However much you smoke, there’s support to help you quit

It’s well known that smoking is bad for your health and now campaigners are urging part-time smokers to quit too. Abi Jackson reports.
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EVERY year since it began in 1983, No Smoking Day has been rallying smokers to stub out for good.

Last year the campaign encouraged a million people to quit, and the British Heart Foundation (the charity merged with the campaign in 2011) is hoping to inspire even higher numbers this year.

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But it’s not just those with 40-a-day habits being targeted; the campaign wants to shift the focus to include part-time and social smokers. Because while the last few decades have seen a wealth of research highlighting the dangers of being a heavy smoker, particularly the cancer risks, there’s been very little emphasis on “light” smokers.

A recent study, published in the Smoking In Britain journal, revealed that awareness of potential health risks from part-time smoking is low.

Only a quarter of the non-daily smokers questioned said they were worried that cigarettes might be damaging their health, while the significant majority weren’t concerned.

Dr Mike Knapton, the BHF’s associate medical director, isn’t surprised by the findings. “People often think, including some doctors actually, ‘Well, if you only smoke a bit, it’s not going to do you too much harm’,” he says.

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“Part of that’s driven by the lack of evidence; most research is done on people who smoke more. We don’t say enough about part-time smoking.”

There may be “guidelines” for sensible consumption levels for alcohol, for instance, but when it comes to smoking, Dr Knapton’s view is clear – there is no such thing as a “safe” lower limit.

There are 1.1 million part-time smokers in the UK and they smoke for different reasons. Some say it’s a stress reliever, or to help them cope with they’re anxious.

For many, it’s a social thing – lighting up with colleagues during a work break, joining in with other smokers on a night out; having something to hold and “do” can be a comfort in itself.

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Clare Skidmore, 30, had been a social smoker since she was 18, before finally managing to quit as a New Year resolution. She’d often light up with friends and colleagues during work breaks and find herself chain-smoking on a Saturday night out.

“For me, it was certain situations where it just became a habit,” she explains. “Like after a meal or out with friends. The thing is though, I never really enjoyed smoking, but I did it anyway, and over time, it just became more and more of a habit.”

She noticed the cigarettes taking their toll. “After a night out, I’d always wake up with a horrible sore throat and really husky voice, and I was getting more and more throat infections. It reached a stage where I just kept thinking, ‘Why am I doing this?’”

Claire says she feels much better in herself now that she’s stopped smoking completely and doesn’t have to deal with the constant nagging guilt.

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She also shows that it is possible to quit – and that’s the key purpose of No Smoking Day. “It’s not about demonising smokers,” says Dr Knapton. “We know it’s not easy to quit, but there’s lots of support out there and we’re urging people to try and quit on March 12.

“But I think it’s important to say to everyone, ‘Don’t get despondent if you don’t succeed at first’, most people need a few quit attempts before they finally get there.

“So long as you’re moving in the right direction, you’re on the right track.”

For more information visit www.nhs.uk/smokefree