Stubbing out dependency, money wasting and ill-health

It’s over a year since the smoking ban came in, and more and more people are giving up the habit. 

EC1 New Deal for Communities (NDC) funds a local Stop Smoking Advisor to help improve the health of residents and support people who want to give up every step of the way.

It worked for Lisa Simpson. She was on a 30-day habit and had smoked for 25 years, since she was 16-years-old. She was pestered by her two daughters (aged 16 and 6) to go to the doctor about giving up, but Lisa was sceptical about whether she would be successful.

Lisa’s GP made her an appointment with George Gallagher, EC1 Community Stop Smoking Advisor. She stopped smoking on 21 September last year, and hasn’t smoked a single cigarette since then. For the first six months she would go and see George every week and his support, along with nicotine patches and inhalers, helped her to free herself from the dependency.

Lisa said:

“George was like a counsellor to me, I trusted him a lot more than the doctor. He didn’t pressure me into it – he said I didn’t have to give up, but just helped me to do what I felt was my choice.

“I feel so much better now I’ve given up and I’ve saved about £1500. I’ve been on a holiday with my little girl, and we’re going away again as a family – these are things that I would have never been able to do if I was still smoking. I’m £35 a week better off which makes a big difference.

“I feel healthier now, I feel brighter and I can walk further. My family are really proud of me.”

Since 2004 and EC1 NDC has devoted £180,000 to the project, and has pledged to continue the funding into next year.

George Gallagher, EC1 Community Stop Smoking Advisor said:

“We help hundreds of people a year. Last quarter we saw 120 people and half of them quit smoking. If you go cold turkey – just give up without any help – you only have a 2 or 3 percent chance of success. If you get help you are much more likely to kick the habit.

More women die of lung cancer than breast cancer, and in the EC1 area you are five times more likely to die of cancer than the national average.”

Anyone who would like help to give up smoking should contact the free phone helpline on 0800 093 9030.