigarettes work by heating up a liquid, commonly referred to as e-liquid, which causes the liquid to form a mist which can be inhaled in a similar way to smoking.

Whilst most e-liquids contain nicotine, the other damaging contents found in conventional cigarettes are either not found or are present in much, much smaller quantities.

What do e-cigarettes contain?

Most e-cigarettes contain a liquid, known as e-liquid or e-juice, that contains a mixture of the following:

• 
  Water
• Propylene Glycol (PG)
• Vegetable Glycerin (VG)
• Flavouring
• 
  Nicotine

Different strengths of nicotine are available. The best way to assess the strength is by looking at the concentration which is expressed as milligrams of nicotine per millilitre of liquid (mg/ml), or a percentage.

The table below gives you a guide to the strength.

Are electronic cigarettes safer than normal cigarettes?

Whilst the safety of e-cigarettes is yet to be well established, they are widely regarded as a safer option compared with cigarettes with the

NHS
stating that e-cigarettes are “certainly the lesser of two evils”.


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The smoke of conventional cigarettes contains many more dangerous substances, many of which can lead to

cancer, including tar, benzene, cadmium and arsenic.


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A review by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration found e-liquids to contain trace levels of cancer causing compounds, such as nitrosamines and formaldehyde, but at a level of about a thousand times lower than cigarettes.

Nicotine, which is common to both e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes, increases the risk of narrowing of the arteries and is also very addictive.

Do e-cigarettes affect blood glucose levels?

There has yet to be any strong clinical studies on the effect of e-cigarettes on

blood sugar levels
of people with diabetes.

Research by Clair et al showed that higher nicotine levels are associated with slightly increased HbA1c levels in people without diabetes.

Whilst the increase in HbA1c was not great (less than 1 mmol/mol), long term use of either cigarettes or e-cigarettes in diabetes could contribute to a

higher HbA1c

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Can e-cigarettes help with quitting smoking?

The results of a recent study by Polosa et al showed that 6 months of use of electronic cigarettes helped a significant number of participants to either reduce the number of cigarettes they smoked or abstain from smoking. 36% of participants had abstained from smoking after 24 weeks.

The different strengths of nicotine, that e-liquids are available at, can help people to with ‘stepping down’ their nicotine intake. For example, someone starting off on 20mg e-juice can gradually step down to lower strengths over a number of months.

Glossary

• 
  Analog (analogue) cigarette
  
  – a standard non-electronic cigarette
• 
  E-liquid
  
  – also referred to as e-juice, juice or smoke juice
• 
  Throat hit
  
  – the feeling when the vapour hits the throat
• 
  Vaping
  
  – the act of using an e-cigarette

The information that smoking is bad for us is everywhere,
but for diabetics, smoking can be even more damaging.

Beyond the usual reasons, why shouldn’t
I smoke if I have diabetes?

Smoking is now proven to be an independent risk factor
for diabetes, and amongst diabetics it increases the risk of complications.

Diabetes complications already include heart disease, stroke and

circulation
problems
Smoking adds to the risk of developing all of these things.

In
some cases, smoking can double the likelihood of these conditions, as well
as doubling the chances of suffering from kidney problems and

erectile
dysfunction

For type 2 diabetics, the major cause of death is cardiovascular
disease.

• 
  Diabetes complications
• 
  Heart disease

How does smoking increase my heart disease risk
as a diabetic?

Smoking and diabetes both increase the risk of heart disease in very similar ways, and so when combined, they greatly exacerbate the chances of suffering a heart related condition such as a heart attack or stroke.

Both high levels of

glucose in the blood
and smoking damage the walls of the arteries in such a way that fatty deposits can build up much easier. As this occurs, the blood vessels narrow and make circulating blood much harder.

When this happens to the coronary arteries (the arteries that supply the heart muscle with blood and therefore oxygen) a heart attack can occur.

Similarly, a stroke is when not enough blood can get to the brain, and so anything that may limit blood flow increases the risks of a stroke.

High blood glucose levels also have this effect on the blood vessels and blood flow, so if you smoke when you have diabetes, you are putting yourself at a much greater risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke.

I am not diabetic, but I am a smoker. Could
smoking lead me to develop diabetes?

Smoking is also proven to be a risk factor for insulin
resistance. Patients who are insulin resistant cannot use their bodily
insulin properly.

Together with

genetics
and obesity, smoking is one of
the risk factors for insulin resistance. Insulin resistance often leads
to diabetes.

I am diabetic and depressed. I enjoy smoking,
surely things can’t get much worse?

Unfortunately, smoking amongst diabetics has been shown
in some studies to increase the risk of a premature death.

Smoking has
been found to trigger fatalities through reductions in circulation and

damaged blood vessels

What other diabetes complications will smoking
affect?

Further diabetes complications that have been proven
to be aggravated by smoking include diabetic nephropathy, albuminuria.

There are links between smoking and retinopathy, although these are less
evident than the cardiovascular risks.

Smoking is certainly a major

risk
factor
for both the development and progression of diabetic neuropathy.

What benefits could giving up smoking give to
me as a diabetic?

Stopping smoking reduces the risk of developing a major
diabetes-related complication.

Many diabetics do not stop because of concerns
over

weight gain
Some studies have proved that the benefits of giving
up smoking as a diabetic actually outweigh any negative effects caused
by weight gain.

• Read
  
  tips and advice on quitting smoking

I can’t stop smoking, and I’m worried
that it is exacerbating my diabetes, what should I do?

Your healthcare professional or healthcare team
will be able to give you free advice. Taking advice on stopping smoking
should be a matter of routine for all diabetics. If you are concerned about
weight gain, face the issue by discussing it with your health care team.

Cost of smoking

Calculate the cost of smoking with our

Cost of Smoking Calculator
to see how much smoking is costing you.