HSE QUIT INTERVIEW

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ctober is that time of year when orange and auburn leaves fall from the trees and we feel the nights closing in. It’s also the month when another kind of leaf — the tobacco leaf — is the focus of the annual HSE QUIT campaign. Once again this year, October is Quit month and HSE QUIT Advisors — like Anne Flanagan from the Ballyboden Primary Care Centre and the Mary Mercer Health Centre, will be urging smokers to think about quitting the habit for good. A common misconception that Anne encounters is from people who think they need a referral from their GP to use the HSE QUIT service when, actually, all that is really needed is the desire to stop smoking. People can call the HSE helpline, text or use the live chat to contact your local QUIT Smoking support service. By doing so, you’ll be taking that first step on the road to becoming an ex-smoker this October. As Anne explains, “You might want to quit, but you might not be 100% confident in your ability to quit. But the fact that you want to do it is such a strong factor in the whole equation”. A QUIT Advisor, like me, can support you along that journey.

October is Quit month — a great time to leave smoking behind

Say hello!

Oh, yeah, I tried a couple of times but I was kind of struggling.

The leaves

LEAVE SMOKING BEHIND THIS OCTOBER

FALLING

QUITTING

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SMOKERS

Having worked in the mental health field for 29 years before switching to her current role, Anne knows that there is no typical type of ‘smoker’. People from all walks of life and all parts of the country use the HSE’s Quit service. Likewise, there is no “one-size-fits-all” technique, with the emphasis on the individual, “It's a person-centred approach. Sometimes people have their own particular reasons for why they want to quit… a lot of older people will say they want to be able to run around the garden with their grandchildren. A woman I was helping recently told me she's able to go for a walk now with the grandkids. They say, ‘Nanny isn't it great that you can come for a walk with us now’. Little things like that are just amazing.” It’s obviously rewarding work guiding someone along their journey towards becoming an ex-smoker but the reward for people who can successfully turn their backs on cigarettes are even greater – especially the health improvements, which Anne is keen to emphasise. “Within a few hours of you quitting smoking, your blood pressure drops. Within 28-48 hours of you quitting, the carbon monoxide that you inhale from the tobacco when it's burning will be removed from your body.” For those who can then stay off cigarettes long-term, the health improvements benefits continue to add up. “They reduce their cardiovascular risks. Their lung capacity increases by up to 30% in the first three months… it's one of the best things that you can do for your present and your future health.”

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NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) in the form of patches, gum, lozenges, inhalers and mouth sprays are an important part of quitting for some people. Using NRT, over the full course of 12 weeks, doubles your chances of quitting smoking in combination with all the other help available from the QUIT Advisors. It gives people every chance of saying goodbye to cigarettes permanently. Free NRT is now available through your local Stop Smoking Advisor.

October is also the time of year when the Irish rugby team is busy preparing for the Autumn International series. And to show the varied backgrounds of those who get in touch with the HSE QUIT service, Anne recently helped a rugby player to stop smoking. The player in question may not make Andy Farrell’s squad to face South Africa and Australia in November but he can be proud of his own personal progress and the obvious health gains that have accrued from kicking the habit into touch. “He was never first in the sprints around the pitch and now he's been clear five weeks, and he told me last week that he was first. So, I was delighted for him”. Anne knows the difficulty of quitting smoking but also how beneficial it is when you finally do so. Once somebody gets in touch and is referred to an advisor like Anne, they then receive a phone call and can talk through their own individual approach. Targets will be set and goals planned in steps that are tailored to how regularly the person smokes and their own personal circumstance. Typically, this happens over six sessions, during which time they can plan the whole process together. “So, the person decides for themselves when they're going to set their quit date. And I will help them make a plan, problem solve, come up with their distractions list. They get support from their weekly appointments in the clinic. That's how I help them prepare.” A ‘distraction list’ is a handy tool when any cravings come calling. The QUIT advisor and smoker make a list of activities or therapies to take the place of the urge to smoke until it passes. It can be anything at all. For example, one of Anne’s clients takes a musical approach. “One fellow works from home. He leaves his guitar beside his laptop so that if he gets a craving, he picks up his guitar and he starts practising a tune as a distraction. Someone else looks up recipes for the dinner later on that night… So, it's all about distracting yourself from a craving, which will last three to five minutes and then it's gone for another while.”

Rugby players, musicians, pensioners, young, old and everything in between are all welcome to avail of the HSE’s Quit service. So, as the season changes colour and the trees are stripped bare of their foliage this October, there’s really never been a better time to leave smoking behind for good.

Smoking takes 10 to 15 quality years off your life

After 10 years The risk of lung cancer is reduced by half

1 in every 2 smokers will die from a tobacco-related disease

2-3 months after quitting, your lung capacity could increase by up to 30%

QUIT Advisor Anne Flanagan at Ballyboden Primary Care Centre

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QUIT Advisor Anne Flanagan with quitter James Cushen at Ballyboden Primary Care Centre