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<h2 style="white-space:pre-line">Smokefree advice</h2>
Tips and advice to help you quit nicotine for good.

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Asian woman drinking tap water from glass in the kitchen

<h3>It’s a common fact that the majority of us are dehydrated. You’ve probably heard already about why being properly hydrated is important, but how does that make a difference when you’re quitting smoking?</h3>Let’s start by looking at what hydration is. Essentially it’s what you do to replace the water lost by your body to make sure you have enough water to function at your best.<h3>How hydration can help you quit smoking</h3> A top tip one of our smoking advisors will no doubt mention is the benefit of drinking a glass of water when you feel the need to smoke. Interestingly, this can help let the cravings pass.Also, it’s common to not notice feelings of dehydration throughout the day. When the body becomes dehydrated it can make you feel anxious, which during a quit attempt could lead to the want to smoke. Keep that glass nearby to help stop this from happening.<h3>How much to drink?</h3>The NHS recommends you drink 6-8 glasses (1.2 litres) of fluids each day.Water, low fat milk and sugar free drinks, including tea and coffee, all count towards your daily tally. If you’re not keen on water, you could flavour it with a low sugar squash or cordial. Just be sure to check the packaging and choose one that’s sugar content is showing as green on the traffic light system.Try to have a glass of water for every hot drink you have as caffeinated drinks can leave you feeling dehydrated.It’s worth mentioning that if you’re an active person, you’ll want to be drinking more than what is just recommended – consider those figures a minimum. This is because you’ll lose fluids through sweating so make sure you’ve got a water supply with you.<h3>Spotting the signs of dehydration</h3> Not drinking enough water can leave you feeling thirsty, dizzy or lightheaded. You also might feel tired or have a dry mouth, eyes or lips. When you’re already suffering with withdrawal symptoms, the last thing you need is dehydration affecting how you feel too.Be aware that drinking alcohol, sweating a lot while exercising, having a high temperature or taking certain medications can also lead to dehydration.<h3>The benefits of staying hydrated</h3> Here’s just a few of the many benefits to drinking enough fluids:You’ll find it easier to focus and concentrate. Drinking plenty of water will help you stay alert and can even prevent eye strain caused by dehydration.You’ll help lubricate and cushion your joints.You’ll help stave off muscle cramps when exercising.You’ll find it easier to breathe as drinking enough water helps clear your lungs.You’ll help digestion making it easier for your body to digest fibre and vitamins.You’ll help to avoid and relieve constipation.So if you don’t drink enough each day, make this your time to drink up and keep yourself hydrated.

Water: helping you quit

<h3>When you quit smoking, you’re not the only one that benefits – your family will reap the rewards too.</h3>Smoking doesn’t just affect you. It also has a big impact on the lives of your family members, especially if you’ve got children. You might not think your smoking bothers them, but it might not be something they want to speak up about as it can be embarrassing or anxiety-inducing to call out someone on undesirable behaviours.Here are a few ways your family will benefit when you give up smoking.<h3>Their health </h3>Even if you try not to smoke around them, your family will be affected by second and third hand smoke. Second hand smoke is when other people breathe in smoke from your cigarette, and it can be just as harmful to their health as smoking a cigarette themselves.People who are regularly exposed to second hand smoke are more likely to develop the same diseases as smokers, including lung problems like lung cancer and COPD, and heart disease. Children are especially at risk, as their lungs and immune systems are still developing.Researchers are also coming to realise that even third hand smoke is dangerous. This is the smoke that lingers on surfaces, in fabric and in the air even when you’re not smoking. The cancer-causing chemicals found in cigarette smoke cling to surfaces and build up over time, and they’re hard to get rid of.Smoke gets everywhere and is incredibly damaging to your family’s health, even if they’re not the ones smoking. You can prevent this by quitting smoking.<h3>Your health</h3> If you smoke, quitting is the single best thing you can do for your health. Ditching the cigarettes means you’re a lot less likely to develop lung cancer, mouth cancer, COPD and heart disease, and you’re also less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke.Your family loves you and wants you to be well. That may sound obvious, but it’s something we can take for granted. Your kids need you to stick around, and no one wants to see a loved one go through cancer or suffer a heart attack.It sounds like a stereotype but wanting to be alive to see your children grow up is a common reason people want to quit smoking.Financial reasons Smoking is a really expensive habit, as you’ll probably know too well. The average smoker in England smokes 10 cigarettes a day. So, if you smoke 10 cigarettes a day, and a packet of 20 cigarettes costs £10, you’re spending £150 a month on cigarettes. That’s £1,825 a year!We know it’s not as simple as suddenly having £150 a month to do whatever you like with when you quit smoking, as there’ll always be bills to pay, but you could save some of that money to do something fun with your family.<h3>Being a role model</h3> Children copy the behaviour they see around them. They learn from what we do, and our behaviour shapes their beliefs for the rest of their lives. Smoking teaches them that it’s ok to smoke and put your health, and the health of others, at risk.On the other hand, quitting smoking teaches them that it’s ok to work on fixing bad habits once you know better, and that you value your health and theirs. It teaches them that it’s possible to do hard things, and even if they can’t quite say it in their own words, they’ll be incredibly proud of your efforts to quit.<h3>Other reasons</h3> There are plenty of other ways quitting smoking will benefit your family, often in ways you haven’t even considered. Here are some other annoyances about smoking from people who don’t smoke:– When you smoke regularly, you become ‘nose blind’ to the smell of smoke because you get used to it, but we can almost guarantee that your family notices the smell of smoke on their clothes – and their friends probably do too.– Waiting for someone to finish a cigarette before you can do anything and constantly having to look for somewhere to be able to smoke when you’re out and about is frustrating as a non-smoker.– Being with someone who has to ‘nip out’ for a cigarette, leaving you with the choice of being alone or standing in the cold breathing in second hand smoke.– The smell of smoke in a car feels suffocating in such a small space, and makes car sickness worse.You can quit for good with our help and benefit yourself and your family. You’ve got this!

Stopping smoking: family benefits

Man lying night bed suffering from insomnia closeup top view. Sad guy on pillow

<h3>We’ve all been there. Our mind goes into overdrive just when we want to nod off! Let’s find out what can help us to fall asleep. Sleeping well can make it easier for you to stay motivated, stay on track and stay quit.</h3>The good news is there are things you can do to help you get a good night’s sleep while you quit, and beyond.You might have already made sure your bedroom is a peaceful sanctuary. Maybe you’ve tweaked your exercise routine to help you feel tired at the end of your day. It can be a very frustrating feeling knowing that you’ve done all you can to get the best sleep possible, but still it escapes you. Here’s some tips that might help you get to sleep.Take the focus off sleep. Meditation or listening to soothing music can help you relax and nod off. You can find a style to suit you on apps like Calm and Headspace, or free tracks and playlists on YouTube and Spotify. Breathe. Try a breathing exercise as a way to unwind and get you in the zone for sleep. You can find simple breathing exercise on YouTube. Let go of any anger or frustration you might be feeling about being awake. Repeating a simple mantra can help some people, like ‘Calm mind, relaxed body’, or scan your body to release any tension you can feel in your muscles. Write it down. Keep a journal of your sleep for a week – you could use your quit journal – and see if it helps you spot any changes you can make. It might be that you discover that going to bed half an hour earlier helps you fall asleep more easily, or that skipping that after dinner coffee is a good thing. &nbsp;Find what works for you and you’ll find a way to reap the benefits of sleep, glorious sleep while you quit.Sweet dreams!

What to do when you can't sleep

Electronic Vaporizer,  e-vaporizer aka vapes

<h3>Using a vape can help you when you’re quitting smoking, and vaping is thought to be up to 95% healthier than smoking cigarettes. But there’s so much we don’t know about vaping. Here’s what that means.</h3>Vaping has become a popular way of quitting smoking, and for good reason. They’re very successful in helping you quit smoking as they’re like cigarettes in feel, can help you deal with difficult nicotine cravings, and they’re thought to be up to 95% less harmful than smoking cigarettes.People who quit cigarettes by switching to e-cigarettes as well as receiving face-to-face support are up to twice as likely to successfully quit smoking according to an NHS review conducted in 2021.But e-cigarettes are a fairly new invention, with the vapes we’re familiar with today being developed in 2003 (although incredibly, the first patent for a vape-like device was filed in 1927). Vaping isn’t considered to be risk free, but we do know that it’s significantly safer than smoking cigarettes.That means switching to vaping is a better choice than continuing to smoke cigarettes, but we don’t advise people who have never smoked cigarettes before to take up vaping.The negative side effects of vaping You may have heard that there have been lung injuries and deaths associated with vaping in the US, but that doesn’t necessarily mean vaping will lead to lung injuries. These cases were among people who modified their vaping devices in ways not recommended by the manufacturer and involved the use of unmoderated ‘black market’ vaping liquid.So-called ‘popcorn lung’ is a rare lung disease often attributed to vaping, but this association has been debunked by organisations like Cancer Research UK. Popcorn lung is caused by a build-up of scar tissue on the lungs and was given its name thanks to a group of popcorn factory workers who developed the condition after breathing in a chemical called diacetyl, which was used to flavour popcorn.Diacetyl used to be used in vape liquid, but it was banned in the UK back in 2016, so no e-liquids currently sold in the UK contain diacetyl. What’s more, there were never any confirmed cases of popcorn lung caused by e-cigarettes. E-liquids in the US may still contain diacetyl, which is where many horror stories about vaping and lung problems come from.If you use your vaping device as directed by the manufacturer, and you buy legitimate vape liquid that’s licensed for sale in the UK (that covers everything you can buy in shops and reputable online stores), you don’t need to worry unnecessarily.There’s a lot of research still to be done into vaping, but as research so far has found that it’s a safe way of quitting cigarettes, if it helps you live a cigarette free life there’s no reason not to give it a go.Quitting vaping Using an e-cigarette is, as we’ve mentioned, a great way of weaning yourself off cigarettes. Once you’ve become comfortable with using an e-cigarette as a replacement for cigarettes, it may be time to start thinking about quitting vaping.This may sound daunting, but if you’ve managed to quit cigarettes you can quit vaping too. This doesn’t have to be a quick process, and you can vape for as long as it helps you.A lot of people come to realise that as helpful as e-cigarettes are, they become a replacement for cigarettes and some of their unhealthy behaviours return (such as smoking too much or spending too much money on vaping liquids and accessories).If this sounds familiar, you can get help to quit vaping in the same way you quit smoking. One feature of vaping that may make it easier to quit is that you can control how much nicotine you’re vaping by using vape liquids with different nicotine contents. This means you can gradually reduce your nicotine intake, which helps massively with nicotine withdrawal and cravings.

The unknowns of vaping

<h3>If you smoke and are finding it hard to stop, it's likely that nicotine might be the reason you're struggling. But did you know that nicotine can actually help you to quit?&nbsp;</h3>What is nicotine? Nicotine is a drug that makes cigarettes addictive. It can be made synthetically, but traditionally it comes from the tobacco plant.What does nicotine do to your body? Nicotine is the least harmful part of a cigarette when compared to the other substances found in them – like tar and carbon monoxide. Unlike other chemicals found in tobacco, nicotine itself hasn’t been linked to cancer.However, nicotine will raise your blood pressure and heart rate, and can contribute to the hardening of arteries, which give you a higher risk of heart-related issues.The main danger of nicotine is how addictive it is. It reaches the brain quickly, and releases dopamine, the chemical that is responsible for feelings of reward and pleasure.When you smoke, you get used to this nice feeling and crave it when the nicotine wears off, leading to a cycle of smoking to get the ‘hit’.How nicotine can help you quit It might sound strange, but nicotine can actually help you quit. The reason you get cravings is because nicotine is highly addictive, and addictions are hard to break.Using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is a common way of quitting smoking. There are several different types, such as patches, gum, lozenges and sprays. They all contain nicotine, but none of the other dangerous components of cigarettes, so it’s a safer way to get your nicotine fix.As you get used to life without cigarettes, NRT will help reduce your cravings, so you’ll be more able to resist the urge to smoke – and with the support of our expert Quit Coaches, you’ll soon find that you’re totally nicotine-free.Get free, friendly support to quit It’s quick and easy to join – just text QUIT to 80011 or <a data-mce-href="https://smokefreehampshire.co.uk/sign-up" href="https://smokefreehampshire.co.uk/sign-up">click here</a> to get started.

Nicotine and Quitting: What you need to know

<h3>Stopping smoking is the best thing you can do for your health, however quitting smoking is tough. Here’s a list of things to do for little or no cost to boost your mood.</h3>Feeling good starts with the simple things. What we eat, how much we move and the quality of our sleep underpins how our mood is. When you’re stuck in a bit of a funk, facing cravings or stress, it’s great to have some go-to ideas to help shift your outlook and improve your sense of wellbeing.1. Go outside. Vitamin D improves wellbeing and sunlight is a natural source for us. Daylight and fresh air can help us feel energised and refreshed. Sounds and sights can stimulate us too.2. Eat happy foods. Serotonin is a mood boosting chemical that helps us feel good. Though we can’t get it directly from food, we can eat foods containing tryptophan which our bodies convert to serotonin. Sources include milk, tuna, oats, turkey, chicken, nuts and seeds.3. Read a book or magazine. Escape into another world or learn something new. Don’t forget your local library is a wonderful free resource.4. Practice gratitude. Reflect on things, people, events, achievements you’re grateful for and you’ll see joy in your life.5. Phone a friend. Catching up with someone you care about gives you an opportunity to get perspective, support and offer them a listening ear too. Humans crave connection and feel good when it happens.6. Jump around. Get active in whatever way you fancy, jumping jacks, trampolining, jogging on the spot, just move your body. A quick burst of activity will boost your circulation and heart rate, sending oxygen rich blood to the brain and flooding your body with feel-good hormones called endorphins.7. Play with a pet. Spending time with animals is grounding, rewarding and very fun. Can you teach an old dog a new trick?8. Tick a task off your to-do list. Progress, however small, offers big mood pay offs as you feel a sense of accomplishment—and even relief that you’ve got a long standing task out of the way.9. Massage your body. If there’s no one around to help, you can do a self-massage. Rub, squeeze and knead around your neck, shoulders, lower back and feet. This releases endorphins, reduces stress and gives your lymphatic system a boost which supports the immune system.10. Meditate. A simple meditation or guided relaxation promotes mindfulness, being in the present moment. Focusing on breath is relaxing and a great way to clear your head.11. Laugh. Pop on your favourite film or stand-up show and have a chuckle, it’ll stimulate breathing, reduce tension and release endorphins.12. Have a cuddle. Whether it’s with a pet or a loved one, cuddling releases oxytocin. Known as the love hormone, it promotes a feeling of happiness and wellbeing.13. Clear up or clear out. Chaos and mess isn’t good for our mood so pop on your marigolds and have a cleaning session. Not only will you have a sparkling home and clearer head, you’ll have burned some calories too. Clearing out stuff you no longer need or use frees space in your home and your head. Try rearranging some furniture, changing our environment is a great way to reset.14. Help someone. Being useful is a nice feeling and supporting others develops connections and can boost our sense of confidence and optimism. Offer to go shopping or do some chores for an elderly neighbour or get involved in the community with a little pick or other volunteering.15. Kitchen disco. Whack on some tunes that make you want to move, then dance like nobody’s watching. Music is a tonic that helps lift the spirits and movement boosts our circulation and endorphins. Use headphones if you’re worried about disturbing others.16. Take action. If you’ve been experiencing low moods regularly, it may be time to make an appointment with your doctor to discuss potential treatments and solutions to support you.Sometimes we don’t want to talk about how we’re feeling, and that’s OK. Just spending time in others company can lift a low or anxious mood without actually talking about it. Here’s a few things you could do with friends or family by your side:17. Go for a walk in the park, the woods or by the coast.18. Play sports.19. Cook a healthy meal.20. Watch a film.21. Get green fingered in the garden.22. Look through old photos.23. Play a game of cards.24. Get arty. Paint, draw or create with whatever materials you’ve got.25. Planning something, a trip, a challenge, a fitness goal. Discuss the possibilities then commit to making it happen.

25 ways to feel good for free

<h3>Cravings can happen at any time, even if you’ve been smoke free for a long time. Understanding your smoking triggers can help you beat the urge to smoke.</h3>What are your smoking triggers? Certain feelings, places or situations can trigger cravings for a cigarette, so understanding why they’re happening can give you the power to resist them. Here are some common triggers and how you can help manage them.Alcohol For some people, alcohol both triggers cravings and reduces their ability to resist them. When you’ve had a drink, you’re much more likely to think it’s a good idea to light up, and a lot less likely to listen to the little voice in your head that reminds you why you quit.If you can, try to avoid alcohol or drink less at the beginning of your quit attempt to manage cravings, which can be particularly intense when you first give up. When you’re socialising, do all you can to resist joining friends who smoke outside or in smoking areas.Stress Stress is an inevitable part of life. You might feel that smoking is a good way to cope with stress, but discovering healthy ways to manage stress will help you remain smoke free.A few ways of managing stress include talking to friends and family, learning how to manage your time better and remembering to take time for yourself. Find more ways to combat stress with our stress busting tips.Your morning routine We often hear that it’s difficult to resist having a cigarette when it’s just something you do as part of your everyday life. Smoking is often associated with doing other daily activities, like having a morning coffee. If you’re used to lighting up after pouring yourself a coffee, your craving will kick in as soon as you fill up the kettle, and you’ll probably find it hard to resist.One way of beating this trigger is to change your routine. Exercise is a great way to start the day and will distract you from smoking. Pour that coffee into a travel mug and go for a walk.Socialising Tell your friends and family you’re quitting. If they’re in the loop, they can support you by not smoking around you or offering you cigarettes.Try to avoid smoking environments like the smoking area in social venues and at work. If you usually go outside for a cigarette break, go for a wander around the block or stay indoors to avoid being tempted.Smoking when bored Some people smoke to relieve feelings of boredom. If this rings true, keep your brain stimulated with activities like reading or solving a puzzle. Keeping your hands busy will also help to manage your cravings, so keep a stress ball or a fidget toy around to play with the next time you get the urge to smoke.Need help to stop smoking? It’s quick, easy and free to sign up for our support. Just <a data-mce-href="https://smokefreehampshire.co.uk/sign-up" href="https://smokefreehampshire.co.uk/sign-up">click here</a> or text QUIT to 80011. Let’s quit smoking together!

Understanding your smoking triggers

<h3>Cigarette cravings are intense and can feel impossible to overcome. The best thing to do is to distract yourself, but what exactly does that look like?</h3>The nicotine in cigarettes is what makes it so hard to quit as it’s incredibly addictive. When you smoke, the nicotine releases feel-good chemicals in your brain, so it’s no wonder that you end up wanting more.Breaking this cycle is difficult because cravings are strong, and unless you have a will of steel you need to be prepared for when you experience them. The best way to overcome a craving is to distract yourself, so here are a few ways of doing that.Get outside If you’re able to, going for a walk is a great way of distracting yourself. A change of scenery can stop you from obsessing about cravings, and the gentle exercise and fresh air will do wonders for your wellbeing too.Do something with your hands Some smokers find it difficult to get used to suddenly having empty hands. Try picking up a pen and doodling, hold a coin, or play with a fidget toy. You can get discreet jewellery that doubles up as a fidget toy if you don’t want anyone to see you playing with a bright piece of plastic.Eat or drink something sugar-free Replacing cigarettes with food is one reason some people gain weight when they quit smoking. But when you’re craving a cigarette, you could try drinking a few glasses of water (the colder the better), chewing sugar-free gum, or sucking on a sugar-free lollipop. This way, you’ll have something to do with your mouth, and in the case of the lollipop you’ll be mimicking the hand-to-mouth action of cigarettes.Find a new hobby When you’re quitting smoking, time can drag and it can feel like there’s something missing without the cigarettes you’re used to smoking. Use this time to try something new and teach yourself how to do something – is there anything you’ve always wanted to try?Drawing or colouring gives you something to do with your hands. You could learn a language (Duolingo is a good free app for language learning), teach yourself how to play the ukulele or guitar, take up model painting, play board games, try your hand at gardening – anything that immerses you in what you’re doing will take your attention away from your cravings.Exercise Getting active is a fantastic way of beating cravings. It’ll distract you and often make smoking impossible (can’t smoke if you’re in the swimming pool, right?), but researchers have also found that physical activity reduces cravings for up to 50 minutes after exercising too.Not much of a fitness fanatic? That’s ok, you don’t have to be. Even short periods of activity are better than nothing. Walking, cycling, swimming, going to the gym and playing a team sport like football are all good ways of getting active, but there are plenty of things you can do at home too. Try dancing, yoga, or even housework or gardening – if it gets your heart rate up and you’re up off the sofa it counts.You might even find yourself enjoying the new things you do to distract yourself from smoking that you keep them up long after you’re smokefree!

Practical things to do when the urge to smoke strikes

<h3>The physical impacts smoking can have on your body are well known but have you ever stopped to think how it affects your mind?</h3>Did you know that nicotine reaches the brain within roughly ten seconds of your first puff?Here’s a few ways nicotine impacts your body.· Improves your mood and concentration.· Relaxes your muscles.· Reduces your appetite.These might seem like positives, but regular doses of nicotine eventually lead to changes in the brain.As the nicotine supply goes down, withdrawal symptoms develop leading you to want to smoke again to temporarily take away the symptoms. This reinforces the habit and makes you even more dependent on nicotine.Smoking and stress Stress is a common reason for people to smoke, many turn to cigarettes to ease feelings of stress. However, research has shown that smoking actually increases anxiety and tension. Nicotine creates an immediate sense of relaxation, so it’s easy to see why people smoke in the belief it reduces stress and anxiety. This feeling, however, is temporary, and soon gives way to withdrawal symptoms and more cravings. Smoking reduces the withdrawal symptoms but doesn’t reduce anxiety or deal with the reasons someone may feel that way.Smoking and depression Public Health England published a report showing that adults with depression are nearly twice as likely to smoke as adults without depression. Most people start to smoke before showing signs of depression, so it’s unclear whether smoking leads to depression or depression encourages people to start smoking.Nicotine stimulates the release of dopamine in the brain, a chemical that triggers positive feelings. It’s often found to be low in people with depression so it may be that they use cigarettes as a way of temporarily increasing their dopamine supply.Smoking encourages the brain to switch off its own mechanism for making dopamine so in the long term the supply decreases, which in turn prompts people to smoke more.People with depression can have a tough time when quitting and can experience more severe withdrawal symptoms.Prepare to succeed Heard the saying before? Works here too. The best thing you can do is to prepare for your quit. That way you’ll be less likely to have a failed attempt, which can knock your confidence.We’re here to help you quit and we’ll set you up with all the tools you need to succeed. Just keep on showing up and putting in the effort and a happier and healthier life are waiting.

Smokefree advice