Carrickfergus Borough Council - No Smoking Day 2010

Environment Menu

No Smoking Day 2010

 

 

 

Workplaces take action for No Smoking Day 2010

Hundreds of smokers in Northern Ireland are taking the opportunity of No Smoking Day , Wednesday 10 March , to quit smoking. 

This year’s theme, Break free, we can help, acknowledges that No Smoking Day is the time for smokers to break free from their smoking habit and escape their chains of addiction. The theme is a message of support and empowerment that has come from smokers’ themselves.

So why not break free this No Smoking Day? You can break free with the help and support that is available across Carrickfergus.  Those who do stop smoking on March 10 will gain health and financial benefits in next to no time, including:

      Saving loads of money ! Giving up a 20-a-day is like a £42 a week pay rise!  Stop on No Smoking Day and by June you can save over £500 or £1,764 by Christmas!

Organisers from the Environmental Health Department in Carrickfergus will be manning an information  stand in the Tesco superstore on the day. Carrickfergus Amphitheatre will also have a stand promoting the day and have donated prizes for a competition in the local secondary schools.

Alan Barkley, Director of Environmental Services said "Employers should embrace the opportunity to help their employees to quit, with the help and support of the Workplace Smoking Cessation Specialist.  This is a win/win situation for all involved and we are fortunate to have this new service available to local businesses."

The Workplace Smoking Cessation Specialist can offer local employers a number of services to best suit the needs of each company.  These include information materials to employees, information sessions to smokers wanting to quit, provide information on smoke cessation, signposting employees to local smoke cessation specialists and where numbers permit, working with employers to offer a workplace stop smoking service during work time.

Here are some top tips to help you:

 

TOP TIPS FOR QUITTING

Set a date to stop - and stick to it!

Pick a day that will be relatively stress-free. No Smoking Day on Wednesday 10 March 2010 is an ideal day to quit, with over a million other smokers all around the UK trying to quit at the same time.

Write down all the reasons you want to stop smoking

There are lots of benefits of quitting smoking; yours might include saving money, improving your health, or for the sake of your family. Keep your list somewhere handy to use as a reminder if you are tempted to have a cigarette.

Keep a diary for a day or two

Record all the times and places you smoke, with a note of how much you needed each cigarette. This will help you plan for tricky moments. You might find our smoking diary helpful.

Get help

Let friends and family know you're quitting and tell them what they can do to help. You could use our sponsorship form to encourage them to sponsor you, giving an extra dimension to your quit attempt.

Your GP, nurse or pharmacist will be delighted to give you advice about stop smoking support and to let you know about stop smoking services and helplines. Get some sponsorship for your quit attempt.

Quit together

Find others who would like to give up smoking and agree to support each other. Keep in daily contact and make a pact not to let each other down.

Take the edge off withdrawal

Nicotine is addictive and you may experience withdrawal symptoms like irritability, lack of concentration and sleeping problems. These effects of stopping smoking are temporary and can be greatly eased with treatments likeNRT, Zyban or Champix.

Preparation

Get rid of lighters, ashtrays and matches and make sure you don't have any cigarettes around. Remove any stale smoke smells by spring-cleaning your house and clothes.

Take it one day at a time

Concentrate on getting through each day without a cigarette. Know what you are going to say if someone offers you a cigarette - enjoy saying, "No thanks - I don't smoke".

Break the links that create the habit

Most smokers will have times and places when they always have a cigarette, like after a meal or when you are out with friends. Try to avoid these situations at first if you think you will be tempted to smoke, or do something different - you could go for a short walk after a meal.

Learn to relax!

Try this simple breathing exercise:

Sit down with feet flat on the floor, hands resting on knees. Breathe slowly in and out through the nose a couple of times, concentrating on the sensation of air moving in and out of the body.

Start to breathe more deeply, still through the nose, consciously letting the air fill the abdomen, then the lower and upper chest in sequence. Breathe out the same way, expelling the air from the abdomen, lower and upper chest in turn.

Repeat this breath three or four times, and then return to normal breathing.

Reward yourself!

Save the money that you would have spent on cigarettes for a treat such as a new outfit, going out for a meal or taking a holiday.

And remember - once you've stopped, stay stopped. Remember that 'just one cigarette' will often lead to another. Keep reminding yourself of the health and other benefits of stopping smoking. Make sure you take the full course of any nicotine replacement treatment you are using.

If you require any further advice or information on smoking cessation, please contact the Environmental Services Department, details below or see the No Smoking Day website.

 

Related Link

• No Smoking Day website