Kingswood Inhabitants Will Give Up Smoking Soon

We all know smoking's bad for you but it's also really bad for your wallet. By smoking 10 cigarettes a day you have £96 going up in smoke Kent every month. How many nights out or shopping trips could that fund?

There's a free local NHS Stop Smoking Service at Kingswood Leisure Centre on Tuesdays from 4.30pm to 7.30pm.
Services include nicotine replacement products and other treatments on prescription and personalised quit plans, tailored to suit your needs.

For free one-to-one or group-based advice or information or other services such as GP or Pharmacy Support call the NHS South Gloucestershire Stop Smoking Service on 0117 330 2439.

Meanwhile the national NHS free helpline is 0800 022 4 332. And there's a website aimed at helping young people to stub out the habit called Quit Because.

Good luck if you do try to give up.

Some facts about smoking:

1. About 10 million adults in the UK smoke – about 25 per cent of men and 23 per cent of women.

2. Smoking is highest among people aged 20 to 24: 34 per cent of men and 30 per cent women in this age group smoke.

3. Every year, around 114,000 smokers in the UK die as a result of their habit.

4. Smoking causes 30 per cent of all cancer deaths (including at least 84 per cent of lung cancer deaths), 17 per cent of all heart disease deaths and at least 80 per cent of deaths from bronchitis and emphysema.

5. Stopping smoking reduces this risk – if you stop before you are 35, your health risks can be reduced to the same as those of a lifelong non-smoker.

6. People do give up – 21 per cent of women and 27 per cent of men are ex-smokers.

7. Surveys show that about 70 per cent of current smokers would like to give up altogether.

8. The benefits of stopping smoking are immediate. After: 20 minutes your blood pressure and pulse return to normal. After eight hours nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in the blood are halved and oxygen levels in the blood return to normal. After 24 hours carbon monoxide is eliminated from the body and lungs start to clear out the accumulated tar. After 48 hours there is no nicotine left in your body and your sense of taste and smell are greatly improved. After 72 hours your breathing becomes easier, your bronchial tubes begin to relax and your energy levels increase.