Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mr. Wells, and welcome to this RSHE lesson.

Today's lesson is called Getting Support To Give up Smoking or Vaping, and it's part of the unit, Risky Substances: What do I need to know about tobacco and vaping? We recommend that you are supervised an adult when you complete this lesson.

Today's lesson outcome is I can describe what happens when someone quits smoking or vaping, and explain how support makes it easier to stop.

Before we begin today's lesson, there are some ground rules.

Let's take a moment to go through them together.

Laura reminds us that it's important to listen to others.

"It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should listen properly before making assumptions or deciding how to respond.

When disagreeing, we should challenge the statement, not the person." Andeep reminds us to respect privacy.

"We can discuss examples, but we should not use names or descriptions that identify anyone, including ourselves." Jacob says there's no judgment.

"We can explore beliefs or misunderstandings about a topic without fear of being judged." And finally, Izzy reminds us we can choose our level of participation.

"Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or join discussion.

And we must never put anybody on the spot." Throughout today's lesson, you might notice some keywords which will be in bold.

Let's take a moment to go through those keywords together.

The first keyword is nicotine.

It's an addictive drug that cigarettes and some vapes contain.

The second is addiction, a loss of control over doing, taking or using something even when it is harmful.

And finally, the word support, the actions taken to help someone who is in a difficult or dangerous situation, such as providing care and seeking medical attention.

Today's lesson, getting support to give up smoking or vaping will be in three parts.

The first learning cycle is called why do people give up smoking or vaping? The second is where can someone get help to quit? And finally, we'll look at how can we support others to make healthy choices? Let's make a start with our first learning cycle.

Why do people give up smoking or vaping? Cigarettes, most vapes, snus and nicotine pouches contain nicotine.

Nicotine changes the way your brain works by affecting chemicals that control mood and reward.

This makes your brain feel like it needs more nicotine, creating cravings that make people want to keep smoking or vaping.

This can result in addiction.

When someone tries to quit, they might feel irritable, anxious or find it hard to concentrate.

This happens because their brain is readjusting to working without nicotine.

These feelings are temporary and get easier with time and support.

Dr.

Elsie is here and she says, "Young people are particularly at risk of becoming addicted to nicotine.

Research shows that if a parent, carer or siblings smokes, young people are four times more likely to become smokers themselves.

This means addiction can sometimes run in families, making it even more important to get support early." Let's take a moment to check our understanding.

Which chemical in cigarettes and most vapes makes it hard to stop using them.

A, caffeine.

B, sugar.

Or C, nicotine.

The correct answer was C, nicotine.

Well done if you got that right.

When someone quits smoking within 24 hours, their breathing improves.

Within two weeks their circulation, the circulation being the blood moving around the body gets better, and within three months, their energy increases.

Within a year, their risk of heart disease drops by half.

Pharmacist Harper tells us the health benefits of quitting vaping are still being researched, but we know that stopping any form of nicotine helps your body recover and reduces addiction.

Every nicotine product you don't have is a small win for your health.

Let's take a moment to check our understanding.

I'd like you to complete this sentence.

After quitting smoking for blank blank, a person's risk of heart disease drops by half.

After quitting smoking for one year, a person's risk of heart disease drops by half.

People choose to quit for many reasons, including improving their health and fitness, saving money, protecting family and friends from secondhand smoke if they're smokers, being in control instead of addicted, setting a good example for younger family members, and reducing the risk of serious illness.

Jack says, "I decided to quit vaping because I couldn't keep up in football training.

I quit help from my school nurse and my breathing feels so much better now.

I can run for longer without getting out of breath, and I've even made it onto the first team this season." What a great choice Jack has made.

Marissa is a little bit older than Jack.

She says, "when I added up how much I spent on vapes each month, I was shocked.

I quit with support from my local pharmacy, and now I'm saving for my first flat.

Every time I wanted to buy a vape, I put that money into a savings jar instead.

Watching it fill up kept me motivated to stick with it." Robyn's dad had a different reason to give up smoking and vaping.

Robyn's dad says, "I stopped smoking because my daughter, Robyn, kept coughing around me.

I learned that secondhand smoke can damage the lungs and heart of people nearby, especially children, and make asthma worse, even if you open a window.

An NHS advisor helped me plan my quit journey, and now our home feels fresher and my daughter's breathing has really improved." Reece says, "I didn't like feeling like I needed to use nicotine pouches every day.

It started to control my mornings and breaks at work.

I downloaded a quit support app that tracked my progress and sent messages when I reached milestones.

The hardest part was the first two weeks, but seeing how many days I'd gone without using them kept me motivated.

Now I feel proud and fully in control again." Let's take a moment to check our understanding.

Robin's dad quit smoking to protect his daughter from secondhand smoke.

How can secondhand smoke affect people around the smoker? How can secondhand smoke affect people around the smoker? You might have said something like, "It can make others breathe in harmful chemicals, damage their lungs and heart and worsen conditions like asthma." Some adults use vapes to help them quit smoking because vapes don't contain the same harmful chemicals as cigarettes.

Health experts agree that for people who already smoke, vaping can be less harmful and can help them stop smoking completely.

But for children and young people, starting to vape is not safe.

It can harm growing lungs and cause nicotine addiction.

That's why the law says it's illegal to sell vapes to anyone under the age of 18.

Dr.

Elsie says, "Vaping might help some adults quit smoking, but if you don't already smoke, it's never a good idea to start." Children's lungs are still developing and nicotine can make you addicted very quickly.

Let's take a moment to check our understanding.

Which of these statements is true.

A, adults sometimes use vapes to help them quit smoking.

B, vaping is recommended for children who want to try it.

And C, there are no laws about who can buy vapes.

The correct answer is, adults sometimes use vapes to help them quit smoking.

It's time for a task now.

I want you to answer the following questions.

One, what chemicals in cigarettes and those vapes causes addiction and cravings? Two, how can secondhand smoke affect the health of people around a smoker? And three, give two to three reasons why someone might decide to quit using nicotine products and explain how quitting can improve their life.

You can pause the screen now and press play when you're ready to go through the answers.

How did you get on? Let's take a moment to go through the answers.

So your answers to the questions might include, what chemicals in cigarettes and most vapes cause addiction and cravings? Nicotine is the chemical that causes addiction.

It changes the way the brain works by affecting chemicals that control mood, reward, which makes people crave cigarettes or vapes.

Question two, how can secondhand smoke affect the health of people around a smoker? Well, secondhand smoke can damage the lungs and heart of people nearby, especially children.

It can make people cough or cause asthma attacks.

And for question three, your answer might include the following.

You're asked to give two to three reasons why someone might decide to quit using nicotine products and explain how quitting can improve their life.

And you might have said, "Someone might quit to improve their health, save money, or protect their family.

Quitting helps them breathe better, feel fitter and take back control of their choices.

It's time for the second learning cycle.

Where can someone get help to quit? People are three times more likely to quit successfully when they get support.

Support helps people understand their cravings.

Stay motivated.

Find safe ways to cope.

Make a plan that works for them, and manage difficult feelings like irritability or low mood and get back on track if they have a setback.

Dr.

Elsie says that, "No one has to quit alone.

There is help and support available for everyone, whether it's the first time they're trying to quit or the 20th.

Support gives people the tools and encouragement to keep going whatever nicotine product they're using." Nurse Daniel is here from the NHS Stop Smoking Service, and they offer free friendly ways to support anyone who wants to quit.

They can give advice and check progress, provide free resources and apps, and help people plan their quit journey.

Local pharmacies and health clinics can also help people quit.

So pharmacists like pharmacist Harper are trained to offer advice about cravings, provide nicotine replacement options like nicotine patches and signposts to other services to support.

It's time for a check for understanding.

True or false.

A pharmacist can support someone who is trying to give up smoking or vaping.

Is that true or false? The correct answer is true.

You might have thought why? And the reason is because pharmacists are healthcare professionals.

Anyone can ask them for help or information.

At school, support for quitting smoking or vaping might come from the school nurse, a trusted teacher, the pastoral or wellbeing team, a Designated Safeguarding Lead or DSL or a school counselor.

These staff members are trained to help and won't judge.

They keep conversations confidential unless they're worried about your safety.

You can talk to them about yourself or someone you are worried about.

Ms. Walsh is the Designated Safeguarding Lead for her school and she says that, "If a pupil or family member wants to give up nicotine products, I can help them find the right support.

I can link them with our school nurse or local health services and make sure they get trusted advice.

You don't have to manage it alone.

I'm here to help you get the help you need." There are free confidential services anyone can use.

Such as the NHS Smokefree Helpline 0300 123 1044.

Childline on 0800 1111, and the NHS Quit Smoking app.

You might also use Talk to FRANK.

And these give tips, daily encouragement, and someone to talk to when it's hard.

Josephine works as a charity helpline worker, helping people who ring her for support when they're trying to give up smoky or vaping.

And she says, "When someone calls us, we listen and help them make a plan to quit.

We talk through cravings, give tips for handling stress and send follow up texts or links to free tools.

Our job is to support people step by step.

Nurse Daniel says, "Most people need more than one try, and that's okay.

Research shows that people who use support services are much more likely to succeed even if it takes a few attempts.

Each try is progress and not failure.

The important thing is to keep trying." It's time for a check for understanding.

Dom wants to stop vaping but doesn't know where to start.

Who could he talk to at school for help and what might they do to support him? Your answers might have looked like this.

"Dom could talk to the school nurse, pastoral team or DSL.

They could listen and give him information and connect him with services like the NHS Smokefree Helpline." It's time for a task now.

Hamza's cousin has been vaping for a few years and now wants to stop.

She says it's hard because she feels stressed and doesn't know where to start.

Hamza wants to help but isn't sure what advice to give.

Write a short advice message to Hamza explaining, where his cousin can get safe and trusted help to quit and what kind of support those services offer.

You can pause the screen now and press play when you're ready to go through your answers.

Okay, well done.

Let's go through your answer and it might look something like this.

"Your cousin could get help from the NHS Smokefree Helpline, which gives free and confidential advice about how to stop vaping.

She could also visit her local pharmacy to talk to a school nurse who can explain safe ways to manage cravings and make a plan to quit.

The NHS Quit Smoking app can send daily tips and track progress to help her stay motivated.

These services are there to guide people step by step so they don't have to try quitting alone.

You are being a great support to her by helping her take the first steps." Let's take a look at the final learning cycle.

You're doing really well.

How can we support others to make healthy choices? Support can mean listening without judgment.

Saying something kind or encouraging, helping someone find the right advice or service.

Emily says, "When my older brother wanted to quit smoking, I just listened and told him I was proud he was trying.

I didn't lecture him or tell him what to do.

I just let him know I was there for him.

He told me later that my support really helped him keep going when it got difficult." And even small words can make a big difference.

For example, you're doing really well.

I'm proud of you.

You can do this.

Every day is progress.

The key is to be positive, patient and nonjudgmental.

Avoid saying things like just stop or it can't be that hard.

Quitting nicotine is genuinely difficult and people need understanding, not pressure.

It's time for a check for understanding.

Write one example of something supportive you could say to someone trying to make a healthy choice.

Your answers might look like this.

You are doing great.

I'm proud of how hard you are trying.

Robyn's dad says, "My family's kind words kept me going.

Every time I wanted to smoke, I remembered how proud they were.

My daughter, Robyn, made me a card saying, you can do it, dad! And I kept it in my wallet.

Looking at it when I had a craving reminded me why I was doing this." If someone is struggling to quit or feels low, they may need extra help.

You can support them by helping them speak to a trusted adult, the school nurse, the Designated Safeguarding Lead or DSL, the pastoral team, the NHS Smokefree Helpline or another service.

And remember, asking for help shows strength and not weakness.

Josephine says, "Sometimes people need a bit more help, and that's what we are here for.

Talking to us is an important first step.

We are here to listen without judgment, help you make a realistic plan and support you through the tough moments.

You can call us whether you are thinking about quitting, actively trying, or need help after a setback.

It's time for another check for understanding.

A friend's says quitting is too hard and wants to give up.

What could you do? You might have said, "Remind them of how far they've come, listen and help them talk to a trusted adult or service." It's time for our final task.

Sort the different examples of how someone might respond when a friend wants to quit smoking or vaping into the columns helpful and unhelpful.

Listening when they talk.

Laughing at their efforts.

Saying, "You're doing great." Saying, "It can't be that hard to quit." Encouraging them to get from support services.

Spending time in smoke and vape free places.

Or smoking or vaping in front of them.

You could pause the screen now.

Complete the task and press play when you're ready to go through your answers, Well done, your completed columns should look like this.

In the helpful column you should have, listening when they talk.

Saying, "You're doing great." Spending time in smoke and vape free places.

Encouraging them to get help from support services.

And in your unhelpful column, you should have laughing at their efforts.

Smoking or vaping in front of them.

And saying, "It can't be that hard to quit." Well done for all of your hard work today.

Let's take a moment to go through what we've learned.

Cigarettes, vapes, nicotine pouches and snus all contain nicotine.

A drug that can cause addiction.

Quitting helps the body recover and feel stronger.

People choose to quit for many reasons, including improving their health and fitness, saving money and protecting their families.

Support from trusted adults and health services like the NHS Smokefree Helpline really helps people quit successfully.

Listening, encouraging, and being kind can make a big difference to someone trying to make a healthy choice.

No one has to quit alone and help and support are always available.

It might be you want some further support following this lesson.

You could access the NHS Live Well website, which is an NHS advice about healthy living, exercise, quitting smoking and drinking less alcohol.

Or Childline, a website and phone line which is able to offer confidential advice and support.

Well done for all your hard work today, and I hope you decide to join us again for another Oak National Academy lesson.