Whether it's cigarettes or cannabis, smoking can damage the
lungs and make your asthma worse. It's not our place to lecture you
about giving up smoking so here are the facts about smoking and
asthma (and you can make up your own mind!).
If you smoke and have asthma, you:
- are increasing your risk of an asthma attack
- could be permanently damaging your airways
- could be blocking the benefit of your asthma medicines
Also, if you smoke as a teenager, you're increasing the risk of
your asthma persisting. And if you smoke around children or while
you're pregnant, you're putting them at risk of developing
asthma.
Most people know about many of the dangers of smoking, but
nicotine is a highly addictive drug and stopping smoking can be
difficult. However, it's not impossible and many people stop
smoking every day in the UK.
It's also important to know that most people will attempt to
stop smoking several times before they stop for good. This is
normal in breaking the cycle of addiction and the most important
thing is that you don't stop trying. If you do start smoking again,
don't be too disappointed and don't see it as a failure. Use it as
an opportunity to see what went wrong with your quitting attempt
and to make the next one more successful.
Some helpful tips for stopping smoking:
- Be prepared - the better prepared you are the more likely you
are to succeed
- Understand your habit - Before you stop try keeping a dairy of
when, where and why you smoke. Knowing the situations or triggers
that may make you want to light up will help you to plan a
different response or to avoid these triggers altogether.
- Know your reasons for stopping - Make a list of all the reasons
why you want to stop smoking. Keep this list with you to remind you
if you are tempted to smoke.
- Set a date - Set a date and stick to it. Stub out your last
cigarette; throw away lighters, ashtrays and all cigarettes. Start
thinking of yourself as a non-smoker and stay determined.
- Remember there are people to help. Your doctor, nurse or
pharmacist can support and advise you about stopping. You can also
contact the NHS Stop Smoking Service.
- Smoking is dangerous. It's the greatest cause of ill health and
premature death in the UK.
- Smoking irritates the airways and causes them to narrow, which
makes your asthma symptoms (coughing, wheezing, tight chest and
shortness of breath) worse.
- Smoking increases the risk of asthma attacks.
- Smokers who have asthma are more likely to require higher doses
of preventer medicine to control their symptoms.
- Smoking can cause permanent damage to your lungs and
airways.
- Avoid smoking during pregnancy and ask others not to smoke
around you as this is best for mum and baby. Women who smoke in
pregnancy are more likely to have smaller babies (not good for
baby) and babies with breathing problems.
Quitting isn't easy, but if you have asthma, stopping
smoking may be one of the greatest things you can do to improve
your life and health.
If you're thinking about giving up or would like to know more
about smoking, check out Quit - the UK charity that helps smokers
to stop:
Quit
Web: quit.org.uk
Email: stopsmoking@quit.org.uk
Quitline: 0800 00 22 00
Asian quitline: 0800 00 22 88
Turkish and Kurdish: Thursday and Sunday, 1pm-9pm on 0800 00 22
99
NHS Smokefree
Web: smokefree.nhs.uk
Phone: 0800 022 4 332
