Matthew SparkesPeople in Norfolk are being urged to make the most of the support available to help them quit smoking on World No Tobacco Day today.Matthew Sparkes
People in Norfolk are being urged to make the most of the support available to help them quit smoking on World No Tobacco Day today.
The event is held every May 31 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) but NHS Norfolk has also laid on a range of support and services to help people give up cigarettes for good.
The Norfolk Stop Smoking Service offers patients professional support, practical tips and nicotine replacement therapy, and prescriptions to help them break their habit.
The organisation can also arrange for workplace visits and run in-house groups to help staff end their addiction to cigarettes.
People can also go to their GP or local pharmacy for advice on how to stop.
Tobacco is the largest preventable cause of death in the developed world and is a risk factor in many life-threatening illnesses, including cancer and heart disease.
The WHO launched the World No Tobacco Day campaign in 1988 to encourage people to abstain from smoking cigarettes for 24 hours.
It was hoped that this would give people the confidence they needed to give up smoking permanently.
Two years ago the organisation also began calling for a total ban on tobacco advertising in a bid to stop young people from taking up the habit.
Advertising of cigarettes was banned in the UK in 1984 and smoking in public places was outlawed completely in England in 2007.
If you would like help to give up smoking for good contact NHS Norfolk's Stop Smoking Service on 0800 0854 113 or visit www.cignificant.co.uk
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