IT’S ASTOUNDING to learn that one in five people in Yorkshire continue to smoke in defiance of overwhelming evidence showing the potentially devastating health problems associated with the habit.

Despite many health campaigns, tax rises on tobacco products and the banning of smoking in enclosed areas, there are many who still see smoking as a matter of personal freedom.

But freedom at what price? Smoking can damage your heart and blood circulation, cause diseases such as lung cancer, and increase the chances of getting stomach cancer and ulcers. Those who do smoke are also more likely to have a stroke.

In light of these factors, it’s quite right that a new campaign is getting under way locally to highlight the familiar problems smokers suffer from, and direct people to local Stop Smoking Services.

It’s interesting to note that people are around three times more likely to stop smoking if they use a local Stop Smoking Service rather than going it alone.

So if willpower alone isn’t enough to quit, there’s plenty of help out there. We would join Bradford Council and Cancer Research UK in urging people to make the most of that expert assistance.

For the majority of people, it isn’t too late to benefit from quitting. Indeed, stopping smoking can add years to your life and significantly boost your chances of living a disease-free and mobile life.

And people who do quit have the added benefit of extra money in their pockets along with the social benefits of not having to break off conversations to go outside and light up.