No Smoking Day: 13 March

March 4, 2024

Wednesday 13 March is national No Smoking Day which is an annual health awareness day across the UK which aims to help people quit smoking.

Smoking has many negative impacts on health and wellbeing including:

• Smoking is the nation’s no.1 killer.
• One in two long-term smokers will die from a smoking-related illness.
• Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body. It is the leading cause of lung cancer, respiratory disease and heart disease as well as numerous cancers in other organs including lip, mouth, throat, bladder, kidney, stomach, liver and cervix.
• Smoking increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and dementia.
• Second hand smoke is dangerous for anyone exposed to it, especially children who breathe faster and have less well developed lungs, airways and immune systems.

Benefits of stopping smoking:

• You can save money – around £250 a month and £3,000 a year.
• Your sense of taste will return and you will enjoy the taste of food more.
• Your breathing and general fitness will improve.
• The appearance of your skin and teeth will improve.
• You’ll be more confident in social situations because you won’t smell of stale smoke anymore.

Need help to quit smoking? 

You can access a free individual quit smoking programme and support for up to 12 weeks – this includes free provision of Nicotine replacement therapy such as patches, gums , nasal sprays  or e -cigarettes /vapes. There are a variety of ways colleagues can be supported on their quit journey to suit their needs including face to face, telephone and digitally. Referrals can be made by visiting https://smokefreesandwell.co.uk/support/.