Smoking

In 2004-05 there were 40 preventable deaths from smoking-related diseases every day. This is the equivalent to 14,900 over the course of the year. The major causes of death include cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart disease.

Smoking caused Australians to spend 750,000 days in hospital at a cost of $670 million to the health service in 2004-05. Men are killed by smoking more often than women, with 9,700 deaths compared to 5,200 in 2004-05.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare says that most smoking-related deaths occur in people aged 65 and over. However around 1 in 5 deaths occurred in the 35-64 age group.

Cancer is the biggest cause of smoking-related death in men (57%) and women (51%). Lung cancer makes up 75% and 72% of cancers for men and women respectively. Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in Australia, and it is largely due to smoking.

In 2013, approximately 15% of Australians over the age of 18 were smokers. In Aboriginal people, this rate was around 43%.

While 17% of males smoked in 2013, the percentage dropped to 13% for females. Those aged 25-29 and 40-49 had higher smoking rates than other age groups.

In 2013 there were more ex-smokers than smokers. 22% of the population had quit smoking, and 61% of those who had ever smoked a cigarette had quit.

The Australian government is committed to reducing the daily smoking rate to 10% by 2018, and reducing the smoking rate among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities by half (from 47% in 2008).

Smoking has a huge number of effects on the human body. Among the short-term effects are:

• Increased heart rate
• Higher blood pressure
• Reduced lung function
• Lower blood oxygen levels
• Impaired sense of taste and smell

Long-term effects include:

• Increased risk of certain cancers, such as lung, liver, bladder, throat, and mouth cancers
• Lung damage leading to asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Increased risk of heart disease and stroke
• Impotence in men
• Infertility

Alongside the negative effects on your health, it is important to consider the financial cost of smoking. The price of a pack of cigarettes continues to rise in Australia, and quitting could mean that you have significantly more money in your pocket.

There are a variety of ways in which you can quit smoking. The most effective method depends on your motivation, your lifestyle and the number of cigarettes you smoke per day.

Prescription medication

The first method is by using prescription medication. Tablets can be taken over the course of a number of weeks, helping users through the withdrawal symptoms and nicotine cravings to assist them in quitting smoking. Some people will take the tablets for a further 12 weeks to increase the chances of quitting for good.

Nicotine replacement therapy

Another popular method is nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), which is available over-the-counter. It can be found as pills, gum, patches, inhalers, or sprays. NRT essentially replaces the nicotine from your cigarettes, which means that there are no withdrawal symptoms. It is a healthier way of delivering nicotine to your body.

While NRT is easy to buy and convenient to use, it is not the most effective way to quit smoking. Research shows that relapse rates are high. A combination of methods is always advised when quitting smoking.

Counselling or therapy

When it comes to quitting smoking, a lot depends on your motivation. If you set goals and have the support of people around you, your chances of quitting for good are a lot higher. Counselling or therapy can help you to talk about the reasons why you want to quit, to set a date for quitting, and help you through the withdrawal symptoms and cravings.

This method can be used in combination with any of the other methods mentioned here in order to increase the likelihood of smoking your last cigarette.

E-cigarettes

These electronic cigarettes mimic the action of smoking without delivering the same harmful chemicals to your body. Nicotine is inhaled, but the chemicals used in e-cigarettes are safer than those in normal cigarettes. Scientists have not studied the effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid in great detail considering it is a fairly new method, but some doctors recommend them as a healthier alternative to normal cigarettes. The practice of using e-cigarettes is sometimes referred to as vaping.

Quit smoking apps

If you own a smart device, try downloading one of the many stop-smoking apps that are available. They provide help and advice to increase your chances of quitting.

Try Kwit, Livestrong MyQuit Coach or Smoke-Free and see which one you like best.

Cold turkey

Some people may want to give up completely from one day to the next without additional help. This is known as cold turkey.

It may prove effective for the minority of people, but most will benefit from some further aid. This is especially true if you have been smoking for a long time, or if you smoke a large number of cigarettes per day.

Quitting smoking is not easy, so it is important to give yourself the best chance of kicking the habit. Whichever method of smoking cessation you choose to try, there are a variety of things that you can do at the same time to boost your possibility of success.

Try to identify what it is that makes your craving for a cigarette worse. It may be stress or anxiety or drinking alcohol. Once you know what your triggers are, you can try to avoid these situations or find something else to replace the cigarette that you would have smoked before. For example, if you used to go for a cigarette with your friends at the pub, try going for a walk around the block instead.

It is important to know that you are not the only person who is trying to quit. Look for local support groups, where other members may provide the extra support and motivation that makes the difference between quitting successfully or relapsing.

Breaking a habit can sometimes be easier if you replace it with another one. For example, try making a cup of tea instead of smoking a cigarette.

The benefits of quitting smoking are noticeable almost immediately. Here is a timeline outlining what happens after you smoke your last cigarette:

• After 20 minutes your heart rate will drop to its normal level
• After 2 hours your blood pressure will drop to its normal level
• After 12 hours, blood oxygen levels increase to a normal level and carbon monoxide levels begin to decrease
• After 24 hours your heart rate will start to drop
• After 48 hours your sense of taste and smell will start to sharpen
• After 3 days there will be no more nicotine in your body
• After 2-3 weeks lung function will have improved
• After 1-9 months your lungs start to repair themselves
• After 1 year your risk of heart disease will have dropped 50%

In the years after quitting smoking, you will be at decreasing risk of developing certain kinds of cancers or suffering a stroke.

Cravings happen when your body realizes that it hasn't had its normal dose of nicotine. They may be sudden and intense urges to have a cigarette, or a long-term background craving.

Dealing with cravings is one of the hardest parts of quitting smoking. You can try using prescription medication to dampen cravings or use NRT. Fast-acting NRT such as sprays or chewing gum is more effective in combating sudden cravings, while patches are better for long-term use.

It can also help to remind yourself of why you want to quit when you feel a craving coming on. Think about the health benefits of quitting, or focus on the financial benefits. Staying motivated is a huge part of the battle to quit smoking, so think about what it is that motivates you and use it to ward off any cravings that you might suffer.

There are many good reasons to quit smoking, the challenge is finding out the right way for you. This is why it pays to make a quit smoking plan, setting out your goals and motivation, before you smoke your last cigarette and say hello to a healthier, wealthier future.