If you have been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis it is important to quit smoking. Many people find quitting difficult, however there are lots of resources to help you quit. Although you may have tried to quit in the past, the modern resources available are very useful to help you in stopping smoking.

Talk to your treatment team if you want advice to help you quit smoking. They will provide expert advice to help you through the process.²

Are there any practical tips to help me quit smoking?

Quitting smoking can be challenging. It can be helpful if you set out your reasons for quitting and use them as reminder to keep you on track.

These reasons might be the obvious ones such as protecting the health of your lungs. However, other reasons could also include saving money, protecting the health of people around you and prolonging the time you have to spend with family and friends. These can all be powerful motivating reasons for sticking to a quit-smoking plan.

 

Talk to your treatment team

Your treatment team will be able to help you quit smoking. They can help you enrol in a "stop smoking" clinic and can offer other services such as prescribing nicotine replacement or other measures and medications.²
 

Join your local stop smoking service

Many areas have local stop smoking services. A stop smoking service can help you quit smoking and stay smoke-free. You may have one-to-one or group meetings where you can discuss your challenges with other people who are quitting smoking.²

Speak to your treatment team about local stop-smoking services.

 

Be mindful of high-risk times and triggers

Smoking isn’t just a physical addiction, it is also linked to the way your brain works and every day routines and triggers. You may have different reasons for smoking such as having a chance to break from stress, or an opportunity to relax or reward yourself (e.g. while driving, after a meal or while on the phone).

Do your best to avoid these triggers and look for ways to occupy your mind during these situations, such as exercising, using a stress ball, or spending time with family and friends.³

 

Don’t punish yourself if you slip up

Many people who have tried to quit smoking find themselves falling into old habits. Don’t be too harsh on yourself if this happens. You're not a failure if you slip up.

Throw out the rest of the pack and try to think about the reasons why you started smoking again, so you can stop it from happening again in the future.

 

Celebrate your victories

Try not to focus on the difficult parts of quitting smoking and recognise your success. Plan celebratory events ahead of time for important milestones (e.g. one week, one month or six months smoke free).

Never underestimate how far you have come and the hard work and effort you’ve put in. Celebrating small victories will help strengthen your reasons for quitting.

Key takeaways