Make 2020 the year you quit smoking for good
Hackney’s Stop Smoking Service have launched a ‘New Year, New You campaign’ to help residents quit smoking for good. The service is encouraging people to quit smoking in January to start the new decade in a positive, healthy way.
Quitting smoking will improve your physical health and wellbeing as well as improving how you look and feel. It can be an important step as it can motivate you to make other changes such as being more active or eating healthier.
In addition you will also be saving money, for example if you are currently spending more than £10 a day on a packet of 20 cigarettes, if you stopped smoking in January you could end up saving nearly £4,000 by the end of the year.
Mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville, said: "If people want to quit smoking, January is the best time of year to give quitting a go. Giving up can be very difficult but we have an excellent stop smoking service to help people, with specialist advisors offering 1-2-1 support in locations across the borough.
“Quitting smoking will benefit people's health, their environment and quality of life and help prevent serious health conditions. The Council and our health partners are fully committed to providing the best services to ensure Hackney is a healthier place for everyone.”
There will be activities taking place throughout January, including information stalls with trained advisors at Homerton Hospital, community centres, leisure centres, libraries and at GP surgeries.
32-year-old Rebecca Bradshaw from Haggerston, visited her local community clinic at Kingsland Hub last year, eventually becoming a successful ‘Proud Hackney Quitter.’
She said: “What was great about the service was the Stop Smoking Advisor and how we talked about things; I felt like we had a great connection and that the Advisor treated me like a person not “a smoker.”
Hackney’s Stop Smoking Service is offered in nine GP Hubs, 27 pharmacies and six community sites across the borough. There is always at least one clinic running every day of the week, including weekends, which provides personal stop smoking sessions and stop smoking medications, on prescription.
Look out for the Smokefree Hackney ‘New Year New You’ posters across the borough or go to https://www.smokefreehackney.org/support to find your nearest service.
For more information go to www.smokefreehackney.org or call 0800 046 09946.
The best thing about quitting is the feeling of relief at having stopped smoking and not having to be afraid anymore; also I had no idea how much time smoking took up in my life until I quit.
When I see smokers now, especially when it’s raining or stormy and I see people huddled in doorways having a smoke, I think: I don’t have to do that anymore, and then I feel like I’ve won!
