National No Smoking Day is Wednesday 9 March and Somerset County Council is encouraging smokers to act now to prepare for giving up on the day.
To support people in Somerset to quit, the Council’s Stop Smoking Service, Smokefreelife Somerset is available to provide free, expert support and guidance.
The service is urging anyone who wants to quit smoking to get in touch now, get help in preparing for No Smoking Day and sign up to receive support through the early weeks of quitting.
Smokefreelife Somerset has a free twelve-week stop smoking programme which is run by trained Stop Smoking Practitioners (SSP’s).
The SSP’s can help support people with behaviour change and give advice on stop smoking medications that ease nicotine withdrawal.
People who quit with the support of a stop smoking service are four times more likely to successfully stop for good.
The service can be accessed by going to: https://www.healthysomerset.co.uk/smokefree/
Emailing: smokefreelife@somerset.gov.uk or calling 01823 356222
When someone stops smoking, they give their lungs the chance to repair and allows them to breathe easier. There are lots of other benefits too that start almost immediately when quitting.
Smoking causes damage to the lungs and airways and harms the immune system, reducing your ability to fight infection. It involves repetitive hand-to-face movements, which increase the risk of viruses, such as COVID-19, entering the body.
Councillor Clare Paul, Somerset County Council’s member responsible for Public Health, said: “When a person smokes it causes real harm, to them and those around them. By quitting, you’ll be improving both your physical and mental health, you’ll feel better and have a healthier bank balance.
“I would encourage anyone who smokes to give quitting a go, take the free support that is on offer and start looking forward to a smoke-free future.”