Publication
Encouraging smokers to stop: what you can do
| Contents: | How to use this guide Flow chart Why your role is so important What you can do: a step-by-step guide Medications Smoking cessation services and further help The health risks References Why it is worth stopping |
Smoking cessation services and further help
Smoking cessation services
There is now a well-established infrastructure of specialist smoking cessation services in every NHS Board in Scotland. Smoking cessation services provide intensive support either in groups or through individual counselling that will:
- help smokers to structure their quit attempt
- make sure that smokers are adequately prepared
- use social support (in groups) to maintain and increase motivation to succeed
- provide smokers with information about how to avoid or cope with urges to smoke
- provide smokers with reassurance and advice on withdrawal symptoms
- provide guidance on the correct use of medications.
However‚ the organisation of services varies from area to area according to local population‚ geography and demand. Smoking cessation co-ordinators should ensure that health professionals in their area
have up-to-date information on local services. If you require further information about services please contact your NHS Board smoking cessation co-ordinator.
Information about local services is also available from Smokeline:
t 0800 84 84 84 or the Health Scotland website:
www.healthscotland.com/tobacco. Look in the Smokefacts section and click on ‘database of local services’.
Another specialist tobacco site‚ Tobacco Unwrapped‚ contains useful information and materials on a range of other tobacco control issues: www.healthscotland.com/tobacco
Smokeline
Any smoker can ring the free telephone helpline t 0800 84 84 84 (noon until midnight) for confidential support and advice.
Smokers can get advice via email from www.healthscotland.com/tobacco
Other treatments
A wide range of treatments have been tested as aids to smoking cessation‚ and some of them‚ for example hypnosis and acupuncture‚ have a high profile and tend to be sought after by smokers. Many are promoted commercially‚ most with unproven claims for effectiveness‚ some with little evidence of effectiveness over and above a placebo effect (although a placebo effect can be valuable). Health professionals should give smokers enough information about other treatments to enable them to make an informed choice‚ but without discouraging attempts to stop. Unproven treatments‚ including hypnosis‚ acupuncture and laser therapy‚ should not be actively promoted by or provided by the NHS. As with NRT and Zyban ® ‚ if smokers want more information on other treatments than you are able to provide‚ refer them to the treatment services.
Other websites
Ash Scotland: www.ashscotland.org.uk/quit/index.html
NHS Health Scotland: www.healthscotland.com
www.treatobacco.net is run by the World Health Organization and Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco‚ and contains independent‚ authoritative reviews of the effectiveness and safety of treatment for dependent smokers in 10 languages: Arabic‚ Chinese‚ English‚ French‚ German‚ Italian‚ Japanese‚ Portuguese‚ Russian‚ Spanish.