The first No Smoking Day was Ash Wednesday in 1983. Back then there were twice as many smokers in the UK as there are today. Over 10 million people in the UK still smoke, and around 100,000 die every year from smoking-related causes.
Smoking rates vary considerably across the West Midlands:
Birmingham
- Birmingham 19%, Solihull 13%
Black Country
- Dudley 19%, Sandwell 23%, Walsall 20%, Wolverhampton 22%
Coventry & Warwickshire
- Coventry 19%, Warwickshire 14%
Staffordshire
- Staffordshire 16%, Stoke on Trent 19%
West Mercia
- Herefordshire 17%, Shropshire 18%, Telford & Wrekin 21%, Worcestershire 15%
The No Smoking Day campaign is run by the British Heart Foundation and helps smokers who want to quit by creating a supportive environment and by highlighting the many sources of help and advice available. Last year 800,000 people made an attempt to give up.
There are all sorts of health and other benefits to stopping smoking such as:
• Money saving
• My appearance
• For my health
• For my kids
• For my own challenge
Whatever your reason, the thing most people trying to quit want is a friend to be by their side who will be supportive however bad a day it has been.
Studies show that you’re up to four times more likely to quit successfully if you use a combination of stop smoking medicine and specialist help and support from your local NHS Stop Smoking Service.
Why not be ‘proud to be a quitter’.
