Local NHS says stop smoking and start saving

Pharmacies across Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale will be encouraging people to give up smoking as a new year’s resolution, by giving out special piggy banks to save the money that they would otherwise spend on cigarettes.

There are 500 piggy banks to give away to people who sign up and set a date to stop smoking, which, if they are all used for a year by someone who used to smoke 20 a day, a total of nearly £1million will be saved.

Ingrid Corcos, stop smoking manager at NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, said: “The financial and health benefits of giving up smoking will be felt almost straight away. Within eight hours, nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in the blood will be halved. After twenty four hours, carbon monoxide and nicotine are eliminated from the body, and oxygen levels are returned to normal. Coughs and wheezing will decline after three to nine months of not smoking. And in the long term, after ten years of not smoking, the risk of getting lung cancer falls to half of that of a smoker.”

The NHS offers free help and advice for people who want to stop smoking. Evidence shows that getting professional help can increase your chances of stopping for good. This free service is available from GPs and many of the pharmacies within the borough.

The ‘Stop Smoking, Start Saving’ campaign is a joint initiative between NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale and Environmental Health at Rochdale Council.

For more details about Stop Smoking services in Rochdale, ring 01706 708001.