One month to go – give up smoking before the ban

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and five good reasons to give up......

From 1st of July 2007 it will be against the law to smoke in virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces in England. This includes places like cafes, bars, pubs, clubs, shopping centres, railway stations, garages, work vehicles, taxis, factories and staff rooms.

If you are found smoking in a smokefree area you are breaking the law and could receive a fine of £50.  There will be a number to call, 0800 587 1667, from 1st July to report people or premises that break the law.

There’s never been a better time to give up smoking.  Professor Salman Rawaf, Director of Public Health for Wandsworth says “This is an ideal time to think about stopping smoking for your health and those around you”.

5 reasons to give up! Most risks from smoking come with the first few cigarettes of the day. Just one cigarette triples the risk of lung cancer, while a five-a-day habit increases a woman's risk of dying of lung cancer fivefold. It's worth quitting. Within 10 to 15 years of giving up smoking, an ex-smoker's risk of developing lung cancer is only slightly greater than that of a non-smoker, according to statistics from ASH If you ditch a 20-a-day habit you'll now find an extra £35.50 in your wallet every week, which adds up to £152 a month or £1,825 a year…a nice holiday in the Caribbean! According to the British Heart Foundation, one in five people will die from smoking and annually there are 114,000 deaths of smokers in the UK. Over the past 50 years smoking has killed 6.3 million Britons - the equivalent of the population of London.

In response to the no smoking ban, Wandsworth has expanded its range of services.  These include drop in clinics, which offer free advice and support without an appointment.  Venues are listed below:

Day	Location	Time
Monday	Southfields Library	4:30pm  – 6:00pm
Tuesday	Lavender Hill Library	3:30pm – 5:00pm
Wednesday	Roehampton Library	4:40pm – 6:00pm
Thursday	York Gardens Library	4:30pm – 6:30pm
Friday	St George’s Hospital	11:00am – 1:00pm

Support and advice is also available from local GP surgeries and pharmacies.

June 2, 2007