Supporting residents to stub out and save
Derbyshire County Council is launching a new stop smoking campaign on World No Tobacco Day on Friday May 31st.
The Stub Out and Save campaign highlights the many reasons that may motivate people to quit for good.
From saving money to breathing more easily to reducing the impacts of passive smoking and having more energy.
Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Communities Councillor Carol Hart said: “We know that smoking poses a serious health risk and can lead to cancer, strokes, heart attacks and other potentially fatal conditions.
“Smoking is also an expensive habit with people spending on average around £250 every month.
“Our new campaign aims to show the benefits of quitting – not just for your health but for your wallet too.”
Evidence shows that although smoking rates have continued to drop nationally, people in routine and manual jobs still tend to have higher than average rates of smoking.
This covers builders, plumbers, lorry drivers, bar staff, waitresses and more and the campaign will be particularly aimed at this audience.
Councillor Hart added: “We’re encouraging people to stub out and see what they can save – whether that’s their money, their health or their quality of life.”
Derbyshire County Council offers a free, 12 week, stop smoking support service – Live Life Better Derbyshire.
It’s open to all Derbyshire residents and offers one-to-one and group support at venues across the county.
The service offers:
• Free NRT including patches, lozenges and gum
• Access to proscription only medications
• One to one support
• Telephone support
• Advice, information and quit tips
To find out more call 0800 085 2299 or visit livelifebetterderbyshire.org.uk
The Healthy Workplaces Derbyshire team also offers free health and wellbeing support for Derbyshire businesses.
If you would like to find out more visit www.derbyshire.gov.uk/healthyworkplaces
Case studies
Successful quit leads to baby dream being fulfilled
New mum Lindsay Cotton has her hands full with a bouncing baby boy and she credits quitting smoking with helping her achieve her dream of starting a family.
Lindsay, aged 36, started with our Live Life Better Derbyshire stop smoking service in May 2018.
Lindsay and her partner Simon had been trying for a baby for several years with no luck before doctors advised her to stop smoking.
Smoking can reduce fertility in women and there's also a link between smoking and poorer quality sperm so quitting can help increase the chances of conceiving.
Lindsay said: “I’d been in service for ten weeks when I found out I was pregnant. We worked out the dates and he was conceived just two weeks after my quit date.
Isaac was born on March 6th 2019 and his mum is convinced that it is down to quitting smoking.
She said: “When I found out I was pregnant I was so happy I cried! I can’t thank my advisor, or the service, enough.
“Just look what they have given me!”
Lindsay had smoked since she was 14 but with the support of Live Life Better Derbyshire has been successfully quit for over a year.
As well as baby Isaac’s arrival, there have been lots of other benefits to quitting smoking.
Lindsay said: “I used to have lots of chest infections as well as bronchitis a couple of times too which was horrible. I also suffered with lots of throat infections but now all that has stopped.
“All the money I have saved by quitting is being spent on baby things now!”
Lindsay is a support worker for people with learning disabilities and says that although she loves her job it can sometimes be stressful and that could lead to wanting to smoke.
She said: “I have had lots of support from my colleagues though. Now instead of going for a smoke break I do laps around the building!
“The first two weeks of craving were hard but I used to have lollipops whenever I had the urge to smoke. That filled in the need to be doing something with my hands.”
Lindsay is absolutely over the moon with the support she received and says that anyone wanting to quit needs to get in touch. “I would say absolutely give it a go, it is brilliant.
“It is the best thing I have ever done, and I don’t regret quitting for a minute.
“Just look what I have to show for it – a gorgeous baby!”
Bride-to-be quits habit to fund dream wedding
Busy mum of five Jenny Francis is planning her dream wedding thanks to the huge savings she’s made by quitting smoking with Live Life Better Derbyshire.
Jenny, aged 33, has already saved nearly £2,000 since quitting in February this year.
She and her partner are now putting the money they used to fund their habit into planning their wedding in August.
Jenny joined the Live Life Better Derbyshire stop smoking service in February 2019 and successfully quit thanks to dedicated telephone support.
Jenny said: “My GP advised that I stop smoking due to a health condition so I got in touch, started on Champix and never looked back.
“I used to have lots of headaches as I have Acute Zonal Occult Outer Retinopathy and a few weeks after quitting, they had stopped.
“I’m also less breathless plus doing the school run and climbing up stairs is so much easier now.”
As well as the health benefits that quitting has provided, the biggest change to Jenny’s life has been financial.
She, and her husband-to-be Robert, were both heavy smokers, getting through around £150 a week of cigarettes. Now that money is going towards their wedding in August.
Jenny said: “My gran’s wish is to see me getting married and we’ve been putting all the money we would have spent on smoking to one side.
“In the 12 weeks since quitting we’ve saved around £1,800 that would have just literally been burnt away.”
In the first month alone Jenny saved enough for her wedding dress.
She also has a handful of very good little reasons for wanting to quit. The couple have five children aged between one and eight and want to be good role models for them.
She said: “When you have kids they pick up on your habits.
“A while ago one of the children picked up a straw and pretended to smoke and I said don’t do that - but if I am chastising my child and then going out to smoke then something has to change.
“Now we can afford days out at the seaside – we’ve even bought a hot tub. There’s all these benefits from just not smoking - we can see where our money is going now!”
Jenny is adamant that anyone thinking of trying to quit should get in touch with Live Life Better Derbyshire,
She says: “If you are not sure, try it, you will be surprised at how easy it is.
“You can dip back into the support even after you’ve successfully quit – I know that my advisor is there whether its two weeks or two years on. It’s great knowing you are not on your own.”
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