Be Proud To Be A Quitter – Boldly Begin A New Life Without Cigarettes

East Riding of Yorkshire Council is proud to support the thousands of smokers who this year will choose to stop smoking; boldly beginning a life without cigarettes.

Smoking rates may be declining but around 10 million people in the UK still smoke, and around 100,000 die each year from smoking-related causes.

Councillor Jonathan Owen, chair of East Riding Health and Wellbeing Board, said: “It is important to prepare when it comes to quitting smoking and this can be done by choosing a ‘quit day’.

“I myself quit smoking many years ago and realise that another part of the quitting process is having support from professionals, family and friends, and getting their help can have a huge impact on someone making that step to quit for good.”

Laurie Fergusson, public health lead for healthy lifestyles at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said:

“We know that stopping smoking isn’t an easy challenge, and that many smokers will have tried previously.

“In life we’re told never to give up, to keep going – but when it comes to smoking, being a ‘quitter’ is a good thing.

“We want to make sure the next generation of children born and brought up in the East Riding never start smoking and grow up free of the terrible health harms associated with tobacco.

“If you smoke, trying to quit is a great way to help make that happen.”

If you want to stop smoking but don’t know where to start, an NHS Healthtrainer will be able to help you work out exactly how to begin your quit process.

They will set a quit date and provide you with Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) to support you in quitting and making your quit a successful and sustainable one.

The NHS healthtrainers provide smoking cessation clinics throughout the East Riding of Yorkshire at locations including Bridlington, Goole, Withernsea, Beverley, Hornsea, Driffield, Gilberdyke, Brough, Snaith, Market Weighton, Hessle, Hedon and Pocklington.

Natalie Belt, Stop Smoking Service Manager for East Riding, said:

“In the East Riding we have a unique yet patient-focused model for supporting quitters and have a high success rate; working with individuals on a 1:1 or face-to-face with no group work.

“The weekly sessions are directly offered to anyone who wants to quit whether they have smoked for 12 months or 60 plus years we have helped a varying number of smokers to quit and quit successfully.

“We have over 20 clinics available across the East Riding and have a campaign this year locally to support smoke free homes.”

Jim McGivern, countryside ranger in the East Riding, said:

“I gave up smoking after my son was born and it was the best thing I ever did; I wish I’d done it sooner.

“I couldn’t run or even walk without wheezing and now, since quitting, I can go to the gym and do normal activities without getting out of breath.

“I feel so good now – it’s a fantastic feeling. It can be hard to quit but there are people at the smoking cessation services who can tell you the positives and benefits of quitting.

“There is support out there for people trying to quit and I would tell anyone who is thinking of quitting to go for it. I feel brilliant.”

Facts and figures:

– Second-hand tobacco smoke is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke breathed out by smokers

– Second-hand smoke contains more than 4,000 different chemicals. At least 250 of them are known to be toxic or to cause cancer – including lead, cyanide and arsenic

– Breathing in second-hand smoke is sometimes called passive smoking and can affect those living in the household whether that is children, youths, partners, grandparents and the pets

– In the UK second-hand smoke is the cause of over 300,000 children’s visits to the doctor every year – and nearly 10,000 children being admitted to hospital

– Second-hand smoke accounts for 40 cot deaths in the UK every year

– Children and infants are more vulnerable to tobacco smoke than adults because they have smaller airways and breathe faster and their immune systems are still developing

– A child exposed to second-hand smoke in the home is more likely to contract meningitis or to get middle ear infection – ‘glue ear’ – and twice as likely to have asthma symptoms all year round

– Being around second-hand smoke is linked to a bigger risk of coughing, wheezing and croup

– Children who grow up around smokers are three times more likely to start smoking themselves when they get older.

For more information visit www.nhs-health-trainers.co.uk/home/smoking/ or text QUIT to 60163.