Stoptober is back for 2025, and Westmorland and Furness Council is offering more support than ever to help people quit smoking for good this October and into the future.
Quitting smoking helps you breathe easier, feel better, save
money, and live longer. If you live in Westmorland and Furness, there is now a
range of free stop smoking support available, whether you have tried to quit
before, or are thinking about it for the first time.
The council's dedicated Stop Smoking service offers expert
advice and personalised care to help individuals quit smoking and achieve
lasting health improvements. The team provides 12 weeks of free Nicotine
Replacement Therapy (NRT) – including patches, lozenges and vapes.
Alternatively, individuals can go direct to local
participating pharmacies for a personalised quit plan and up to 12 weeks of
free NRT.
For those seeking a non-nicotine approach, Westmorland and
Furness Council also provides free access to the highly effective Allen Carr's
Easyway online programme. Allen Carr's Easyway books are also available at all
Westmorland and Furness libraries, with eBook and eAudio versions available
through the library service's Borrowbox app.
Over five million adults in England still smoke. Smoking
causes 75,000 deaths a year, making it the biggest cause of preventable illness
and death.
Westmorland and Furness Council wants to achieve
'smoke-free' status by 2030, with less than 5% of our residents smoking. This
is why supporting people to become successful quitters, as well as putting in
measures to prevent people from taking up the habit is a priority.
Katrina Stephens, Director of Public Health at Westmorland
and Furness Council, said:
"Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do
for your health, and smokers can double their chances of quitting for good by
combining stop smoking aids with help to change behaviour and habits.
"Stoptober is a great way of starting the journey and
our Stop Smoking team are ready to help you this Stoptober and throughout the
year with personalised advice and support.
"The good news is, if you quit smoking for 28 days,
you're five times more likely to quit for good. It is never too late to stop,
and our range of support is there for people no matter how many times they have
tried to quit in the past.
Cllr Patricia Bell, Cabinet member for Adults, Health and
Care, said:
"I'm delighted
for us to support Stoptober with our expanded Stop Smoking support services.
"Their work will not only help many more residents quit
smoking, but also play a vital role in reducing health inequalities in
Westmorland and Furness, improving overall community health, and easing the
strain on our NHS."
To find out more about the support available and to contact
the Westmorland and Furness Stop Smoking support service go to
www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/smoke-free
Anthony is one of the many local residents that have used
the Council Stop Smoking support, speaking about the support to stop smoking.
Before contacting Westmorland and Furness Council's Stop
Smoking team, Anthony was smoking more than 20 tobacco roll-ups a day and had
been smoking for more than 40 years.
After accessing the team's support service, Anthony
successfully quit. He said:
"I quit to help my breathing capacity and stop any
progression of my COPD. I also wanted to quit to better my overall health and
save money.
"At first you think it is impossible, but after the
first week it gets a lot easier, I found movement helpful in distracting my
body, taking my mind away from the cravings.
"Staying positive, such as positive self-talk and
taking control by not giving in to cravings was difficult but after the first
few weeks, you feel you have taken the control back.
"At week two, I noticed my breathing had improved
immensely, I was able to get in and out of a taxi easier, and not struggle.
After four weeks I became less dependent on my inhalers.
"Having an appetite again after quitting smoking made
me enjoy food and start eating full meals again, and I noticed I had a lot more
energy during the day, which helped me sleep better at night.
"Having continued weekly support and advice really
helped me quit, especially before quitting, I found making a quit plan and a
quit date enabled me to prepare for my quit and have all the right information
I wasn't aware of. I had tried quitting before alone and I found it really
hard, and I was only able to cut down to 10 a day.
"I found it helpful to have someone to check-in with
every week, to offer support and update me on withdrawals and health benefits.
"When I learned about crossing the bridge of being a
smoker to a non-smoker, it really helped me imagine what it would be like to be
a non-smoker, it made me understand I can take control if I cross the bridge.'
"
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