It’s a challenge to stop smoking, especially if you have been smoking for a while. To mark World Lung Cancer Day we’re sharing these tips from Stop Smoking London to help make it a bit easier.

Picking a date really helps

Make the decision and mark it on your calendar. “Today is the day”. Make sure it’s a day that is not too busy and so you are free from the stresses of everyday life as much as possible. Once you have decided on the date, plan ahead and stick to it. Even better: Enrol in our telephone support programme and our advisors will help you set the date and prepare for it.

Know your smoking triggers

It’s important to understand what triggers you to smoke so that you can take the necessary steps to avoid them. Do you find yourself smoking more when you’re bored, drinking alcohol, or feeling stressed? By recognising these triggers, you can better prepare yourself and find alternative copy mechanisms. If smoking in the morning is a habit for you, consider exploring the effects of morning smoking and ways to quit.

Tell the people you care about what you are doing

They can be there to help and support you. We have created a guide which explains how to help someone stop smoking. Share this with the people in your life who can support you, it will help them understand how to support you.

Ask friends and family who smoke not to do so around you

Explain that you won’t be joining them on any smoke breaks. Be prepared, they may try to encourage you to smoke. You might need to be very clear and firm about your reasons for stopping smoking. Even better: ask them to stop with you and to get in touch with us to make their own quit plan.

Get support

Stopping smoking can be hard, but you don’t have to do this on your own. You are three times as likely to quit successfully with your local stop smoking service than if try to stop smoking on your own.

Many London boroughs have dedicated stop smoking teams waiting to help you reach your stop smoking goals.

The table below contains information about services in local areas. If you would rather do this over the phone, call the free Stop Smoking London helpline on 0300 123 1044 to find out how you can get a personalised plan and ongoing telephone support.

 

Information about services in local areas

Borough	Service Name	Website
Barking & Dagenham	Council in-house branded Community Solutions	lbbd.gov.uk/newme-healthy-lifestyle
Hackney (& City)	Smokefree City & Hackney	https://www.smokefreehackney.org
Newham	QMUL - Quit Well	www.newham.gov.uk/stopsmoking
Tower Hamlets	QMUL - Quit Right	http://quitrightth.org/
Waltham Forest	QMUL - Quit Right	https://quitrightwf.org/
Essex Wellbeing service	Essex	https://www.essexwellbeingservice.co.uk/volunteering/support-referral
Southend	Southend	Stop smoking services in Southend-on-Sea – Southend-on-Sea City Council
Thurrock	Thurrock	Thurrock Healthy Lifestyle Service | Public Health | Thurrock Council

For more information, visit Stop Smoking London - We're Here to Help You Quit Smoking