Carmarthenshire smokers to get ready for battle on No Smoking Day

Smokers in Carmarthenshire are being urged to prepare for battle and attempt to give up cigarettes for good on No Smoking Day which takes place on Wednesday 12 March 2014.

One in five UK adults smoke including 20% in Carmarthenshire. But studies show around two thirds of smokers want to quit.

This year’s No Smoking Day has a ‘V for Victory’ theme which is set to inspire hundreds of thousands of smokers to win the fight against cigarettes.

The campaign will help smokers on the road to victory, providing information, support and encouragement to put together a personal battle plan so that they are in the best possible position to make a successful quit attempt on the day.

Teresa Owen, Hywel Dda University Health Board’s Director of Public Health said: “No Smoking Day is a great opportunity for us to encourage and support smokers in Carmarthenshire to quit alongside hundreds of thousands of other people across the UK”.

“We know that quitting isn’t easy but we want to reassure smokers that support is available to them and that they can win the battle against cigarettes”.

“There’s a much higher chance of succeeding with support and this is why Hywel Dda University Health Board is spreading the word to smokers about the range of services and resources which are locally available to them. Our activity is crucial to helping smokers on the road to victory and towards a healthier and wealthier smoke-free life.”

Hywel Dda University Health Board and Public Health Wales are part of a network of organisations across the UK that manages local activities for the No Smoking Day campaign.

The annual campaign is run by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and encouraged one million smokers to make a quit attempt last year.

Dr Mike Knapton, Associate Medical Director at the BHF, said: “Our ‘V for Victory’ message is set to inspire smokers to win the battle against cigarettes even if they’ve already attempted to quit in the past.

“Quitting smoking is the single best thing people can do for their health and we want to arm smokers with information and support that will send them on the road to victory. We’re encouraging smokers to mark Wednesday 12 March in their diary to join hundreds of thousands of other quitters in attempting to stub out cigarettes for good.”

For more information and support to help you quit as well as an online forum where you can talk and get motivation and support from thousands of quitters, visit nosmokingday.org.uk

By using an NHS stop smoking service, smokers are four times more likely to succeed in making a quit attempt. For people wanting to give up smoking, there is plenty of help and support available locally:

Stop Smoking Wales is a free NHS service that offers a seven week support programme to help people quit smoking, operating in local community venues across Hywel Dda by contacting http://www.stopsmokingwales.com or 0800 085 2219.

Hywel Dda University Health Board Hospital Smoking Cessation Service – Free and friendly support is available in Carmarthenshire for University Health Board staff, inpatients and outpatients. This specialist service also caters for patients having chronic illnesses or mental health issues, who wish to stop smoking and would benefit from one to one support. Appointments can be arranged with smoking cessation practitioners by contacting Glangwili Hospital on 01267 227185 or Prince Philip and Amman Valley Hospitals on 01554 783558.

Hywel’s House: For further help and advice on giving up smoking download the helpsheet at www.hywelddahb.wales.nhs.uk/healthy-wednesday