HELP is at hand for Northumberland smokers who want to quit in the New Year.
The Department of Health is launching an advertising campaign aimed at giving people the right tools to quit smoking by encouraging them to get a new and improved NHS Quit Kit from a participating pharmacy.
The kit has been developed by experts together with smokers and ex-smokers and contains practical tools and advice to help people quit the habit for good.
Items include a health/wealth wheel, which helps quitters calculate how much they are saving and the improvements they will see to their health, MP3 downloads which are scientifically proven to reduce cravings and a ‘tangle’ toy to help keep hands busy.
It also contains information on other free quitting help such as local Stop Smoking Services and smokers can sign up to get new motivational text messages straight to their mobile phone.
This comes on the back of new NHS Smokefree research which found that 90 per cent of smokers in the North East underestimate the number of people who die annually from smoking related disease by at least 70,000.
A high number of those polled felt that they are unable to quit for reasons including they are too stressed to try and quit (25 per cent), they have tried before and failed (40 per cent) and they don’t think they have the willpower required (27 per cent).
Ailsa Rutter, director of Fresh (Smoke Free North East), said: “Stopping smoking is the best thing you can do for your health and quitting will be the best gift you can give your loved ones in 2012.
“Many smokers wrongly assume that even light smoking means a lower chance of getting a smoking related disease. This research really does hit home that every cigarette is capable of doing you damage.
“The new year is a key time for quitting and the right support is really important. We have fantastic stop smoking services in the North East which help people to quit smoking.”
To find your nearest Quit Kit pharmacy stockist, text SEARCH and your postcode to 88088 or search online at nhs.uk/smokefree