Stopping smoking (smoking cessation)

What is smoking cessation (stopping smoking)?

Smoking cessation means stopping smoking and staying stopped. Because tobacco is addictive, willpower alone works for relatively few people. The good news is that the right support roughly triples your chances of quitting for good — and it is free on the NHS.

The most effective approach combines two things: behavioural support (regular contact with a trained adviser, in person, by phone, online or through an app) and a stop-smoking treatment. Treatments include nicotine replacement therapy (patches, gum, lozenges, inhalators, sprays), the tablets varenicline or bupropion, and nicotine vapes used as a quitting aid.

Stopping smoking is the single best thing most smokers can do for their health. The benefits begin within days and grow over time — better breathing and circulation, and a falling risk of heart disease, lung disease and many cancers. It is never too late to gain, and it is never too soon to start.

Vaping is far less harmful than smoking and can be an effective way to quit, but it is not without risks and is not recommended for people who have never smoked. If you do not smoke, you should not start vaping.

Types, options & approaches

There may be different ways to do this. The right approach depends on the clinical question and your circumstances.

Vaping versus smoking

Vaping is a tool to stop smoking, not a habit to take up if you do not smoke. Aim to stop smoking completely and, over time, to stop vaping too.

Preparing for your treatment

• Set a quit date and tell people who can support you.
• Contact your free local NHS Stop Smoking Service, GP or pharmacy to arrange support and medicines.
• Choose your treatment with an adviser — many people do best combining a patch with a faster-acting NRT, or using varenicline or a vape.
• Plan for your triggers — situations, routines and feelings that make you want to smoke.
• Remove cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays, and clear smoke from your home and car.
• Tell your prescriber about your health, pregnancy or breastfeeding, other medicines and any mental-health conditions, as this affects which medicine is best.
• Download the NHS Quit Smoking app or line up other support to use day to day.

What happens

You will usually meet a trained stop-smoking adviser — in person, by phone, online or through your pharmacy — who helps you plan a quit date and choose a treatment. There is no procedure involved.

You then start your medicine or vape, often a week or two before or on your quit date depending on what you use, and stop smoking on the agreed day. You will have regular check-ins, often weekly for the first weeks, to track progress, manage cravings and side effects, and adjust your treatment if needed.

Support typically continues for around 12 weeks, the period when relapse is most likely. Throughout, the adviser offers encouragement and practical strategies rather than judgement, and you can restart if you slip.

Is this treatment right for me?

A good consultation should explore whether it's the right choice for you now — including reasons to wait or consider something else.

Before you decide

Use this as a shared-decision checklist. The aim is not just “can this be done?”, but whether it is right for you, now, with the risks and alternatives clearly understood.

The biggest 'risk' in quitting is relapse, which is common and not a personal failure — most people who stop for good have tried before. The most effective plan is behavioural support plus a medicine or vape, so ask for both. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, have a mental-health condition or take other medicines, tell your prescriber, as this affects which option is safest for you.

Published figures to discuss

Quit success varies a lot between people and depends on the method, the amount of support and how many previous attempts have been made. Rather than precise percentages, the most reliable message from UK sources is comparative: people are roughly three times more likely to quit with NHS Stop Smoking Service support plus treatment than with willpower alone, and combining a nicotine patch with a faster-acting NRT, or using varenicline or a vape, tends to work better than a single product. Most people who succeed have tried more than once.

These are literature figures, not a personalised prediction. Your own risks and likely benefits depend on your circumstances, your health, and how your care is carried out and followed up.

What happens afterwards

There is no physical recovery, but the first weeks after your quit date are when cravings and withdrawal are strongest and when most slips happen. Support and treatment are designed to get you through this period.

• Strong cravings that come in waves and pass within minutes.
• Feeling irritable, restless or low for the first week or two.
• Coughing more for a short time as your lungs clear.
• Improved taste, smell and breathing within weeks.

Aftercare

• Keep your regular adviser contact, especially in the first weeks.
• Use your medicine or vape as advised, and combine NRT types if recommended.
• Have a plan for cravings — delay, distract, drink water, and use a fast-acting NRT.
• Avoid or manage your triggers, and tell friends and family you have quit.
• If you slip, restart straight away rather than giving up — it is a normal part of quitting.
• If you used a vape to stop, plan to reduce and stop vaping over time.
• Report any troubling side effects from a medicine to your prescriber.

• A quit date set and shared with someone supportive.
• Behavioural support arranged (service, GP, pharmacy or NHS app).
• Your chosen medicine or vape ready to use.
• A list of your main triggers and a plan for each.
• Cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays removed.
• Your prescriber told about pregnancy, mental health and other medicines.
• A plan to restart quickly if you slip.

⚠ Get urgent help if…

• Chest pain, severe breathlessness or signs of a heart attack or stroke — call 999.
• Thoughts of self-harm or suicide, or a marked drop in mood — seek help urgently (999; Samaritans 116 123).
• Any seizure, especially while taking bupropion — seek urgent help.
• Signs of an allergic reaction to a medicine, such as rash, swelling or breathing difficulty.
• A faulty or overheating vape device, or a child or pet swallowing nicotine liquid — seek urgent advice.
• New or worsening symptoms you are worried about after starting a medicine.
• Persistent vomiting or severe nausea with a stop-smoking medicine.

Who to contact: your clinician, clinic or test provider first (keep their number to hand). For urgent advice when you can't reach them, call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

General guidance — it doesn't replace the specific advice your psychiatrist gives you.

Results & realistic expectations

A good result is stopping smoking and staying stopped, which is the most powerful step most people can take for their long-term health. With behavioural support plus a medicine or vape, your chances are far higher than going it alone, though no method guarantees success and many people need more than one attempt.

Stopping completely matters more than cutting down. Health benefits begin within days and keep growing for years. Even after a slip, restarting your plan gives you another strong chance — most successful quitters have tried before.

Staying smoke-free is a long-term goal. The early weeks carry the highest relapse risk, but temptation can return at stressful times for years. Keeping your strategies, support and (if needed) treatment in place protects your success. If you used a vape to quit, aim to stop vaping over time, since its long-term effects are not yet fully known.

Related tests, treatments or support

The single most effective combination is behavioural support together with a stop-smoking medicine or a vape. Combining a nicotine patch with a faster-acting NRT (such as gum, lozenge or spray) is also more effective than one type alone. Your adviser can tailor the combination to you.

Follow-up & long-term care

You will usually have regular follow-up with your adviser for around 12 weeks, the highest-risk period for relapse, with carbon-monoxide breath checks sometimes used to confirm progress. Ask how to get back in touch if you slip, and how long to continue your medicine. Good services welcome you back without judgement for another attempt.

• Keep a plan for high-risk situations and stressful times.
• Continue your medicine for the recommended period, then taper as advised.
• Use fast-acting NRT to handle occasional strong cravings.
• Reach out to your service or GP early if you feel at risk of relapsing.
• If you used a vape to quit, gradually reduce and stop vaping over time.
• Treat any slip as a prompt to restart, not a reason to give up.

Repeat, follow-on and what comes next

• Relapse is common; many successful quitters have made several attempts.
• Treatment can be switched or combined if one option does not suit.
• A slip is a prompt to restart the plan, not a reason to stop trying.
• Some people benefit from a longer course of treatment than the standard period.

Ask what happens if the result is unclear or needs repeating, and what is included if further tests or follow-up are needed.

What good aftercare looks like

• Regular adviser contact through the high-risk first weeks, with easy re-access.
• A clear plan for cravings, triggers and slips.
• Guidance on how long to use treatment and how to stop it (including stopping vaping over time).
• Tailored advice for pregnancy, mental illness or other medicines.
• A non-judgemental welcome back for another attempt if needed.

What affects the cost

Costs vary a great deal between people and providers, and we don't publish prices. What matters is understanding what drives the cost and making sure your quote is complete. The main things that affect it:

• Whether you use free NHS Stop Smoking Services rather than a private clinic.
• Which treatment you choose — NRT, varenicline, bupropion or a vape.
• Prescription charges in England (unless you are exempt); prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• The cost of vape devices and liquids if you self-fund a vape.
• How long you use treatment for, and whether you combine NRT types.
• Any private counselling or app subscriptions you choose to add.

• Whether behavioural support is included, and how often.
• Which medicines are offered and any charges.
• How long treatment and support continue.
• What happens if you slip or relapse.
• Any cancellation or missed-appointment policy.
• Whether the service liaises with your GP where needed.

On the NHS? Free NHS Stop Smoking Services and stop-smoking medicines are available across the UK; prescription charges may apply in England unless you are exempt, and private clinics are not needed to get effective help.

You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including reports, follow-up and what happens if the result is inconclusive — before you decide.

Consent traps and marketing red flags

These are not small details. They are often where patients lose choice, time to reflect, or realistic expectations.

Choosing a specialist safely

• Check the psychiatrist is on the GMC Specialist Register for this area.
• Make sure they work at a CQC-registered service, and look for membership of the relevant Royal College or professional body.
• You're entitled to time to consider and to have your questions answered before you agree — the psychiatrist who looks after you should explain it, not a salesperson.
• Be wary of pressure: time-limited offers or deposits taken before you've had time to think are red flags, not bargains.
• You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including any follow-up — before you decide.

How Vuemedics verifies every consultant →

Take this to your consultation. A good psychiatrist will welcome every one of these.

• Which treatment is most likely to suit me, and can I combine NRT types?
• Is varenicline or bupropion suitable given my health and other medicines?
• How long should I use my medicine, and how do I stop it?
• If I use a vape to quit, how and when should I stop vaping?
• What support is available, and how often will I be seen?
• What should I do if I slip or start to relapse?
• Are you on the GMC Specialist Register for this area, and which Royal College or professional body are you a member of?
• Will you be the psychiatrist who carries out my treatment, and who looks after me afterwards?
• What are the risks for someone like me, and how often do your own patients have a problem or need it repeated or redone?
• What does a realistic result look like — and what can this treatment not achieve?
• What are my options, including waiting, doing nothing for now, or choosing a different approach?
• Can I have written information, results and aftercare instructions in a format I can use, including any accessibility or communication support I need?
• What is the total cost in writing, including any follow-ups, and how much time do I have to decide?

Find a verified psychiatrist for stopping smoking (smoking cessation)

Every consultant is GMC-checked and independently reviewed. Search by postcode and distance, or switch to a map. Ordered by rating, relevance and recency — never by who pays.

How we made this page

Medically reviewed by a GMC-registered consultant. Written in plain English, checked against NHS, NICE, GMC and relevant Royal College / specialist-society guidance, and kept under review. No clinic paid to appear on this page, and we publish no pricing. This is general information to help you prepare — it is not a substitute for advice from your own clinician. How we review our guides →

Source hierarchy: UK regulator and NHS/NICE guidance first, then relevant Royal College or specialist-society guidance, then peer-reviewed evidence for procedure-specific figures where available.

Sources & standards: NHS — NHS stop smoking services help you quit NHS — Using e-cigarettes to stop smoking NICE — Tobacco: preventing uptake, promoting quitting and treating dependence (NG209) National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT) ASH — Action on Smoking and Health OHID — Better Health: Quit Smoking

Reviews reflect patients' experience of care, not clinical outcomes. For procedure volumes and outcome data see PHIN.

Last medically reviewed 2026-09-21. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Report an error in this guide.