Help for those going smoke free on No Smoking Day

The county is aiming to be smoke free by 2025

Today is No Smoking Day and Oxfordshire smokers are being encouraged to go smoke free.   Around 12 per cent of Oxfordshire’s population are smokers – around 65,455 people.

Oxfordshire County Council is supporting Action on Smoking and Public Health England’s No Smoking Day, to help those who want to give up smoking, celebrating the benefits of giving up for good.

Dr Adam Briggs, Oxfordshire County Council’s Consultant in Public Health, said: “The last year has been hugely difficult. All of us have less control over our lives than we’d like at the moment, but people who smoke can take some positive action on No Smoking Day. There is so much to gain from stopping smoking – mentally, physically and financially, and the pandemic has shown that there has never been a better time to go smoke free.

“Just two days after quitting, your sense of taste and smell starts to improve; at three months the amount of air that your lungs can hold will have increased; and by a year the risk of a heart attack will have halved! And if you currently smoke around six cigarettes a day, stopping will allow you to save over £1,000.”

For those setting out on the path to quitting nicotine patches may be helpful. These are currently free in some pharmacies in the county until the end of the month.    Nicotine patches can help manage your cravings and increase your chance of quitting.

Oxfordshire is aiming to be a ‘smokefree county’ by 2025, meaning at least 95 per cent of the population doesn’t smoke.    Creating a smokefree community will not only benefit people who no longer smoke, but also decreases the chance of children taking up the habit in the first place.   Statistics show that two out of three people who smoke started when they were children.  

Find out more about the support available to give up smoking here.

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Published: 10/03/2021 02:14pm by Banbury FM Newsteam

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