Sunderland dad inspires thousands to quit smoking

Thousands of smokers have sought advice on how to quit after a campaign featuring a Sunderland dad.

Across the region, 2,361 people signed up for NHS help to stub out the habit in the People Like Me campaign from Fresh - Smoke Free North East.
Another 6,500 made contact at events in town centres to get more details about quitting for a healthier and wealthier 2010.
In Sunderland, shoppers were invited to visit a stall in The Bridges and over two weeks, 643 people signed up to get help from South of Tyne and Wear NHS Stop Smoking Service and another 2,260 spoke to advisers to find out more.
The campaign featured real local people who've stopped smoking, such as Colin Docherty, 50, from Hendon.
Colin had smoked for 30 years until he suffered a stroke and his daughter, Elizabeth, begged him to quit before it killed him.
Ailsa Rutter, of Fresh, said: "Most smokers would like to be able to quit, but aren't always sure of the best way. But there's loads of NHS help out there to make the job that much easier and give you an extra tool besides your willpower."
"We're blown away by the amount of interest we've had from smokers signing up for support or wanting to chat about quitting in the future."

"Many people have tried and failed before, but quitting smoking can take practice. You don't always get it right first time."
She said: "This stall in The Bridges enabled people to talk to an adviser first hand about how smoking affected their life and what help is available."
"The message to anyone who has tried but not succeeded at new year is to give it another go. You're up to four times more likely to stop smoking successfully if you use NHS Stop Smoking Services than willpower alone. Nine out of 10 people who use them say they would recommend them."
There are over 1,000 places in the region where smokers can get expert support and medication to deal with cravings, from GP surgeries to pharmacies, schools and community centres.
NHS Stop Smoking Services offer one-to-one or group sessions with trained advisers, with expert advice about managing cravings, dealing with stress, possible weight gain and the medicines available to help.

Source: Sunderland Echo, 20 March 2010