Give Up Smoking: Tips for Brides-to-be

Smoking and Beauty factsheet – give up to save face!

A series of hard-hitting ads from the Department of Health''s Tobacco Information Campaign launched on 1st July 2005, focusing on the detrimental effect of smoking on attractiveness among young adult women.

The ads aired on national TV and radio, complemented by print, outdoor and ambient advertising, including placement in pub toilets and advertisements in beauty and lifestyle magazines. This is supported by a targeted marketing campaign including direct mail, viral marketing and a dedicated microsite: www.uglysmoking.info

The campaign shows the cosmetic effects of smoking on appearance by recreating a ‘scene’ between a girl and a boy in a bar, when the boy realises that the girl smells when he moves closer to her. The message states ‘‘If you smoke, you stink’ and urges female smokers to ‘Dump the fags’ using messages such as:

“Teeth getting a bit minging? Fags are the worst accessory to put with any outfit”.
“Getting a cat’s bum mouth? Fags are the best ageing treatment money can buy”

Did you know, smoking…
prematurely ages skin by between 10 and 20 years

increases the likelihood of facial wrinkling by 3 times, particularly around the eyes and mouth
gives a sallow yellow/grey complexion and hollow cheeks, which can cause smokers to look gaunt

causes gum-disease, halitosis bad breath and tooth loss

stains tooth enamel and fingers yellow

makes you store fat around the waist and increases the risk of cellulite

doubles or trebles your risk of developing psoriasis, a chronic skin condition which, while not life-threatening, can be extremely uncomfortable and disfiguring

Second hand smoke is also likely to have an ageing effect albeit at a reduced rate

The damaging effects of cigarette smoke on skin are irreversible but it is likely that further deterioration will be avoided by stopping smoking. A South Korean study of smokers, non-smokers and ex-smokers aged 20 to 69 found that:
current smokers had a higher degree of facial wrinkling than non-smokers and ex-smokers

ex-smokers who smoked heavily at a younger age revealed less facial wrinkling than current smokers

“My skin definitely has a bloom to it, and my senses of taste and smell are heaps better than they were before” † Fiona Phillips, GMTV presenter

Skin-ageing effects of smoking explained

Tobacco smoke released into the environment has a drying effect on the skin’s surface

Smoking restricts blood vessels, which reduces the amount of blood flowing to the skin, thus depleting the skin of oxygen and essential nutrients

Some research suggests that smoking may reduce the body’s store of Vitamin A, which provides protection against some skin-damaging agents produced by smoking

Another likely explanation is that squinting in response to the irritating nature of the smoke, and the puckering of the mouth when drawing on a cigarette, cause wrinkling around the eyes and mouth

Recent research has shown that the skin ageing effects of smoking may be due to increased production of an enzyme that breaks down collagen in the skin. Collagen is the main structural protein of the skin which maintains skin elasticity

Kiss and make-up

Nearly half of young men associate smoking with wrinkles, bad skin, and less enjoyable kissing

Over two-thirds of young men and women, and over half of smokers, say smoking reduces sexual attractiveness

Three-quarters said smoking became more unattractive to the opposite sex during 2004 - and predicted the decline will continue in 2005

Nearly half of smokers said they’d quit to improve their sex appeal

“There is nothing worse than a girl that stinks of cigarette smoke. You can meet the prettiest girl, but if she smells of a stale ashtray she becomes the ugliest girl” †
Joe Cole, footballer

“I can taste stale smoke in my mouth days after I kiss a smoker. This sour taste has prevented me from seeing quite a few potential Mrs Bedingfields. I applaud as the world clamps down on public smoking, I really can''t see why anyone would smoke in the first place.”†
Daniel Bedingfield, singer

What the experts say:

Ruby Hammer, celebrity make-up artist and co-owner of Ruby & Millie said:
“My work means that I come into close contact with lots of different people - some young, some old, some smokers, some non smokers. It is very clear to me straight away when I am working with an older person who has or still smokes - I can immediately see the effect it has on their skin. Not only do they tend to look older than their years but it is more likely that their complexion is sallow and often more wrinkled. It''s important that young girls realise that while the effects aren''t necessarily showing in their skin now, they won''t be able to prevent it happening unless they give up. Part of the luck I have had at keeping my skin younger looking is directly due to the fact that I have never been a smoker.”

Dr Bav Shergill of the British Association of Dermatologists said:
“Giving up smoking is the cheapest and best way to improve skin quality and vitality. Many of us spend a small fortune on moisturisers and make-up to make sure we look our best. Smoking completely undermines such efforts – it gives a sallow complexion, adds years to your face and degrades collagen, making skin less elastic. Giving up smoking can not only add years to your life, it also adds years to your appearance and can help stop premature aging before it’s too late.”

How you can makeover your life

The ideal thing would be to try to stop smoking. There is plenty of help and support available. Call the NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 169 0 169, for a free and friendly service that offers practical advice about giving up smoking and details of your free local NHS Stop Smoking service. For further information:
www.uglysmoking.info
www.givingupsmoking.co.uk
www.ash.org.uk

Giving Up For Life – Tips and Advice for Giving Up Smoking

People who successfully stop smoking:
Really want to stop
Understand why they smoked in the past
Put time and effort into planning the attempt
Know what to expect when they stop smoking
Have support and encouragement
Take each day one by one
Plan ahead to avoid “tempting” situations
See themselves as non-smokers

Stopping smoking is the greatest single step a person can take to improve their health. Once the daily intake of nicotine, carbon monoxide, tar and other poisons stops, the body can begin to repair the damage done by smoking.

This fact sheet will take you through the giving up process, helping you stop and stay stopped.
Contents

Top Ten Self-Help Tips for Giving Up
The Cycle of Stopping
How Some People Stop Smoking
Planning Your Quit Date
Top Tips To Help You Get Ready To Stop
Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms and how to beat them
Worried About Putting On Weight?
Trying Again to Stop?
Emergency Advice – if you have just had a cigarette
For Further Information

Top Ten Self-Help Tips for Giving Up

1.Make plans for coping with stressful situations

2.Pick a quit date that will be stress-free and keep to it

3.Think positively – YOU can do it! Concentrate on the benefits

4.Take it one day at a time. Congratulate yourself each day

5.Ask a friend to stop too and give each other support

6.Use Nicotine Replacement Therapy NRT or bupropion Zyban to help you manage the cravings

7.At first, avoid events where you may be tempted to smoke

8.Keep busy and get a bit more active

9.Count the money you save – spend it on yourself!

10.Don’t try ‘just one’ cigarette – it always makes you start again

The Cycle of Stopping

Stage 1 - Thinking about stopping

Stage 2 - Preparing to stop - this is an important stage because, if you prepare well, you are much more likely to succeed

Stage 3 - Stopping – the quit date, when you exchange old habits for new ones

Stage 4 - Staying stopped – when you change your attitudes to smoking and your lifestyle

Stage 5 - Relapsing – this happens if you were not ready to stop or found the day-to-day reality different from what you’d expected. You haven’t failed, so don’t feel guilty. Each attempt gives you a valuable insight into stopping

How Some People Stop Smoking

Cold turkey – the phrase “going cold turkey” means immediately stopping smoking. In other words, if you smoked a pack of cigarettes today, you are going “cold turkey” if, from tomorrow, you smoke none at all.

Cutting down – this means reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke over a period of time. Doing this over a long time can make the experience more difficult and this is not a recommended method. If you decide you want to try “cutting down”, make it work by setting a definite quit date, after which you do not light up again.

Other treatments – hypnosis, acupuncture and complementary therapies can and do help some people, but as yet there is no formal evidence that they are effective.

Planning For Your Quit Date

On the day you stop smoking, get ready to make changes in both the way you think and act. For example:

To remove temptations, I will:
Choose a stress-free quit date
Not buy or carry cigarettes
Put away reminders like ashtrays, matches, lighters etc
Avoid alcohol until I’m sure it won’t weaken my resolve

To get support for myself, I will:
Talk to a friend/relative about why stopping is important to me
Talk to an ex-smoker. Find out how they stopped. If they can, I can too!
Team up with someone else for mutual support
Call the NHS Smoking Helpline 0800 169 0 169

To change my thoughts about smoking, I will:
Remember that “just one” cigarette will undo all my hard work
Remind myself why I want to stop and the benefits to me
Remember that I am the one in control
Take each day as it comes

To cope with urges to smoke, I will:
Remember that cravings pass quickly
Stop and take some long, slow, deep breaths
Drink a glass of water very slowly
Read through my ideas of ways to cope
Use NRT

During the first week, I will:
Try taking a different way to work, college or the shops
Keep busy, begin a project, or DIY job
Go to non-smoking areas/venues
Go outside for some fresh air each day

Top Tips To Help You Get Ready To Stop

1.Look back at your reasons for wanting to be non-smoker. Copy them onto a card around with you. Read them if you get tempted.

2.Check through your ideas on handling the first week. Practise some of the changes before the quit date.

3.If you get stuck working out how to manage without smoking, spend longer preparing. Rushing into a quit attempt unprepared is why most people relapse.

4.Think through any past experiences you’ve had of stopping smoking. Use these to help you understand what to expect this time.

5.Get professional help. There is plenty of free help and support available on the NHS when you want to stop smoking. People who use professional support are more likely to be successful in their attempts to stop smoking.

Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms and how to beat them

Withdrawal symptoms are the cause of many relapses. These symptoms are caused by nicotine leaving the body, and can be different for everyone. The good news is that they show your body is starting to repair itself.

Stopping smoking may be one of the most difficult tasks that you set yourself. To be successful, you will need to learn habits and coping strategies. At the same time as this, your body will go through some physical changes. Be kind to yourself. There is no need to go through a period of “cold turkey”. Nicotine Replacement Therapy NRT or bupropion Zyban can help. Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist can advise which products are the most suitable for you.

In Great Britain, an estimated 10 million people have now stopped smoking.

The main reasons smokers gave for wanting to stop were:
To improve their health
To save money/reduce their cost of living
Concerns about the effects of passive smoke on their family/children

Stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do to improve your health and life expectancy.

For advice on giving up, try www.givingupsmoking.co.uk

NHS Smoking Helpline – 0800 169 0 169
Textphone 0800 169 0 171

This friendly service can provide you with advice and support on stopping, and information pack and the details of your local NHS Stop Smoking Service.

Your local NHS Stop Smoking Service provides a range of free services to help you stop smoking, including one-to-one and group support.

NHS Pregnancy Smoking Helpline – 0800 169 9 169

Most people know that smoking damages their health, but smoking during pregnancy can seriously increase the risk of many problems for women and their babies

Call this number for more information, help and advice on stopping smoking during pregnancy. You will find a friendly person ready to help you.

NHS Asian Tobacco Helpline

0800 169 0 881 Urdu
0800 169 0 882 Punjabi
0800 169 0 883 Hindi
0800 169 0 884 Gujarati
0800 169 0 885 Bengali

Call the NHS Asian Tobacco Helpline for confidential advice and tips on giving up smoking or chewing tobacco and/or tobacco paan.

You can also order a free comprehensive booklet in the languages above packed with lots of helpful advice on how to give up tobacco, as well as find out details of your local smoking/tobacco cessation support group.

Your doctor, practice nurse or pharmacist can also help. Make an appointment to discuss your smoking and any concerns you may have. They can tell you which of the products that help reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms are suitable for you. NRT products and Zyban are available on prescription.
Health benefits of stopping smoking
*Estimated on costs to a 20-a-day smoker assuming 1x10 pack cigarettes is ٠.50

Quit Date
Blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal.
Saving - 25p - pack of chewing gum

Morning after quit date
Carbon monoxide levels in blood reduce by half, oxygen levels return to normal.
Saving - 5.00 pounds – rent The Wedding Planner on DVD

2 days after quitting
Carbon monoxide will be eliminated from the body. Lungs start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris.
Saving - 10.00 pounds – eyelash tint

3 days after quitting
Ability to taste and smell is greatly improved.
Saving - 15.00 pounds – love songs compilation CD

4 days after quitting
Breathing becomes easier. Bronchial tubes begin to relax and energy levels increase.
Saving - 20.00 pounds - manicure

2 – 12 weeks after quitting
Circulation will be improving. Walking and exercising become easier.
Saving - 70 pounds - 420 pounds – wedding rings for bride and groom

3 – 9 months after quitting
Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung function is increased by up to 10%.
Saving - 420 pounds - 1,260 pounds – your wedding dress and going away outfit

5 years on
Risk of a heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker.
Saving - 8,975 pounds – a luxury cruise to celebrate your anniversary

10 years on
Risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker. Risk of heart attack falls to the same as someone who has never smoked.
Saving - 17,950 pounds – an extension to your house