A smoking cessation aid can:

Quitline: 0800 00 22 00

Clinics and support groups
Specialist smokers' clinics, often using nicotine replacement products or Zyban, can improve your chances of stopping by up to four times. They are usually run over a period of about six weeks and take you through the different stages of stopping. Your GP can also put you in touch with local smoking cessation clinics, or you can ring Quitline on 0800 00 22 00.

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)
Nicotine replacement is used to wean you off nicotine by replacing the very high concentrations of nicotine you get from smoking with much lower doses delivered more slowly. It is a means of delivering nicotine without the harmful tar, gases and other elements of smoking.

NRT is the most thoroughly researched method for quitting and tests have shown that, used correctly, it will double your chance of success. If you smoke your first cigarette within 30 minutes of waking, then you are more likely to benefit from NRT. NRT is much safer than smoking but if you have a medical condition, any health worries or are pregnant, it is important that you talk to your pharmacist/doctor first.

Patches (Nicotinell, Nicorette, Boots, NiQuitin CQ)
A nicotine skin patch looks like a sticking plaster and is applied to dry non-hairy skin, for example, on the upper arm. A patch lasts either 16 or 24 hours and they come in three strengths, delivering different amounts of nicotine, which is absorbed slowly through the skin. You are recommended to use them for 8-12 weeks.

The main side effects are itching or redness of the skin and this can be lessened by varying the position of the patch when you put a new one on. Some people may have problems with sleeping.

The usefulness of patches has been well-researched and they can double your chance of quitting. They are most helpful to people who smoke moderately (10-20) and regularly through the day.

Quitline: 0800 00 22 00

Gum (Nicotinell, Nicorette, Boots, NiQuitin CQ)
This is different from ordinary chewing gum and can have a peppery or tingling sensation, especially to begin with, so you may have to persevere in using it. It is important to learn to chew it properly to get the full benefit from using it. You should use approximately one piece per hour (say 15 pieces per day). It should be chewed slowly and then rested between your gum and the side of your mouth, repeatedly, for about 30 minutes. The nicotine is slowly absorbed through the lining of the mouth.

The gum comes in two strengths, low (2mg) and full (4mg) and in a choice of flavours. The recommended period of use is three months. Clinical trials show that it can double your success rate.

The main side effect is irritation of the mouth and throat, but this lessens with use. The gum is difficult to use if you wear dentures and can irritate your stomach if you chew too vigorously.

Nasal spray (Nicorette)
The nicotine nasal spray comes in a bottle with a nozzle that delivers a dose of a fine spray of nicotine squirted into each nostril. It can be used up to 32 times a day (64 squirts per day). The nicotine is quickly absorbed through the lining of the nose. It mimics the effects of cigarettes more closely by giving a relatively fast effect. It should be used for 3 months. Clinical trials show that it can double your likelihood of quitting, especially if you smoke 20 or more cigarettes a day. It is particularly suitable for highly dependent smokers for whom the other products may not have such an immediate impact.

Quitline: 0800 00 22 00

Tablets (Nicorette) and lozenges (Nicotinell and Niquitin CQ)
A number of tablets and lozenges containing nicotine are available. The Nicorette Microtab, Nicotinell Lozenge and NiQuitin CQ Lozenge deliver similar amounts of nicotine as 2 mg gum. Like the gum, the nicotine is absorbed through the lining of the mouth.

Inhalator (Nicorette, Boots)
The inhalator looks like a cigarette holder, inside which you place a cartridge containing nicotine. When you get a craving, you hold the inhalator in your hand, taking shallow puffs (like a pipe) or deep puffs (like a cigarette). Nicotine is taken into the mouth and the back of the throat but not into the lungs. Clinically proven to double your chances of quitting, the inhalator is helpful when your body craves the nicotine and your hands and mouth miss the cigarette.

Effective non-nicotine treatments:

ZYBAN (bupropion hydrochloride SR)
Zyban is a non-nicotine treatment to help smokers who are motivated to quit. It works in the brain to help break the addiction to nicotine and differs from nicotine replacement therapies in that it does not substitute one source of nicotine with another. Zyban reduces the cravings for cigarettes and the withdrawal symptoms associated with quitting. Clinical trials have demonstrated that Zyban doubles your chances of success.

Zyban comes in tablet form; it is taken as a two-month treatment course and costs the charge for a prescription. Smokers should start taking Zyban whilst they are still smoking and set a date for quitting during the second week of treatment, for example, on day eight of taking the tablets. Tablets are usually taken once a day for the first three days, then twice a day for the remainder of the two-month treatment course.

The most common side effects are difficulty sleeping, dry mouth and headache. These are usually mild and generally diappear within the first few weeks. Zyban should not be taken by people who suffer, or have ever suffered, from seizures (fits) or eating disorders.

Champix (varenicline)
Champix is the most recently introduced non-nicotine product and is only available on prescription. Like Zyban, it is started 1-2 weeks before the 'quit date', starting at a dose of 1 tablet daily and increasing after 3 days to 1 tablet twice daily for another 4 days. On day 8, a higher dose tablet is introduced, and this is continued twice daily until the end of the 2 month course. The most common side-effects are nausea, abnormal dreams and dry mouth. Champix causes side-effects more commonly than Zyban, but was shown to be about twice as effective in 1 recent trial. It works in a similar way to Zyban, reducing cravings and the urge to smoke. It can be taken by people with a history of seizures or eating disorders, but should not be taken during pregnancy or breast-feeding.

Quitline: 0800 00 22 00

Other non-nicotine products
These are many and varied. They are easily available through mail-order, newsagents, health shops or chemists. Often they do not require a licence under the Medicines Act. There is not enough good scientific evidence to say how effective they are. Be wary of claims of very high success rates.

Capsules
These contain menthyl valerate, quinine, camphor and eucalyptus oil and are aimed at improving breathing and controlling withdrawal symptoms. The manufacturers recommend 1-2 per day for 28 days. There is no evidence of their long-term efficacy, but they are not thought to be harmful. Pregnant women should not use them.

Dummy cigarettes
A plastic lookalike that lasts between 1-3 months. Provides the hand-to-mouth stimulation of smoking. They do not help with the physical withdrawal symptoms. They are of no proven benefit, but they are not shown to be harmful.

Herbal cigarettes
Again these provide the activity of smoking without the nicotine, so they do not help with withdrawal symptoms. They still contain tar and poisonous carbon monoxide gas, which are found in ordinary cigarettes and which cause considerable damage to your health. There is no evidence that they are effective.

Filters
Put on the end of a cigarette they are designed to remove some of the tar and nicotine before you inhale. Yet smokers tend to compensate for the drop in nicotine by puffing longer and harder or even covering up the filter to stop it working so well.

Mouthwash
Mouthwash is supposed to work by making cigarettes taste unpleasant. The product recommends you gargle with it for about 15 seconds whenever you feel a strong desire to smoke. It affects the taste of cigarettes for three to four hours, but it also adversely affects the taste of food for about a half an hour. Pregnant women are advised to check with their doctor before using it.

Quitline: 0800 00 22 00

Alternative therapies
Some people claim to be helped by alternative therapies. However, the results of research are not clear, so overall their effectiveness remains unproven. If you decide to try alternative therapy, it is important to find a registered practitioner.

The Institute of Complementary Medicine
PO Box 194
London SE16 7QZ
Tel: 020 7237 5165
www.icmedicine.co.uk

The British Complementary Medicine Association
Kensington House
33 Imperial Square
Cheltenham
GL50 1QZ
Tel: 0845 345 5977
www.bcma.co.uk

QUIT will not accept responsibility for referrals or advice offered by either of these bodies. Clients are strongly advised to satisfy themselves regarding the competence, registration, insurance and background of any complimentary therapist.

Diet and exercise
Both of these have an important effect on your body. Stopping smoking is a major change for your body to adapt to, and a healthy diet and regular exercise suitable to your level of fitness, may help your body cope with withdrawal and boost your sense of self-confidence and well being.

Cutting down or stopping outright?
All the evidence suggests that cutting down is much less likely to work than simply stopping outright. The last 6-10 cigarettes are very hard to give up and you will probably puff longer and harder on them so there is no real health gain.

Quitline: 0800 00 22 00 Taken from www.quit.org.uk