ALTHOUGH most people know smoking is bad for health and linked to a number of serious illnesses like cancer, strokes and heart disease, quitting is easier said than done.

Stop smoking campaigns have been around for decades and the number of smokers in Britain has more than halved since 1974. However, according to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) there are still 10 million adults in Britain smoking cigarettes and smoking accounts for about 100,000 deaths a year.

ASH also says surveys show that about two thirds of current smokers would like to stop smoking but only 30-40 per cent attempt to quit in a given year.

Now the NHS and Worcestershire County Council has joined up with Liverpool-based firm ICEcreates to deliver a step-by-step programme to help people give up smoking.

The free stop smoking support is being held at Evesham Library every Tuesday afternoon from 2pm to 6pm offering a full range of advice and help through individually tailored 12-week programmes.

Healthy lifestyle advisor Laura Taylor said: “People can simply drop in to see us or make an appointment. The initial session lasts about 15 minutes. We talk to people about their life style and habits. We also talk to them to see how motivated they are and if they are ready to stop smoking.

“If they want to quit because somebody else, like their partner of friends, wants them to it may not be the right time for them. We try to find out if it is what they want.

“We can talk through any questions they have about quitting smoking in general and the effects on their health. We then go through their options and decide a reasonable quit day with them. This is usually about two weeks ahead.”

She said if people try to go cold turkey they are often setting themselves up for failure. The most successful method is by using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) such as patches, gum, lozenges and mouth sprays.

About 82 per cent of the smokers who choose a combination of two different types of NRT give up smoking, while the success rate for a single NRT is 50 per cent and just 20-30 per cent give up by going cold turkey, said Laura.

Once the individual is ready to go on the programme they can get a prescription for their NRT and try them out by substituting half their daily cigarettes for NRT. “If they smoke 10 a day and they choose to take tablets they can have five tablets and five cigarettes a day so they are gently swapping over from their cigarettes to the nicotine replacement therapy,” said Laura.

“We see them again a week before their quit date to make sure they are ready and that they know how to use the products and the likely effects of going onto the replacement therapies. Everyone is different and the body goes through changes when you do this.

“For the first four weeks after their quit date I see them every week because these are the toughest weeks. If they are happy and in a routine they can see me every other week but if they need more support they can see me every week. Smoking is such a hard thing to give up.

“For a person smoking over 10 cigarettes a day I prefer the combination of NRTs and after four to six weeks I start to reduce it. It is to wean them off slowly.”

Each person on the programme is tested for carbon monoxide levels at the start and then again three or four weeks later when they will see an improvement. The tests also show Laura whether they are sticking to the programme because there should be a marked improvement between tests. Anyone who falls off the wagon is supported to restart the programme and keep going.

The service is also available to pregnant women for the whole of their pregnancy and for their partners if they smoke. “We want to make sure it is a safe home for baby to grow up,” said Laura.

Manager of Evesham Library Jodie Ford said: “I am really keen on this service being available at Evesham Library. Just being able to work with Laura and to be able to signpost the things we have in the library to help people is great. It goes hand in hand with the resources, like books to help people stop smoking, we have got as well.”

Laura is also running free NHS health checks in the library for Worcestershire residents aged 40 to 74 years every first Tuesday of the month. The checks, which take 30 minutes, include blood pressure, a non-fasting cholesterol test and height and weight/body mass index. She is also offering lifestyle advice.

For more information and to book an appointment call Laura on 07970051477 or e-mail her at laura.taylor@ICEcreates.com