World No Tobacco Day: Start your smoke-free journey and commit to quit
Tobacco causes 8 million deaths every year. Those who smoke are also more likely to develop a severe case of COVID-19. If you smoke, then quitting is the best thing you can do to improve your health and wellbeing.
This World No Tobacco Day we are encouraging people to make a pledge and commit to quit. We understand that for many people this isn’t easy, and if you aren’t sure where to start we are here to support you as you start your journey to become smoke-free.
In Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan we work in partnership with a number of organisations including Help Me Quit to support our population in becoming smoke-free. Help Me Quit works across Wales, and people are 4x more likely to quit smoking for good as a result of the free NHS support provided.
After receiving dedicated support from the Health Board’s Smoking Cessation team, 22-year-old Kaidan Ashun from Cardiff has been smoke-free for almost 6 months.
“I was smoking for approximately 5 years, and smoked fairly heavily. In the latter years of smoking I was smoking close to 20 cigarettes a day. Smoking controlled my daily routine, and negatively impacted my ability to train and live a healthy lifestyle. It also weighed a heavy burden on my wallet; I was often spending upwards of £70 a week on tobacco.”
After working hard to quit smoking, Kaidan is already seeing the health and financial benefits.
“The main reason that motivated me to quit smoking was the impact it was having on my ability to live a healthy lifestyle. I spend a lot of time training in the gym, and trying to improve my cardio; smoking however made this very difficult. I have been smoke free for almost 6 months now and the feeling is great. My endurance levels in the gym have greatly increased as has my cardio and general breathing when training.”
“I am no longer under the financial constraints of tobacco so I find myself with more spare cash to do things I enjoy and that actually benefit me!”
Smoking can increase your risk of disease including heart disease and over 20 types of cancer. When 55-year-old Alison from St Mellons was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with now only 56% lung capacity, she was motivated to become smoke-free for good.
“Persevere with it because it’s worth it. I had quit and started again so many times but still tried to quit again. This time I knows it’s for good. Life is so much better.”
“My overall wellbeing has improved, and although I still have the occasional urge at the end of the day when I sit down with a drink. I now know how to manage these urges through distraction and my own pride for how well I’ve done – I don’t want to spoil this.”
Where can I find support?
WHO Quitting Toolkit - For easy to follow, free tips download the World Health Organisation’s Quitting Toolkit by clicking here.
Help Me Quit - NHS stop smoking support can be found across all of Wales in local community venues, GP surgeries, hospitals and pharmacies, and can even be accessed over the phone. You can see where they are in your area by entering your postcode here or by calling 0800 085 2219.
No matter which service you decide to use and whoever you end up seeing, all Help Me Quit services are free of charge, include the stop smoking medication, are delivered by experts, and are non-judgemental and confidential.
The best choice a smoker can make to quit smoking is to contact Help Me Quit directly or ask a health professional to refer them. Find more information by clicking here.
Call: 0800 085 2219 | Text HMQ to 80818 for a call back* cost maybe incurred