New Year chance to quit smoking

SMOKERS in Warrington thinking of quitting as a New Year resolution can pick up an even better NHS Quit Kit this New Year which will double their chances of success.
For the first time, the Quit Kit includes a week’s free trial of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) patches.
The Quit Kit will be available from participating pharmacies across the country that are working in partnership with Department of Health from today (January 1 2011),
they will be at Co-operative pharmacies and later in the week at Sainsbury’s, followed by Superdrug and a range of independent pharmacies in February and March.
Lynne Williams, Head of Adult Clinic Services for Warrington said: “One of the top New Year’s resolutions each year is to stop smoking and the Quit Kit can help people in Warrington to do this – as part of a range of free, local support services available from the NHS, practical tools and advice can help you deal with your smoking triggers and cravings. Picking up a Quit Kit from your nearest participating store could be your first step in quitting for good.”
“New Year is a time when people try and make resolutions that will improve their lives – often with financial and health benefits. We want to be able to help people who decide to go smoke free in 2011 by providing them with useful tools, advice and support.” says Andrea Crossfield, Director of Smoke Free North West.
“Quitting is not easy but it can be made less difficult with the right support and tools. I’d urge anyone planning to quit this New Year to visit their nearest pharmacy to get a Quit Kit, call the national helpline or contact their Local NHS Stop Smoking Service.”
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “January is the most popular time of year to try and quit smoking. To give smokers some extra help, we’ve launched a new Quit Kit with a free one-week trial of NRT patches.
“Smoking costs the NHS billions every year and can cost a 20-a-day smoker around £2,000 a year, so giving smokers help to quit not only improves their health, but saves them and the NHS money.
“Any smoker who wants to quit can get a range of expert help free from the NHS. More information is available at www.smokefree.nhs.uk or by calling the Smokefree Helpline on 0800 022 4332.”
Professor Robert West from the Health Behaviour Research Centre at University College London said: “Every year 80,000 people still die from smoking. Quitting smoking can be tough but by using stop smoking medication such as NRT patches and getting NHS support can significantly improve smokers’ chances of quitting for good.”
The new Quit Kits have been developed by NHS Smokefree together with smokers and experts and contain practical tools and advice to help smokers quit for good.

Items include:
A coupon to request a week’s free trial of NRT patches;
Information on stop smoking medication;
A ‘tangle’ to keep hands and mind busy;
MP3 downloads that have been scientifically proven to reduce the urge to smoke;
A wall-planner and stickers to track your quitting journey;
A quitting planner which helps smokers assess their habits and offers tips on managing cravings;
Flash cards that describe what smoking does to your body;
A willpower booster that assesses addiction levels and offers top tips to boost willpower;
A health and wealth wheel which shows the benefits of quitting on your health and the money you can save;
Information on other NHS quitting help including local NHS stop smoking services, together and online advisers; and
Order forms for Quit Kits to give to friends who smoke.

There are around eight million smokers in England – half of whom can expect to die of a smoking-related illness. Latest figures show that there were 1,825,306 quit attempts by smokers between January and March 2010.
Janice Perkins, Pharmacy Superintendent at The Co-operative Pharmacy, said: “As a community pharmacy we feel it is vital to support the initiative and to give people more choice and opportunities to quit smoking for good. We know that the majority of smokers say they want to give up, but without the proper support many people find this difficult. It is never too late to quit. Stopping smoking can make a huge difference to your health and automatically reduces your chances of getting serious illnesses.”
Kit Tse, Pharmacy Development Manager at Superdrug, said: “Superdrug are committed to helping smokers quit the habit in 2011. We are delighted to support the Quit Kit initiative in our Pharmacies throughout the UK.”
In Warrington the kits will be available from the following local stores:
Coop Birchwood, Benson Road, Coop Culcheth, Lodge Road, Coop Town Centre, Manchester Road, Sainsbury’s Town Centre, Church Street