New 'stop smoking' clinic set up in Derry

A new clinic has been created in Derry to help people to stop smoking.

The clinic is held at Carnhill Resource Centre on Monday evenings from 6pm to 7.30pm.

It has been organised by the Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust) to give smokers a free and flexible stop smoking service that is supported and run by specialist stop smoking practitioners.

Smoking Cessation Clinics offer ongoing support, help develop a personal quit plan based on the individual’s needs and provide information on medications, withdrawal symptoms and coping strategies.

The free help provided through these specialist services can improve the chance of stopping successfully by up to four times compared to a smoker trying to stop on their own.

Karen Harper, Smoking Cessation Specialist for the Western Trust, said: “Research constantly shows smoking to be the single most preventable cause of illness and preventable death with 2,300 people dying each year from smoking related diseases in Northern Ireland.

“Our smoking cessation team has developed an effective evidence-based service that assists individuals who wish to quit smoking through adopting a non-judgmental, supportive, empathetic and flexible approach.”

She added: “As a nurse I see the damage smoking does and I also see the health benefits of stopping smoking. The positive effects start immediately after the smoker puts out their final cigarette.

“After only 20 minutes; blood pressure returns to normal and after six months the risk of heart attack, cancer and other ‘smoking’ diseases falls.

“Most smokers underestimate the effectiveness of professional help, but more people succeed with our Specialist Stop Smoking service than with any other way.

“I would encourage anyone motivated to stop smoking to come along - the sooner you stop, the sooner your health will start to improve.”