‘I’m not going to stop stopping until I’ve stopped’

Rochdale resident Barbara Thompson has recently given up smoking with the help of NHS Heywood Middleton and Rochdale's Stop Smoking Services.

Like many quitters, Ms Thompson has found it difficult to kick the habit and has tried to quit a number of times but this time she is determined to stop once and for all.

Ms Thompson stopped smoking last year but she started again after seven months. She made the decision to stop again twelve weeks ago and with the help of the NHS Stop Smoking Services, she is now taking it one day at a time.

“I’m doing it for health reasons primarily but also because it costs so much money and I simply can’t afford it, especially at the moment," she said. "The Stop Smoking Advisors have been great, really encouraging. I have the NRT patches too, which I currently get free from the NHS, and they really help – when I forget to put one on in the morning I get really crabby but I know it will pass and I’m getting there.”

The NHS offers free help and advice for people who want to stop smoking and evidence shows that you are four times more likely to quit using local NHS support.

This free service is available from GPs and many of the pharmacies within the borough.

During March, the Quit It bus has been touring the borough, providing advice and some fun incentives including a prize draw on board for those signing up to the campaign, where quitters had the opportunity to win a Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit or a fantastic family activity weekend at Centre Parcs.

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.”

For Barbara Thompson, the benefits of quitting are certainly outweighing the negatives. “I knew it was bad for me so I’m so glad that I have given up. I know that I’ve lapsed a couple of times but I’m not going to stop stopping until I’ve stopped”, she concluded.

For more details about how you can ‘Quit It’, ring 0800 432 0303 or go to www.quit-it.org.uk