No Smoking Day 2017: Be proud to be a quitter

These proud quitters can celebrate their fantastic achievement on No Smoking Day and they would love to increase their numbers. So on Wednesday, March 8 all smokers are being asked to consider joining the ‘proud to be a quitter club’.

A special No Smoking Day event will take place in Bow Street Mall on March 8, from 1pm - 4pm.

Gillian Lewis, Healthy Living Manager with the Resurgam Trust, a member of the Healthy Living Centre Alliance, explained: “We would encourage anyone who smokes, or lives with someone who smokes to come and talk to us in Lisburn on March 8. We know most smokers want to stop, some have tried many times and not managed to stay stopped.

“We would encourage people to never stop giving up. Stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do for your health and your finances. There is lots of help out there so come and talk to us and find out how we can help you make this your most successful quit yet.”

A large team of people will be at Bow Street Mall ready and able to assist anyone who would like to talk about their smoking, help to quit or help to stay stopped. Information, advice, tools and tips to help make stopping smoking and staying stopped possible will be freely available.

Specific help will be provided by:

• Pharmacists from Boots Pharmacy will be available to complete health checks

• Stop Smoking Specialists from Cancer Focus NI and the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust will be on hand to provide stop smoking support

• Smokers (and non smokers) will be able to have carbon monoxide readings taken. This shows the level of carbon monoxide in their bodies. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas which reduces the amount of oxygen being carried around the body.

• Information and advice will also be available about issues such as E cigs, fire and home safety.

Colette Rogers, Regional Lead for Tobacco from the Public Health Agency, said: “Studies have shown that smokers are four times more likely to succeed in quitting with help from stop smoking services than if they do it alone. Events organised by the Healthy Living Centre on No Smoking Day provide an excellent opportunity for people who would like to stop smoking to go along and find out more about the local services and support available to help them quit.

“Many people are already celebrating their quit success, achieved with support from their local Healthy Living Centre and pharmacist, so we would encourage you to go along to these events on No Smoking Day so you too can be proud to be a quitter.”

For further information about stop smoking services log on to www.want2stop.info