Ready to quit for good with Stoptober? Help is available

The month of October is annually seen as a chance for smokers to join thousands of quitters who are kicking the habit for good.

Derbyshire County Council is supporting the national stop smoking initiative 'Stoptober' with free, local support from its in-house team.

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Communities Councillor Dawn Abbott said: “Stopping smoking is still one of the best things you can do to improve your health and wellbeing.

“Lung cancer, COPD, heart disease, and stroke remain the leading causes of preventable death in the UK, and they are all linked to smoking tobacco.”

Stopping smoking is the single best thing someone can do for their health.

Within weeks, circulation improves, and within a year, the risk of heart attack has decreased by half. Over time, the risks of cancer and lung disease also drop significantly.

The current smoking prevalence rate in Derbyshire is 12%. This is 1.3% lower than the East Midlands average of 13.3%

Cllr Abbott added: “While smoking prevalence in Derbyshire is lower than the regional average there is still work to be done. Smoking is an addiction which can be hard to quit without dedicated support.

“But you are three times more likely to quit for good with help from a professional stop smoking service.”

Derbyshire County Council’s inhouse health and wellbeing service Live Life Better Derbyshire offers 12 weeks of free stop smoking support to any Derbyshire resident aged 12 and over.

This includes access to stop smoking medications, free NRT support, support from trained stop smoking advisors and a supportive Facebook group for clients.

The service also offers vapes as a quit aid to people aged over 18.

To find out more about Live Life Better Derbyshire’s free stop smoking service, call 0800 085 2299 or click on this link.