Get help to quit smoking

What Smoke free County Durham offers

Some of the support team at Smokefree County Durham are ex-smokers themselves and they have helped 50,000 people to stop smoking over the last 12 years.

With expert help you are four times more likely to quit than those who try to quit without support. Everyone is different so there are different support options available including:

• motivational tips to help keep you on track
• the chance to use a carbon monoxide monitor, to see your recovery in action
• a choice of support to fit your lifestyle
• prescription stop smoking medicines to help beat cravings, from nicotine patches and gum, to nasal sprays, inhalators and tablets

NHS Quit Smoking app

You can download the app from the NHS: Quit smoking page. It helps you:

• track your progress
• see how much you're saving
• get daily support

If you can make it to 28 days smoke-free, you're five times more likely to quit for good!

Vaping

Vaping (using ecigarettes) is an effective way to stop smoking. Evidence suggests that for existing smokers, vaping poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking. However:

• those who do not smoke, should not vape
• vaping is not for children

For more information see Gov.uk: Evidence review of ecigarettes and heated tobacco products 2018.

Why you should quit smoking

Smoking can damage nearly every organ of your body, which has a negative effect on your quality of life.

If you are a long-term smoker, you will die, on average, 10 years earlier than a non-smoker.

For every death caused by smoking, about 20 smokers are suffering from a smoking-related disease.

For more information on the impact of smoking on health in County Durham see Durham Insight: Living well - tobacco control.

Real people, real stories

See and hear from people who have a story to share about stopping smoking.

• Cathy is part of the new Fresh campaign - Smoking Survivors, she says: "You hear the word cancer and the first thing I thought was "how do I tell my girls?" As a single parent it was a horrendous thought I might not be there for them." Hear Cathy's story as part of the latest Fresh campaign.
• Dr Ruth Sharrock is a respiratory consultant with the NHS, she explains why it's never too late to stop smoking on the Fresh Don't Wait campaign video.

Smoking during pregnancy

Smoking while you are pregnant puts you and your baby at risk. Go to our Smoking in pregnancy page to find out about the risks and support we can offer you, to help you quit.