Why this is a good time to give up smoking in Bradford (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Why this is a good time to give up smoking in Bradford

9:00am Thursday 27th September 2012 in News By Claire Lomax

The countdown to quitting is on for Bradford and Airedale’s smokers.

During October, smokers are being encouraged to take part in the first mass quit attempt held by the Department of Health – Stoptober.

Research shows that if a smoker can stop smoking for 28 days, they are five times more likely to stay smoke-free, and Stoptober leads smokers through a detailed step-by-step programme to help them achieve this goal.

Bradford and Airedale’s stop smoking service is supporting the new campaign in a bid to get people to quit. The new campaign includes a preparation pack, a 28-day quit calendar and a health and wealth wheel.

Smokers will also receive support and encouragement through a daily messaging service, as well as inspiration from celebrity mentors and expert advice via a Stoptober app, available on smartphones, or motivational text messages There will also be a Stoptober twitter poetry campaign, encouraging people to join the mass quit smoking attempt. Poems can be viewed on twitter using the hashtag #nhsstoptober and will be shared with other NHS and health organisations to spread the stop smoking message.

In Bradford and Airedale the stop smoking service offers free one-to-one appointments in a wide range of venues across the district.

These include supermarkets, libraries, GP practices, pharmacies, dental practices and community and children’s centres. Stoptober is a fantastic time to quit, and joining the mass quit attempt with thousands of other smokers is a really good idea,” said Lorraine Bradbury, manager of the stop smoking service.

“The stop smoking service can really help people in their quit attempt – by Christmas they could be a non-smoker.”

Smoking is one of the biggest causes of premature death in Bradford and Airedale.

Each year it accounts for over 100,000 deaths in the UK, and one in two long-term smokers will die prematurely from a smoking disease.

Stoptober kicks off on Monday, October 1 and runs for 28 days. For more information and to join the biggest stop smoking challenge of its kind, visit: smokefree.nhs.uk/ Stoptober or call (01274) 202793.