Smokers in Mallow can kick their habit for good
FREE COURSE ON QUITTING SMOKING AVAILABLE IN MALLOW ON SEPTEMBER 13 AT LE CHEILE
THE benefits of not smoking are ten fold, but trying to quit is another matter. However, help is at hand as the Irish Cancer Society has launched the latest round of ‘We Can Quit’ which is a free smoking cessation course.
Analysis shows that around half of the total participants in the overall programme had quit smoking at the end of the 12 week course.
Women from the Mallow, Mayfield, Ballyphehane and Togher areas are invited to sign up for We Can Quit, a free programme which supports women in joining forces to quit smoking together.
Odharnait Uí Bhuachalla, Community Cancer Prevention Officer at the Irish Cancer Society said, “We Can Quit has gone from strength to strength since it was set up in 2013. Over the last four years, approximately 300 women from Dublin and Cork have completed the 12 week course and, more importantly, our analysis of the programme and its quit rate shows that it has very real and tangible results.”
“Giving up smoking is hard and a huge challenge for people, but We Can Quit offers women support and encouragement to get through it. Women today often lead very busy lives with many commitments and responsibilities but through the programme, they can access a friendly and supportive network of like-minded women who really understand what they are going through.
She said it’s their third time running the programme in Cork and so far, 62 women have successfully completed the programme.
“There are many women across the three areas who have managed to successfully quit smoking as a result of the initiative and we look forward to welcoming more women to our next round of courses, and seeing them graduate at the end of it,” she said.
We Can Quit is open to all female smokers living in the Mallow, Mayfield, Ballyphehane and Togher and surrounding areas, who are over the age of 18 years and are interested in quitting smoking. The programme commences in the Le Cheile Family Resource Centre in Mallow beginning on September 13 at 7pm.
Participants in the We Can Quit programme attend weekly group sessions and will receive one-to-one support. They will also be offered 12 weeks of free Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). Research has shown that smokers who use a combination of group support and two NRT products for a 12 week period are four times more likely to quit and stay smoke-free for good.
For more information on We Can Quit or to sign up for your free place on the programme, contact Odharnait Uí Bhuachalla on 021 4324521 obhuachalla@ irishcancer.ie register online at www. cancer.ie/we-can-quit