Quitting smoking this New Year could give you money you never knew you had for household bills, fuel, food, or even towards a holiday in the sun. If you smoke 10 a day, you could be spending nearly £40 a week which is about £1,600 a year.
Going Smokefree gives your lungs the chance to repair and your breathing will get easier. It is also proven to boost your mental health and leave you feeling calmer. Just the thing to help lift those winter blues.
With the right support, quitting smoking can be easier and less stressful than you might think. Using an alternative nicotine product such as patches, lozenges or a vape will reduce cravings and keep you more comfortable, while you get used to not smoking tobacco.
Work out your quitting journey with support from your local stop smoking service and you are up to three times more likely to quit for good, than by going it alone.
Sarah Wise, one of our Consultant Midwives at the Trust, said: “If anyone is expecting a baby in 2023, quitting smoking is one of the biggest gifts you can give to them for their future. Not only to give the baby the best start in life, but also to improve your own health, to increase the chances of being there to support them for many years to come.”
Wendy Page, Interim Deputy Chief Nurse at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Stopping smoking is one of the best things you will ever do for your health. Support is available for you to make 2023 a happy and healthy new year.
“I would urge smokers to contact their local stop smoking service to get the best chance of success. They can also provide excellent advice on how to motivate and support someone to keep going, because quitting is much easier when we do it together.
“Even if you have smoked for decades, it can bring you a new lease of life. It is never too late.”
To support people with not smoking whilst they are admitted to hospital, the NHS is providing all patients who stay for longer than a day with access to an alternative nicotine product and a visit from the hospital Quit Together team. Help is also available for staff and visitors, with everyone being asked not to use tobacco on site and to use an alternative product if they need to instead.
This move has already been well received by patients, visitors, and staff, many of which have managed to successfully quit smoking for good after years of tobacco dependence.
Andrew Burgess, a former cardiac ward patient at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby, said: “For anyone else thinking about becoming smokefree in hospital, I would say to stick with it! Especially if you are in hospital for a week or more. It’s a good idea to use being in hospital to help you quit, because you can’t go off the ward to smoke anyway!
“I certainly hope to stay smokefree because of my health. I can feel the benefits of not smoking already and don’t want to be in hospital again.”
“I would recommend Quit Together to friends. It has been good to have someone to talk to and have access to a support worker and patches in hospital.”
It’s never too late to quit and there are many ways to get there. Whatever you have tried before, it’s time to get the help and support you deserve from the NHS and your local stop smoking service and find your way to quit for good.
For free advice and to find your local stop smoking service, visit Quit smoking – Better Health – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
