PRIVATE STOP SMOKING CLINIC IN ESSEX

Private Smoking Cessation Clinic

Expert Support to Quit Smoking At Essex Private Doctors

If you have tried to stop smoking before and struggled, you are not alone and you are not the problem.

Nicotine is highly addictive. Your brain rewires itself around it.
So when people say “just stop”, they are missing the point entirely.

What you need is the right strategy, the right support, and the right medical input.

That is exactly what we offer at Essex Private Doctors.

Why Stopping Smoking Is More Important Than Ever

Let us be clear. Smoking is still the leading cause of preventable death in the UK.

And most people underestimate just how wide-ranging the damage is.
We all know about lung cancer. But it does not stop there. Smoking damages the lungs, leading to conditions such as COPD, pneumonia and chronic breathlessness. It significantly increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and multiple cancers, while also accelerating skin ageing and contributing to erectile dysfunction and infertility.

It also affects areas people rarely consider. Smoking is linked to hearing and visual problems, damages blood vessels in the brain, and may increase the risk of conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. It contributes to inflammation throughout the body, raising the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, heartburn and ulcers, while also driving up blood pressure.

And then there are the visible effects. Smoking ages the skin, causes wrinkles, stains teeth, weakens nails, and can worsen conditions like acne and psoriasis.

On average, people who smoke live around ten years less than non-smokers.

The Myths About Smoking

One of the biggest myths we hear is that smoking helps with stress.

Nicotine gives you a quick hit of dopamine, which feels calming at first.
But that feeling fades quickly, leaving you more anxious, more irritable and more unsettled than before.

That is what drives the next cigarette.

Over time, this creates a cycle where smoking actually increases stress and anxiety rather than relieving it.

When you stop smoking, dopamine levels begin to rebalance and mood often improves.
What you thought was helping you cope was, in many cases, part of the problem.

Smoking And Your Family – It’s Not Just About You

Second-hand smoke causes real harm to the people around you.

Children exposed to smoke are more likely to develop chest infections, ear infections, meningitis and longer-term respiratory problems. They are also significantly more likely to become smokers themselves later in life.

In pregnancy, the risks are even more serious. Smoking increases the likelihood of pre-eclampsia, miscarriage, premature birth and stillbirth. It is also linked to low birth weight, developmental problems, and conditions such as sudden infant death syndrome.

There is no safe level of smoking in pregnancy, and the earlier someone stops, the better the outcomes.

What Happens When You Stop Smoking

This is where things become very encouraging.

Your body starts to repair itself almost immediately. Within hours, oxygen levels begin to normalise and carbon monoxide levels fall. Within a couple of days, nicotine is largely cleared from the body and your sense of taste and smell start to improve.

Over time, the benefits become even more significant. The risk of heart attack reduces, lung function improves, and the long-term risk of cancer falls substantially.

Stopping reduces the risk of death and ill health due to smoking-related diseases like lung cancer, COPD and heart disease. If you stop smoking at the age of 60 this adds 3 years to your life expectancy. If you stop at 50 it adds 6 years, at 40 it adds 9 years and at 30 it adds 10 years. If you stop before the age of 40, it avoids 90% of the increased risk of dying caused by continuing to smoke. If you stop before the age of 50, the risk of dying from smoking-related diseases is reduced by half.

Children living with parents who smoke are almost three times more likely to smoke than children living with parents that don’t smoke. There is no safe level of smoking in pregnancy and the earlier in pregnancy a woman can stop, the better.

Treatment Options That Lead To Success

We offer a range of evidence-based treatments, and importantly, we tailor these to you.

Nicotine replacement therapy comes in a variety of forms. Patches are applied for 16 hours and then taken off overnight, or 24-hour patches are available, which can be good for people who wake up craving a cigarette first thing in the morning. Using a patch for background cravings and a faster-acting product such as lozenges or mouth spray for breakthrough urges can be a helpful combination. Other forms include nasal spray, oral spray and chewing gum.

Cytisinicline (also called Cytisine, Belnifrem, Tabex or Desmoxan) is relatively new to the UK, although it has been used in Eastern Europe for some time. It is extracted from plants and works as a partial nicotinic receptor agonist — providing enough activation of neural pathways to help control urges to smoke. You take the course over 25 days and a quit date is set on the fifth day of treatment. Side effects are less common than with varenicline.
There is also evidence that it can help people stop vaping, which may help people become completely nicotine free.
It has not been studied in people over the age of 65 or under 18 and it is not advised for people who have had a recent MI, recent stroke or unstable angina, or those with kidney or liver impairment. It may reduce the effectiveness of combined hormonal contraceptives, so barrier methods of contraception are recommended whilst taking it. It should be avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

This works in the same way as cytisine. People stop smoking 7 to 14 days after starting it and the recommended course is 12 weeks.

Bupropion (Zyban) is a weak selective dopamine and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor. The exact mechanism by which it aids smoking cessation is not fully understood. People are usually advised to stop smoking 7 to 14 days after starting it. It should not be given to people with a seizure disorder or history of seizures, those in alcohol or benzodiazepine withdrawal, CNS tumour, previous or current history of eating disorder, history of bipolar disorder or hepatic cirrhosis. There are a number of drug interactions with bupropion.

If you have tried before and found it difficult, that is entirely expected.

Nicotine dependence creates both physical and psychological withdrawal. When you stop, you may experience irritability, anxiety, poor concentration, increased appetite, restlessness, mood changes and difficulty sleeping.

These symptoms are temporary. They are part of your brain adapting.

And importantly, they can be significantly reduced with the right treatment and support.

This is a common concern.

Some people do gain a small amount of weight after stopping, but this is generally modest and far less harmful than continuing to smoke. In fact, the overall health benefits of quitting far outweigh any potential weight gain.

With the right approach to diet and activity, and support from our team (including Florence Rowe, our Registered Dietitian) this can usually be kept to a minimum.

When you come to Essex Private Doctors, we take a structured and personalised approach.

We will explore your current and past smoking habits, understand your previous quit attempts, and assess your level of nicotine dependence. We will also review your medical history and identify whether you are at higher risk of smoking-related complications, such as cardiovascular disease, COPD or diabetes, or whether smoking is impacting existing conditions.

From there, we will talk you through the benefits of stopping in a way that is relevant to you, not generic advice.

What About Vaping?

Vaping is often used as a tool to help people stop smoking, and while it is likely less harmful than cigarettes, it is not risk-free.

Nicotine remains highly addictive, and the long-term effects of vaping are still not fully understood.

Our aim is not simply to replace one habit with another, but to help you become completely nicotine-free where possible.

We’ve helped many patients to quit vaping – is it time for you to quit too?

Why Choose Essex Private Doctors For Smoking Cessation?

One of the most important factors in successfully stopping smoking is ongoing support.

We provide follow-up appointments to monitor your progress, adjust treatment where needed, and support you through the more difficult stages. This significantly improves the likelihood of long-term success.

Stopping smoking is not just about removing a habit. It is about understanding your biology, supporting your mental and physical health, and putting the right systems in place so that the change lasts.

This is the same preventative, proactive approach we take across all areas of care, helping patients stay well rather than waiting until problems develop .

We offer structured behavioural support alongside clinically proven treatments to help you stop smoking.
This includes prescribing nicotine replacement therapy where appropriate, as well as medications such as varenicline and cytisine.
We also have significant experience supporting patients who are using e-cigarettes or vaping as part of their journey to becoming nicotine-free.

Dr Iain MacGarrow GP

Ready To Stop Smoking ?

If you are thinking about quitting, that is the first step.

You don’t need to do it alone – research has shown you’re far more likely to succeed in quitting if you have support – and you don’t need to rely on willpower.

Book an appointment with our team and let us put a plan in place that’s going to work for you.

Because stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do for your health, and the health of your family.