Tomorrow, Wednesday 14th March is this year’s date for the annual (and 29th) No Smoking Day a public health campaign that merged with the British Heart Foundation last year.
The campaign saw nearly 750,000 smokers make an attempt to quit last year, yet smoking remains the number one cause if premature avoidable death in the UK despite recent tobacco controls legislation.
Give up smoking and you start to feel the benefits almost immediately:
8 hours after quitting, nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in your blood reduce by half, oxygen levels return to normal. Circulation improves.
After 24 hours, carbon monoxide and nicotine are eliminated from the body.
In 48 hours your ability to taste and smell improves.
After 1 month your appearance improves, your skin loses its greyish pallor and becomes less wrinkled.
Between 3 and 9 months coughing and wheezing declines.
After 1 year smoke free the risk of a heart attack reduces by half compared to that of a smoker.
After 10 years your risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker.
After 15 years your risk of heart attack falls to the same as someone who has never smoked.
Of course it is not easy to give up; tobacco is extremely addictive and it is difficult doing it alone, but there are several places you can go for help and advice.
1610 at St Dunstan’s School will be hosting talks from an NHS Health trainer until 18th March. They will also have a non-smoking display and NHS literature, and will be happy to put you in touch with local services. All non leisure centre users that attend the talk will be offered a FREE day pass to any 1610 leisure centre. Pop in or call them on 01458 830090 for details.
The Glastonbury Pharmacy in Feversham Lane, in conjunction with the Somerset NHS Stop Smoking Service, can provide support to help you quit smoking. They can give simple advice, or help provide nicotine replacement therapy if appropriate, just ask one of the pharmacists for details or call on 01458 83
Glastonbury Health Centre at the top of the High Street has a specialist nurse to help you quit, so just pop in to reception for further details. If you are registered at the Feversham Lane Surgery your GP will also be able to offer help and advice about quitting, and can also refer you to an NHS Stop Smoking support service.
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