Smoking Cessation - The CURE Project - Tobacco Dependency Service

A helping hand to be smoke-free

Smoking Tobacco & Nicotine: The Truth

• Smoking tobacco is uniquely addictive and uniquely dangerous
• One in two people that smoke will die because of diseases caused by smoking
• For every person that dies, another 30 will be living with a serious illness caused by smoking
• The addictive substance in tobacco smoke is Nicotine. Nicotine has feel-good effects in the brain including feelings of calm and relaxation
• Smoking tobacco delivers a fast and strong hit of nicotine to the brain and creates a very powerful addiction to cigarettes

The CURE Project

Our service is a hospital-based team, who are specifically trained to assess your dependency to tobacco and provide appropriate medication to relieve your cravings.

We also offer behavioural support throughout your hospital stay and offer further support and referrals to local stop smoking services or pharmacies after discharge.

Together we will assess your dependency to smoking and set realistic goals for helping you take this step in the right direction.
 
We don’t force anyone to quit smoking and we understand that not everyone wants to quit, but while you are in hospital it is a great time to see what we can provide and a chance to try the medications, relieve your cravings and manage your nicotine withdrawals.

You are THREE times more likely to quit for good with behavioural support and Nicotine Replacement.

Many fear it will take a long time to see improvements in their health and well-being, but the timeline for real benefits is faster than most people realise.

Withdrawal Symptoms

Some people may struggle with withdrawal symptoms, especially during the first week. These can include difficulty sleeping, headaches, temporary cough, anxiety, restlessness and irritability.

Nicotine replacement therapy helps to replace some of the nicotine you would normally get from a cigarette, which helps to relieve some of these symptoms. The CURE project can help make sure you are on the right dose for as long as needed to relieve those symptoms.

Breaking the Addiction to Nicotine

Some people want to be completely free from tobacco and from nicotine.

There are medications available that stop nicotine from giving those 'feel-good feelings' and take away the pleasure of smoking.

These medications are called Varenicline (Champix), Buproprion (Zyban). These medications do have some side effects, such as vivid and colourful dreams, and feeling nauseous. As of 2022, these medications are not currently available on prescription, but speak to the CURE team member for more information and updates.

There is also a naturally occurring plant substance called Cytisine which blocks the effects of nicotine in the brain. It is currently available as a health supplement tablet in the UK. It is taken over the course of 25 days and can help those who smoke tobacco to stop. This is available as a prescription only medication in Europe and North America and is under review for prescription only medication in the UK.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

You cannot overdose on Nicotine, but like having too many cigarettes in a short period of time, it can cause mild symptoms such as headaches and nausea when you have too much. Having too little nicotine will affect how well the nicotine replacement therapy helps to alleviate your cravings.

The CURE team will work with you to find the right dose to suit your level of dependency. Evidence shows the best way to quit with Nicotine Replacement, is to use BOTH a nicotine patch AND a fast-acting nicotine product that you can use whenever you need.

Long-Acting Nicotine Product

• Nicotine Patches - These come in 24 hour or 16-hour options, with different strengths of nicotine. They are placed on a dry, clean area of skin and give a constant ‘drip’ of nicotine through the day

Fast Acting Nicotine Products

• Nicotine Chewing Gum - Chew the gum until you feel a hot and fiery taste, then rest the gum between your cheek/lip/gums and let the nicotine be absorbed
• Nicotine Oral Spray/QuickMist - This is a fast-acting solution absorbed through the mouth, 1-2 sprays per hour under the tongue, or inside of the cheek. Let the liquid rest in the mouth before swallowing to absorb the nicotine
• Nicotine Inhalator - Looks like a small white cigarette. It keeps your hands busy and recreates the hand to mouth action. You suck it, like a straw and let the nicotine rest in the mouth. It does not need inhaling like a cigarette for it to work. Each cartridge provides 40 minutes of use, this can be divided into four 10-minute sessions or eight 5-minute sessions. 10 minutes of use is approximately equal to one cigarette. The maximum number of cartridges is 6 per day, please change the cartridge when needed
• Nicotine Microtab - A small tablet that rests under the tongue and dissolves in about 20 minutes
• Nicotine Lozenges - Sucked like a sweet but rest it in your mouth between the gum and cheeks, to allow the nicotine to be absorbed
• Nicotine Nasal spray - A quick acting nose spray, it may take some time getting used to, but it does work very quickly 

It is recommended that fast acting nicotine products be used 'ON THE HOUR EVERY HOUR' and in between if needed.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy and Pregnancy

Protecting your baby from tobacco smoke is one of the best things you can do to give your child a healthy start in life.

Stopping smoking during pregnancy will reduce your risk of complications and reduce the risk of stillbirth.

Nicotine replacement therapy can be used during pregnancy if it will help you stop smoking, and you are unable to stop without it.

Vaping

Vapes, also known as e-cigarettes, are a dramatically less harmful way of using nicotine when compared to tobacco products. They are also an effective way to help people stop using tobacco products.

There is no tobacco in vaping, there is no burning and there is no smoke.

A liquid containing nicotine is heated to create a vapour, the vapour is then inhaled into the lungs giving a ‘hit’ of nicotine.

It is not 100% safe, but experts agree that it is about 95% less harmful than smoking tobacco.

A Vape can also be used alongside nicotine replacement products to aid in quitting smoking tobacco completely. The aim is to give the body enough nicotine so there is no need to smoke tobacco.

What about flavours?

Some people want something that tastes and smells completely different to tobacco, whilst others want to keep the tobacco taste and smell. There is no right or wrong answer. Flavours are there to help improve the experience of vaping if needed.

Different types of Vapes

There are many different types, some look like cigarettes, others have a pen like shape or a box shape with a mouthpiece.

Talking to a licenced vendor in a vaping shop, or talking to a member of the CURE team, can help you decide which vape would suit you best.

How long should I vape for?

Vaping should be used to stop smoking, and ultimately the goal should be to stop vaping as well, but not if it means starting to smoke again.

Is there any risk to others from the vapour?

Vape flavouring is made of the same substances from smoke machines (propylene glycol or glycerine), the risk to others is likely to be extremely low. The vapour can be a nuisance to bystanders, like tobacco smoke, but it poses no significant risks, unlike secondhand tobacco smoke.

Can you vape if you are pregnant?

Risks of vaping to the unborn child are yet unknown, but the risk is substantially less than the well-known risks of smoking (stillbirth, miscarriage, birth defects, premature birth).

Vaping remains an effective way to stop smoking, for those that are pregnant, and for anyone else.

Nicotine Poisoning

There have been cases of young children accidentally ingesting the liquid. Vapes and Vape liquids should always be kept out of the reach of children.

Fire Risk

There have been reported cases of house fires from faulty vape batteries and chargers. Always use the correct charger and never leave vapes charging unattended.

Use with Oxygen therapy

Vapes should never be used/charged, in the vicinity of homecare oxygen due to the risk of ignition and fires.

Illicit e-liquid /Fake Vapes

Recent news articles about severe lung diseases, such as ‘popcorn lung’, have been linked to vapes containing illicit liquids.

Chemicals such as Diacetyl, Cannabis oil and Vitamin E Acetate are all illegal substances in UK vapes. Only buy vaping products from licenced vendors.

Other medications and Nicotine replacement

When you quit using tobacco, the amount of nicotine in your body decreases, and the absorption rate of your medication changes. These changes can be minor, but please speak to your CURE team member, ward doctor or GP if you are on the following medications for the dosage to be monitored:

• Aminophylline
• Theophylline
• Clozapine
• Erlotinib
• Olanzapine
• Riociguat
• Chlorpromazine
• Flecainide
• Methadone
• Warfarin

Pre and Post-Operative quit help

There is very strong evidence that quitting smoking before surgical intervention improves surgical outcomes, decreases wound healing time and reduces the risk of complications post- surgery. For maximum benefit, a quit attempt needs to begin 4-8 weeks prior to surgery but stopping immediately around the time of surgery and continuing the quit attempt afterwards still has worthwhile benefits.

Using Nicotine replacement therapy pre and post-surgery is associated with greater long term quit rates.

If you want to quit before your surgery, the pre-operative team can refer you to your local stop smoking service or you can refer yourself using the phone numbers at the end of the leaflet. The CURE team can then continue to support you while you are an inpatient.

All the hospitals are non-smoking sites, but the CURE project teams are here to support you however we can.

Inpatient Contact Details for further support

CURE Salford Royal - 0161 206 1779

CURE Royal Oldham Hospital - 0161 778 5782

CURE Fairfield General Hospital and Rochdale Infirmary - 0161 778 2941

Smoke Free Pregnancy Service - 07966 240892

Community Services

Salford Stop Smoking Services - 0800 952 1000

Your Health Oldham - 0161 960 0255

Bury Lifestyle services - 0161 253 7554

Rochdale Living Well services - 01706 751190
 
You can also refer yourself online to the community services through their websites.

What is my Treatment plan?
 

 

What is my plan when I go home?

 

What is my Treatment plan?
 

 

What is my plan when I go home?