» Smoke-Free England: 1st July 2007-Have you marked your diary?

Smoke-Free England: 1st July 2007-Have you marked your diary?

So the government will ban smoking in enclosed public places and workplaces in England from the 1st of July 2007 (1) …big deal! Why alienate decent law abiding citizens for the nebulous goals of reducing smoking in adults from 28% in 1996 to less than 24% by 2010; or reducing smoking in pregnant women from 23% in 1996 to 15% or less by 2010; or reducing smoking in children from 13% in 1996 to 9% or less by 2010.

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How nebulous are the following?:

[a] If you smoke whilst pregnant, there is a good chance you could kill your baby through spontaneous abortion or sudden infant cot death! Even if your baby survives, he/she may arrive too early or have a low weight. That can’t be good…can it?

[b] Passive smoking (breathing in other people’s cigarettes smoke) can make you cough, give you sore throat, make you sneeze, give you headache, make you feel sick. And these are the easy stuff! Long term, you are likely to get recurrent chest problems and infection, high risk of heart and lung disease and if you are pregnant, pass those nasty gases to your unborn child!

[c] OK, you live in a bubble! You are not pregnant and you smoke by yourself! What about the risks to yourself? Yes, nicotine from cigarette will leave you wanting more, make you depressed, irritable, restless, light headed and may leave you a nervous wreck.

[d] Check out the endless list of illness caused by smoking (2)

Mark your diary:

Make 1st of July a day you decide to quit. When you are ready, speak to someone - a professional who will support you on the road to quitting. Speak to your Doctor, Speak to your Local Pharmacist or NHS direct (3). Majority of your local pharmacies are now in a position to offer 1 to 1 smoking cessation advice.

Remember, when you stop smoking now, your blood pressure and heart rate will return to normal after 20 minutes, and after 8 hours your blood oxygen level will return to normal. After 24 hours all the carbon monoxide clears from your body. Your risk of heart attack falls to about half after 5 years. After 10 years, your risk of developing lung cancer falls to about half.

What you need to do now:

[a] Prepare yourself to quit

[b] Enlist the support of close friends and relatives

[c] Keep a diary of when you smoke. If you can, avoid the particular situations which encourage you to smoke.

[d] Book a 1 to 1 appointment with your healthcare professional.

[e] Get prescription for the right type of product to help you quit.

[f] If you do start smoking again, don’t worry, just start again from [a] above and this time promise yourself to stay off for longer than before.

[g] Remember to reward yourself when you succeed -celebrate success.

NO ONE WILL BE HAPPIER THAN YOU! - ENJOY A SMOKE-FREE YEAR

-88Jwd