Cumbria's smoking rate is dropping and latest figures show that less than 16 per cent of the adult population continue to smoke. However this still represents about 60,000 adult smokers across the county, so there's a lot more to be done to help get the numbers down further.
When you quit smoking, good things start to happen. You'll begin to see almost immediate improvements to your health. You don't need to imagine a life without smoking, you can live it!
Stoptober gives you the perfect opportunity to stop too.
NCIC offers support to inpatients to quit smoking but what can you do at home to kick the habit.
Many people try to quit smoking with willpower alone, but it's much easier to go smoke-free with the right help.
The key is not to give up giving up. Try different combinations until you find the one that works for you.
Leslie Jones, Public Health Consultant, at NCIC, said:
“Smoking is one of the biggest causes of death and illness in the UK. About 76,000 people die from smoking every year in the UK. Many more living with debilitating smoking-related illnesses. Smoking causes around seven out of every 10 cases of lung cancer (70 per cent). It is directly linked to an increase in the likelihood of heart disease, heart attack and stroke as well as a number of lung conditions such as COPD.
“Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your physical and mental health, you will start moving better, breathe more easily and have more money to spend.
“If you quit smoking for 28 days and you’re five times more likely to quit for good.”
Quitting tips
You have made a great decision to give up smoking. Here are some tips to help you succeed:
- List your reasons to quit.
- Tell people you're quitting.
- If you have tried to quit before, remember what worked.
- Use stop smoking aids.
- Have a plan if you are tempted to smoke.
- List your smoking triggers and how to avoid them.
- Keep cravings at bay by keeping busy.
- Exercise away the urge.
- Throw away all your cigarettes before you start. Remember, there is never "just one cigarette".
More information can be found here.