Published Monday 29 February 2016 at 15:39
Blackburn with Darwen’s Stop Smoking Service offers a range of personalised support to help you quit smoking for good.
In the last year, since April 2015, the service has helped just under 2000 people including Donna Braithwaite, 43, from Dalby Crescent, Blackburn.
Donna first started smoking aged 17 and continued into her 40s, stopping only twice when she was pregnant.
After making the decision to quit just over two years ago she accessed help from stop smoking adviser Raubi Ali, based at Pharmalogic on Haslingden Road.
Donna was prescribed patches and an inhalator, got rid of all the smoking paraphernalia in her house and gave it a go.
She said:
There have been plenty of ups and downs but I’m pleased to say I’ve been completely smokefree for two years. With me it’s all about the habit, first with smoking then the inhalator, so the hardest thing has been to go without anything. My husband was also unwell during the time I quit and the stress could have led me back to smoking but it didn’t. His illness was also the catalyst for him quitting for good too so I’m really pleased with how we’ve done.
Donna’s mum also accessed help from the Stop Smoking Service and has now quit as well in what has been a real family effort.
Adds Donna:
I grew up around smoking but my children won’t see me smoke now so that’s brilliant and provides a real incentive to continue. I’d recommend other people accessing the service but you’ve got to want to do it for the right reasons and be determined. Planning is really important and have people around you that will support you and just generally help.
The local stop smoking service offers one-to-one consultations with trained stop smoking advisers in pharmacies, GP surgeries and in communities where it is needed most. The advisers can offer follow-up appointments, clinic times, quit kits and information and signposting support.
Blackburn with Darwen Council is also backing the upcoming national No Smoking Day taking place Wednesday, March 9.
This year’s No Smoking Day theme is ‘Proud to be a Quitter’. In life we’re told never to give up but when it comes to smoking, being a ‘quitter’ is a good thing. Inspirational stories of ex-smokers like Donna and her family can highlight to others the life-changing benefits of quitting.
The annual campaign is run by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and encourages hundreds of thousands of smokers to make a quit attempt on No Smoking Day.
Councillor Mustafa Desai, Executive Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said:
Donna’s story is a really heart-warming one and I’m delighted that our stop smoking service is helping people in this way. Research shows you are four times more likely to quit with support than on your own and, as shown here, the service’s help can make a big difference. If you want help to quit for good, get in touch today.
No Smoking Day is also a great opportunity for us to encourage and support smokers in Blackburn with Darwen to quit alongside hundreds of thousands of other people across the UK.
For further information about the stop smoking service contact (01254) 682037 or email: quitsmoking@blackburn.gov.uk.
For a list of local stop smoking clinics visit: http://refreshbwd.com and search ‘stop smoking service.’
For more information about the No Smoking Day campaign, visit www.nosmokingday.org.uk