Smokers tell of their difficulties quitting (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Smokers tell of their difficulties quitting

3:40pm Tuesday 12th March 2013 in News

The plight of desperate Bradford smokers has prompted a rallying cry for more Government support.

Nearly a quarter of smokers surveyed in Yorkshire and Humber have lost count of the number of times they have tried to quit and almost one in ten say they are "desperate" to beat their addiction, according to a new report by the British Heart Foundation to mark the 30th No Smoking Day whcih takes place tomorrow.

The ‘30 No Smoking Days Later’ report calls on the Government and local authorities to step up help for struggling smokers via local support services and implement new laws to strip away the glamour of smoking with ‘standardised’ packaging.

Dr Mike Knapton, associate medical director for the BHF, said: “Every year more than 100,000 smokers die because of their addiction. This addiction can be incredibly hard to break and we hear time and again about smokers who are absolutely desperate to quit, they just don’t know where to start.

“No Smoking Day is here every year to support smokers no matter how long – or how many times – it takes, we cannot work alone."

Each year, the No Smoking Day campaign is responsible for helping more than 750,000 people across the UK attempt to quit on the day, and for inspiring another 1.5 million to seek out information to help them quit in future.

Approximately ten million UK adults smoke but more than half want to give up.

Smokers who want to find out more can visit WeQuit.co.uk, call a free helpline on 0800 434 6677 or join Twitter at hashtag #NoSmokingDay.