Cigarettes contain a massive 400 toxic compounds which can damage your health considerably. The amount of damage done depends on the amount of cigarettes smoked, as well as the type of cigarettes smoked and the number of years you have been smoking.

The major toxic additives in cigarettes are:-

• Tar - this substance has the potential to induce cancer
• Nicotine - this substance is responsible for the addictive properties of cigarettes as well as raising your blood cholesterol level.
• Carbon monoxide- this poison attaches to haemoglobin molecules reducing blood oxygen supply to the body.

The health risks associated with smoking have been known for many years and include lung cancer, throat cancer, mouth cancer, and all cancers in general. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cardiovascular disease are other disorders attributable to cigarette smoking. Smoking also decreases life expectancy and it is really true that each cigarette does you damage, as each one is thought to reduce your life expectancy by slightly over 10 minutes. A scary fact for those that smoke 50 a day!

1. Prepare yourself for stopping. By this I mean set a date and stop completely, no cutting down on the number you smoke, just stop!
2. Make a list of the reasons why you are stopping, including your health, the cost, smell, bad breath etc. When you feel like smoking again, consult this list. Perhaps a good idea is to leave the money you would be spending on cigarettes aside and make plans what to do with this money, such as have a holiday, buy some new clothes, or something else you want.
3. Join a group where others have stopped too. This way you can encourage and support each other when you find yourself craving.
4. Get someone to pay you to stop. There are government funding campaigns like the recent one in Scotland where people were paid over a 12 week period to quit.
5. Nicotine replacement therapy- use gum and sticky plasters to cut down the withdrawal symptoms and help you quit.