Kick the habit on National No Smoking Day
Smokers in Wirral are being urged to join thousands of others across the country and kick the habit on National No Smoking Day, today (Wednesday 9 March).
Stopping smoking has immediate health benefits and, in the long term, significantly reduces the chances of developing many illnesses including heart disease, diabetes, COPD, stroke and cancer.
There are financial savings to be made, too. Smokers in Great Britain smoke an average of nine cigarettes a day, which works out at a cost of nearly £160 a month and £1900 a year. Quitting has been proven to boost your mental health, improving your mood and relieving stress, anxiety and depression and is the best thing you can do for your health and the health of those around you.
Once you stop smoking, some of the benefits are immediate and some are longer term:
- After 8 hours: Oxygen levels are recovering and harmful carbon monoxide in the blood is reduced by half.
- After 3-9 months: Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung function increases by up to 10%.
- After 1 year: Risk of heart attack has halved compared to a smoker. And research suggests that people who have quit for a year are happier than those who continue to smoke.
- After 10 years: Risk of death from lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker.
- After 15 years: Risk of heart attack falls to the same as someone who has never smoked.
Director of Public Health for Wirral, Julie Webster, said:
No matter how long you've smoked for, no matter how many cigarettes you smoke a day, your health will start to improve as soon as you quit. If you’ve quit before and started smoking again, then our message would be: ‘Don’t give up on giving up. Every time you try to stop smoking, you’re a step closer to success.’
“Stopping smoking is one of the best things you will ever do for your health, and it’s never too late to quit.
Quitting smoking can feel like a big challenge but you don’t have to do it alone.
Anyone living or working in Wirral who wants to quit tobacco and/or smokeless tobacco should contact local stop smoking service ABL Wirral, who offer the following support FREE of charge:
- Weekly telephone support sessions and (COVID guidance permitting) weekly contact
- Nicotine replacement therapy including patches, mouth and nasal spray, inhalator, gum and lozenges
- Stop Smoking medication Zyban
- E-cigarette friendly service
Visit www.smokefreewirral.co.uk, call 0151 541 5656 or text ABL to 60777 and a member of their friendly team will get in touch to discuss how they can help.
Smokers can also visit www.nhs.uk/smokefree to access remote support, including the Smokefree App and Smokefree Quit Kit.
