More help to stub out smoking habit
OCTOBER is ‘Stoptober’ - the month when smokers are encouraged to join the many people in Manchester trying to quit, or who have already successfully kicked the habit.
And plenty of people are making the break, with recent figures from the Office of National Statistics showing that the estimated number of people smoking in Manchester has dropped from 22 per cent to 17.2pc in just one year, bringing down the number of residents at risk from suffering strokes, heart disease and lung cancer.
The reduction reflects the city’s approach to tobacco control, with work to stop young people from starting smoking, taking enforcement action against rogue traders who sell fake and illicit cigarettes, or who sell cigarettes to children, and helping people to stop smoking through Tobacco Addiction Services. Programmes helping smokers to break the habit include a groundbreaking pilot run by the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust Wythenshawe, which identifies current active smokers who attend hospital and provides nicotine replacement therapy for the duration of admission.
There is also BabyClear, a programme which helps pregnant women to stop smoking, improving the health of mothers and babies.
Ex-smoker Subrata Ghosh came to Manchester from India to study at the University of Manchester this year. He said: “I started smoking in the final year of school with my friends. We thought we were very smart. I would quit for one week, two weeks, but I was not able to sustain it. But when I came to Manchester, I thought, ‘let’s quit.’
“I am holding my nerve and now I have not had a cigarette for five months. When I see people smoking in front of me, I’m realising what non-smokers felt when I used to smoke near them.
“I am focusing on other activities, like reading or watching football. Stopping buying cigarettes saves money, so you can afford to do other things, like buying a ticket for a movie or the theatre. If I can do it, you can do it!”
Coun Bev Craig, executive member for adult health and wellbeing, said: “Giving up smoking is never easy, but it can bring so many health benefits. There’s lots of help out there, particularly during Stoptober, so I’d encourage anyone who is trying to stop to keep trying and take advantage of all the support and advice that we have available.
Go to www.nhs.uk/stoptober.