4:43pm Wednesday 10th March 2010
By Michael Pickard
Smokers are being encouraged to kick their habit today.
On national No Smoking Day, advisors from the Hertfordshire Stop Smoking Service set up a stall at Watford General Hospital, in Vicarage Road, to hand out information and advice about how to quit.
Smoking increases the risks of cadiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks and strokes, cancer of the head, neck, lung and bladder, and breathing problems.
But Maria Jones, a stop smoking specialist, said smokers were four times more likely to stub out their habit, and reduce their chances of contracting these illnesses, with help from the NHS.
She said: “A lot of people want to stop and evidence says they're more likely to stop with support, rather than on their own.
“If someone wants to stop smoking on their own, they may experience withdrawal symptoms for four weeks afterwards.”
Smokers who want to quit can find help with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) using nicotine patches or gum, or they can take tablets called champix, which block nicotine from reaching the brain to stop people enjoying smoking.
In future, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, in partnership with West Hertfordshire PCT, hopes that smokers admitted to Watford General will be placed on an NRT programme and then when they are discharged, their GPs would provide continued support to help them quit.
For more information about how to quit smoking, visit www.smokefreehertfordshire.nhs.uk or telephone 0800 3893998.
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