No Smoking Day 2017'“ Be Proud to be a Quitter!

The annual No Smoking Day is a perfect opportunity for smokers to get motivated to quit smoking, particularly if their new years’ resolutions have been broken or are in need of renewing. This year’s theme is ‘Be Proud to be a Quitter’ and will encourage smokers to feel motivated to quit and give them a sense of achievement when they succeed.

The Chair of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Trevor Wilson, hopes the day will inspire people to stop smoking for good. He said, “In 2015/2016 adult smoking prevalence was 22%, with the majority of people wishing to give up smoking for good. No Smoking Day provides an excellent opportunity for them to do just that. By using the support available on No Smoking Day and throughout the year you can significantly increase your chance of success.

“Good luck to all smokers in the area who decide to be ‘Quitters’ on Wednesday 8 March, it will certainly be something to be proud of.”

Giving up smoking is the biggest single thing you can do to improve your health and it can, literally, add years onto your life.

Smoking affects the whole body from your head to your toes. Not only increasing your risk of a number of cancers including lung, throat, stomach and mouth but also increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke. Smoking can also lead to foul smelling hair, stained teeth and tooth loss, premature aging of the skin, impotence, reduced sperm count and other fertility problems.

The rewards being offered to anyone wishing to quit smoking on No Smoking Day include their blood pressure and pulse returning to normal after 20 minutes of stopping to smoke, carbon monoxide will be eliminated after 24 hours.

By continuing to stop smoking after Wednesday 8 March, nicotine levels are eliminated after 48 hours, with coughs and wheezing improving in the coming months and within 1 year the risk of a heart attack is halved.

Siobhan O’Brien, Health and Social Wellbeing Senior Officer at the PHA said: “Stopping smoking can be difficult, but help is at hand. For information on free stop smoking services available in your area and for useful tips to stop smoking, visit the PHA’s ‘Want 2 Stop’ website at www.want2stop.info where you can also order a ‘Quit Kit’ free of charge which will help you plan your quit attempt.

“Last year thousands of people decided to stop using our stop smoking services and many others did so, on their own. Being prepared is the motto for success.”

Also any workplaces interested in providing a stop smoking service to their employees, funded by the Public Health Agency, should contact Environmental Health on 03000 132 132 or e-mail [email protected] to discuss with their local Smoking Cessation Specialist.