No Smoking Day is not about encouraging people to quit for the day… it is also an
opportunity to get people thinking more about a more positive smoke free future.This is a positive message that acknowledges smokers’ preconceptions while challenging
them and providing hope.
• Quitting smoking doesn’t have to feel painful – stop smoking aids can really help
• Quitting isn’t always easy but getting the right stop smoking aids and support can
stop you feeling like you need a cigarette all the time
• Today is the Day to put smoking behind you. Smokers who quit for 6 weeks or more
are happier and experience less anxiety and depression than those who carry on
smoking.
• Research shows that people who have quit smoking for a year are happier than
those who continue to smoke.

How quickly do smokers see the mental health benefits of stopping?
The immediate impact of quitting for most smokers is a range of withdrawal symptoms that worsen people’s sense of mental wellbeing from increased irritability to heightened sense of depression. Research indicates that these symptoms rarely exceed 2 – 4 weeks. The improved mental wellbeing scores are from at least 6 weeks after quitting though people may well feel the
benefits sooner.
Why does stopping smoking improve your mental health?
There could be a number of reasons why quitting improves your mental health but one is that it breaks the cycle of nicotine dependence. Every day smokers go through withdrawal symptoms which damage their mental well being, these are alleviated by smoking but quickly return as the effect of the nicotine wears off. Stopping smoking breaks this cycle improving people’s sense of
well being.
To understand more click the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHZXsvrL270&feature=emb_logo

Quitting during covid
The last year has been difficult for many of us. Stress and concern about our health is on the
rise. For smokers this has pulled them in two directions. On the one hand, the chances of
smokers successfully quitting are has high as they’ve ever been. On the other, smokers
experiencing stress and mental distress are more likely to be smoking more. This No
Smoking Day we want to take the opportunity to inform smokers that quitting can be less
stressful than they fear and can ultimately improve their sense of wellbeing. We all of us
have less control over our lives than we’d like at the moment, but smokers can take some
positive control on No Smoking Day. We can support smokers to cease the moment and
look forward to happier smoke free future.

Make today the day for taking that first step on your quit journey, visit www.nhs.uk/smokefree