The UK holds a National No Smoking Day every year, with the twin intentions of educating smokers and their families about the dangers of smoking and passive smoking, and of helping smokers take the first steps in their battle to quit smoking. National No Smoking Day is organised by the No Smoking Day charity.
The No Smoking Day is just of the many initiatives in the UK to help smokers to quit smoking.
The latest statistics show that over two thirds of smokers would like to quit smoking, but that they need help and support to achieve their aim. Smokers are addicted to nicotine, so quitting smoking is more difficult than just deciding to stop, it is a battle to break an addiction.
The theme for the 2011 campaign was chosen to be "Is it Time to Quit? We can help". Information and support were provided for smokers who wanted to quit.
National television and radio prorgammes, such as This Morning on ITV and the BBC's Radio Five Live, featured the issue on the day, generating publicity for the campaign.
Smoking Health Risks
Most people are aware that smoking causes lung cancer, with smokers 14 times more likely to suffer from the disease than non-smokers.
But as Net Doctor reports, smoking also causes more other cancers and illnesses. The statistics about smoking-related deaths are very grim: smoking kills around 114 thousand people every year in the UK. These deaths include 42,800 people who die from smoking-related cancers, 30,600 who die from cardiovascular disease, and 29,100 who die from emphysema and other chronic lung diseases.
Research shows that smokers have a life expectancy that is seven or eight years shorter than non-smokers.
Cigarettes contain more than four thousand chemical compounds, with at least four hundred of these being toxic substances.
The compounds in cigarettes that are most damaging are tar, which is a carcinogen, that is a substance that causes cancer, nicotine, which is addictive and increases the smoker's cholesterol level, carbon monoxide which has the effect of reducing the oxygen in the body, and gases and particles that cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.
Passive Smokers
The smoke emitted by a cigarette into the air are even more risky that the smoke that is inhaled. Consequently, smokers are also risking the health of their family and friends.
Mothers who smoke while they are pregnant double the chance of their baby being born prematurely and with a low birth weight.
Parents who smoke double the likelihood that their children will suffer from asthma and asthmatic bronchitis. Their children are also more likely to develop allergies.
Quitting Smoking
The help for smokers to quit smoking is centred around the National Health Service, where doctors and other medical professionals are trained to advise and help smokers to quit.
Information leaflets are available at doctors' surgeries, public libraries, and many other public places. A dedicated website, SmokeFree, is maintained to help smokers who want to quit.
A free Quit Kit is available from the website, which includes advise and practical tools to help smokers quit. For a limited period it also includes a free week's trial of Nicotine Replacement Therapy patches.
Mark Tibbits - A professional writer and educator who writes about Astrology, South Asia/China, the UK, the British Royal Family, and Religion.
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