The truth about excuses

Excuse: 'I'll get fat'

Bin it! Not true. Just don't substitute cigarettes with food. Stick to three healthy, well-balanced meals a day and make snacks healthy ones. Do some exercise, too. Research shows it improves your chance of success as well as your fitness.
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Excuse: 'The damage is done'

Bin it! It's never too late to stop, even if you've smoked for years or have a serious respiratory disease, such as emphysema. Quitting stops things getting worse and can actually reverse some of the damage. After just 24 hours your lungs start removing mucus and other smoking debris, and your lung function can improve by up to ten percent in just three months. After just one year you'll halve your heart-attack risk, and your lung-cancer risk after 10 years.
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Excuse: 'It's sociable'

Bin it! It's never been less sociable. Since the 2007 smoking ban you can't smoke in pubs or restaurants, at work or on public transport. More people than ever have quit. Even if many of your social circle still smoke, it's probably only a matter of time before they stop. Why not do it together – now that is sociable.
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Excuse: 'I'm as fit as a fiddle'

Bin it! You've been lucky so far but the stats are against you. Carry on and it will probably kill you. Smoking ends up killing half of all smokers – that's 90,000 premature deaths a year in the UK. And if it doesn't kill you, it's likely to give you a host of serious illnesses, such as lung cancer and heart disease, and circulatory problems which can result in amputation.
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Excuse: 'I've tried and failed'

Bin it! Most quitters don't manage it first time. In fact, it takes an average of four attempts. And research shows that it doesn't get more difficult - each attempt has exactly the same chance of success. So whether it's your first time or your 12th, you can do it!
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Excuse: 'I'll be hell to live with'

Bin it! You may be grumpy at first but it'll soon wear off. And your family and friends will forgive you because there are plenty of benefits for them. Once they stop inhaling your smoke, they're less likely to get a smoking-related disease. And your kids are less likely to get ear or chest infections, asthma or to start smoking themselves.
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Excuse: 'It's part of my routine'

Bin it! Then change your routine. Research shows we smoke as part of a pattern of behaviour, and changing that improves your chance of quitting. Work out why and when you light up, and do something different to break the cycle. If you always smoke in a certain chair, sit somewhere else. If you smoke in your coffee break, have fruit juice instead of coffee.
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Excuse: 'I'll stop next week'

Bin it! This week's too stressful, next week's too busy... think like this and there'll always be a reason to put it off. Recent research suggests too much advanced planning to quit may be a waste of time. Think about how to reduce your urges and what to do if they strike, but beyond that just go for it.
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Excuse: 'Smoking calms me down'

Bin it! It doesn't. You just think it does. What you're really doing when you light up is feeding your nicotine addiction. The calming feeling you get is relief of that addiction, not a relief of stress. Your addiction is adding stress, not easing it. For real stress relief try exercise or an activity which you enjoy and focuses your mind.
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Excuse: 'I've already switched to a lower tar'

Bin it! Tar is just one of more than 4,000 toxic chemicals in cigarettes, and research has shown that smokers of so-called 'milder' brands are likely to inhale as much tar and nicotine. But you've shown you can make a change to your smoking habits, now make the change that's really going to make a difference and give up completely.
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Excuse: 'Smoking's cool'

Bin it! Not any more. Years ago, when it first appeared and before we understood its effects, smokers were portrayed in adverts as grown-up and sophisticated. But things have moved on. Bad breath? Smelly clothes? Wheezing and coughing? Stained teeth? No money? There's nothing cool about those.
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Excuse: 'I feel worse when I stop'

Bin it! You may at first but it'll soon pass. Some people get headaches or feel sick but these symptoms are caused by the initial nicotine withdrawal and peak between 12 to 24 hours. Stick with it and they'll start to ease.
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