Get ready for No Smoking day 2012

Wales’ Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Jewell is urging smokers to find their inner Olympian and ‘Take the Leap’ on No Smoking Day.

March 14th marks the 29th year of the campaign supporting people who want to quit.

Most smokers would like to stop. So in this Olympic year, No Smoking Day is encouraging smokers to ‘Take the Leap’ and give it a go.

The Welsh Government wants to support people who want to quit. On No Smoking Day, we will join Tenovus outside City Hall in Cardiff, from 10am until 4pm. Promoting our awareness campaign Fresh Start Wales, we are encouraging parents and carers to act responsibly and not smoke in cars carrying children.

Stop Smoking Wales will also be available to provide information on its smoking cessation service.

Quitting smoking can almost immediately improve your health. Within 20 minutes of your last cigarette, your blood pressure and pulse return to normal. After 24 hours, carbon monoxide is out of your body and your lungs start to clear themselves. After three days, you have more energy and your breathing becomes easier. One year after giving up, your risk of suffering a heart attack is reduced by half.

Dr Tony Jewell said:

“No Smoking Day is just one day on which we spotlight our campaigns, strategies and support for people who want to give up smoking. But the Welsh Government works continuously towards the aim of reducing the number of people who smoke to 16% by 2020 with an ultimate vision of a smoke-free society for Wales, in which the harm from tobacco is completely eradicated.

“This is an ambitious target but we have seen Australia and California achieve similar reductions in smoking prevalence. Wales’ first Tobacco Control Action Plan is a major step forward in achieving this and an implementation board has been set up to take this forward.”

The Action Plan highlights the importance of supporting smokers who want to quit. Easy access to effective, appropriate resources will be vital if the Plan’s 16% smoking target is to be achieved.

Dr Jewell added:

“No-one said kicking the habit is easy. Giving up can be tricky, especially if you have been smoking for a long time. But one in four adults in Wales is an ex-smoker – so it can be done.”

TOP TIP: Get professional help – you don’t have to rely on willpower alone. You are more likely to successfully quit if you use smoking cessation services. Stop Smoking Wales (0800 085 2219) can provide one-to-one or group support. The Smokers Helpline (0800 169 0 169) is also on hand to offer friendly, easy to understand information on how you can quit if you are starting to think about it but are not quite sure how you can ‘make the leap’ by stopping smoking.

Press Release sourced from Welsh Government: http://wales.gov.uk/newsroom/healthandsocialcare/2012/120312nsd2012/?lang=en