7 March 2023
Smokers on St Helena are being encouraged to give quitting a go ahead of No Smoking Day 2023. No Smoking Day is held annually and encourages people to say that ‘Today is the Day’ to quit smoking.
Quitting smoking has a number of health benefits, and this year the focus of the day is on research that shows those who smoke are more likely to develop dementia, providing even more reason to quit.
Why stop smoking?
- If you smoke you are more likely to develop dementia
- Stopping smoking reduces your chances of dementia
- Every cigarette contains harmful chemicals which are bad for your brain.
Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health, and doing so will reduce the risk of developing dementia, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Quitting smoking for at least six weeks is proven to boost mental health and wellbeing by relieving stress, anxiety, and depression.
It’s also never too late to make positive changes. Keeping your heart healthy in your forties and fifties is understood to be particularly important for helping to reduce your risks of dementia. The same chemicals which cause damage to the heart also cause damage to the brain.
Make No Smoking Day 2023 the day you quit for good – Today is the Day!
- Quitting smoking improves your brain health and reduces your chances of dementia
- Getting support from Smokefree St Helena boosts your chances of quitting – you’re up to three times as likely to succeed
- It’s never too late to quit – stopping improves health and wellbeing, even if you’re already sick from smoking
- On average smokers spend £23 a week on tobacco, that’s nearly £1,200 a year saved that you can spend on other things once you quit
- Never give up on giving up. Every time you try to stop smoking, you’re a step closer to success – Today is the day!
Get support to quit from Smokefree St Helena
Smokefree St Helena provides a programme of support to smokers through their quit journey.
Smokefree St Helena is made up of two core components: behavioural support and stop smoking medications. It is through this combination that smokers are given the best chance of success at stopping.
Smokefree St Helena will be outside the Canister in Jamestown on No Smoking Day, Wednesday 8March, 10am – 1pm to talk to the community about their service, answer any questions you may have about stopping smoking and talk through the extended range of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) available through the service. Why not come along and chat to the service? Today Is The Day!
If you are interested stopping smoking with support from Smokefree St Helena, or you would like more information about the service then please contact them by email through smokefree@sainthelena.gov.sh or by telephone on 25863.
Minister for Health & Social Care, Martin Henry, said:
“Our Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) highlighted that we have increasing rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and dementia in our community, all of which are causing significant demands on health and social care. One of the main risk factors related to these diseases is smoking.”
“Quitting smoking is one of the best ways to improve your health. Stopping smoking isn’t easy, but it is much easier with the right support. Smokers are three times more likely to succeed in quitting with help from a trained professional than with willpower alone. This is why the Health and Social Care Portfolio are offering the community tailored support through Smokefree St Helena.”
“No Smoking Day is the perfect time to quit smoking, when other people in the community are stopping too. Today Is The Day!”
#StHelena #SmokeFreeStHelena #TodayIsTheDay #NoSmokingDay
SHG
7 March 2023