Take a breather from smoking during Breathe Easy Week

Take a breather from smoking during Breathe Easy Week

With around 16 percent of adults in Lancashire smoking across the County, the Quit Squad want to highlight the specialist support available to smokers during Breathe Easy Week (18 to 24 June).

Breathe Easy Week is an annual awareness event organised by the British Lung Foundation that focuses on lung health; the Quit Squad is supporting the campaign by raising awareness of the impact of tobacco on your health if you smoke.

Gareth Beck from the Quit Squad said: “Smoking is the leading cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causing damage to the lungs and airways. If you have COPD, then stopping smoking is the most important thing you can do. It also makes symptoms worse for people with asthma and other lung conditions. Stopping smoking can prevent COPD from developing or getting worse. Quitting tobacco will help you cope with your symptoms, improve your health and quality of life, and prevent the condition from getting worse. It is never too late to quit and you are four times more likely to stop smoking with expert help than alone.”

COPD is the name for a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties. It is a common condition that mainly affects middle-aged or older adults who smoke. Many people do not realise they have it and the breathing problems tend to get gradually worse over time and can limit a person’s normal activities. The main symptoms of COPD are increasing breathlessness, a persistent chesty cough with phlegm, frequent chest infections and persistent wheezing. The likelihood of developing COPD increases the more and longer a person smokes.

The Quit Squad is a service delivered by Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust and funded by Lancashire County Council. You can access the service in your local community by visiting a drop-in clinic (for which no appointments are required) or by attending a one-to-one session. The Quit Squad also offers sessions in the community and workplace. For further details, telephone 0800 3286297, visit www.quitsquad.nhs.uk, or follow the Quit Squad on Twitter @LancashireCare #QuitSquad. For more information about the British Lung Foundation, visit www.blf.org.uk