So, the NHS has just rolled out an “improved” stop-smoking pill called varenicline to help people get rid of the cigarette habit. You might remember this medication – it was on the NHS under the name Champix before, until some "pesky impurities" got it pulled from the shelves. Now, with a “clean” bill of health, it’s ready for a comeback.
Here’s what NHS England says:
Varenicline works by reducing nicotine cravings and blocking nicotine’s effects on the brain. And it’s prescription-only, so you’ll need to see a GP or an NHS stop-smoking service for it – no grabbing it off the pharmacy shelf.
NHS data suggests that, combined with behavioural support (think counselling), this little pill can help roughly one in four people quit smoking for at least six months.
Sounds promising, right? Especially if this could help more than 85,000 people quit each year and potentially prevent around 9,500 smoking-related deaths over the next five years. With smoking still causing over 400,000 hospital admissions a year and costing the NHS £2.5 billion annually, anything that might curb smoking is getting serious attention.
E-cigarettes, or vapes, have been a bit of a wildcard in smoking cessation efforts. Since they’re not officially licensed as medicines, GPs can’t prescribe them unless there’s a local NHS scheme for it. However, some local authorities do offer vapes to people who want to quit smoking, though it’s not recommended as the first stop.
The upside? Vaping isn’t as harmful as smoking – but “not as harmful” isn’t the same as “risk-free.” Health experts agree that vaping is not something you should pick up unless you’re using it to quit smoking. But this post is not about vaping. It is about something so obvious yet so ignored.
Now, here’s where I start scratching my head. Why isn’t cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) leading the charge in the stop smoking campaign? We’re talking about quitting smoking – a behavioral and psychological battle as much as a physical one. A quick look at smoking cessation research shows that combining psychological support with medication is typically effective. So why isn’t CBT, which aims to dig into the psychological reasons behind smoking and provide new ways to cope with cravings, considered first-line? Or at least getting as much attention as pills?
If we consider that varenicline only helps around 25% of users quit for six months, doesn’t that hint at the need for more robust psychological support? After all, smoking isn’t just about the nicotine rush – it’s about habits, triggers, stress relief, and even social factors.
And yet, the focus seems to stay squarely on pills, patches, and vapes. Maybe this reflects a desire for quick fixes – but without exploring why we smoke in the first place and dealing with the psychological component, these “quick fixes” may not be enough for many people.
The NHS has a multi-faceted approach to quitting smoking, including support services, medications, and now this revamped varenicline pill. But with six million people in the UK still smoking and only 25% achieving long-term success with varenicline, there’s a strong case for taking a closer look at these numbers and asking if this approach is hitting the mark.
Plus, as Hazel Cheeseman from Action on Smoking and Health once pointed out, access to these services varies a lot depending on where you live. Even though the NHS has made inroads with in-hospital quit-smoking support, local services are often strained as NHS organizations juggle resources.
Given the patchy results with medications alone, it might be worth revisiting the idea of CBT as a staple in the NHS’s quit-smoking arsenal. We know CBT has a proven track record in treating other habits and addictive behaviours, so why is it not at the forefront here?
So, if you’re thinking about quitting smoking, consider your options. Ask your healthcare provider about varenicline, sure – but also ask about counselling, CBT, and support groups. It’s about finding what works for you, and that may be more than just a pill or a vape kit. This rollout could make a big impact, but the real win might be in expanding access to holistic quit-smoking support across the board.
