37 DAYS TO GO

Smokers, now so often forced to huddle outside offices and homes, will find even fewer places where their habit's welcome from July 1. Gabrielle Fagan explains where to find help in giving up.

THE day the English public smoking ban comes into effect is fast approaching, banning smokers from having a drag in pubs, cafes, clubs and restaurants and a host of other places that will become smoke-free zones.

The ban already exists in Scotland and Wales and the Department of Health hopes making it UK-wide will encourage up to 600,000 people to quit for good.

Millions more would like to join them - at least 70 per cent of the UK's 12 million smokers would like to kick the habit - but are daunted by the difficulty of kicking the weed.

Smokers need support to succeed according to Jennifer Percival, head of the Royal College of Nursing Tobacco Education project and author of You Can Stop Smoking, a self-help guide to overcoming the habit.

''Smoking is extremely difficult to give up and people shouldn't feel bad about themselves or failures if they struggle with it," she says. ''Nicotine is as addictive as heroin or cocaine, and so the cycle of addiction can be difficult to break. Most people try five or six times to quit before they succeed.''

Percival points out that those using nicotine replacement therapy products - such as patches, gum, or inhalators which mimic cigarettes - and getting support, are four times more likely to quit than those simply going cold turkey.

''Nicotine replacement therapy is no magic cure but combined with willpower and support maybe from a group or even a sympathetic friend it can significantly help you overcome your desire to smoke,'' she says.

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.

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 ten 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.

WHAT CAN I DO?

Check out the condition of your lungs, it could boost your desire to stop!

Take a free 'smokelyser' test at Boots to measure the level of carbon monoxide in your lungs. Carbon monoxide thickens and clots blood, which can cause a heart attack or stroke. Test three months after quitting to see the difference. From June 20, Boots is offering a free lung age test, measuring the 'real' age of lungs.

Set a quit date and prepare for it by getting guidance on how to give up. Visit your GP, or visit the NHS website: www.gosmokefree.co.uk. Seek advice from helplines such as NHS Stop Smoking Service: 0800 169 0169 or the Quitline: 0800-002-200. Boots, alongside charity Quit, offers a personalised quitting plan, with the charity's stop smoking counsellors giving further support.

WHAT CAN HELP?

Nicotine patches as a once-a-day solution are most suitable for smokers who have a regular pattern of smoking. They release a steady dose of nicotine into the bloodstream via the skin. They come in three strengths to allow users to reduce the dose when they're ready. A week's supply costs around £15, but they may be available on prescription.

Nicotine nasal spray is the strongest form of NRT available. ''It's especially suitable for heavy and highly addicted smokers as it is absorbed faster than any other NRT,'' Percival explains. It's recommended for those who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day or light up within 30 minutes of waking and costs around £21 for one spray.

Nicotine gum ''lets you control your nicotine dose yourself'', Percival says. It comes in two strengths,the 2mg gum for those who smoke 20 cigarettes or fewer a day, and 4mg for those who smoke more than 20 a day. Most people use 10-15 pieces of gum daily for at least the first 12 weeks. A pack of 24 costs £4.

A new therapy, IQS (I Quit Smoking) from America, has just launched in the UK, and involves having electrical stimulation applied to the earlobe. It's claimed this releases endorphins that help reduce nicotine cravings.

It's aimed at those who smoke over 15 cigarettes a day, and have smoked for over eight years. It costs £399 and includes four treatment sessions, and six months helpline/follow up support at five London clinics, with another opening shortly in Birmingham. IQS also offers a money back guarantee if the treatment fails to work over six months. For more information call 0800-107-5877 or visit www.iqs.uk.com

Nicotine microtab is a small white tablet that dissolves allowing the mouth to absorb the nicotine. It should be taken for 12 weeks. It's around £16 for a pack of 100 tablets.

Nicotine inhalators are plastic devices shaped like a cigarette with a nicotine cartridge fitted into it. ''It's held like a cigarette so it's suitable for people who miss the habit of holding and handling a cigarette,'' Percival says. It's around £6 for a starter pack.

You Can Stop Smoking by Jennifer Percival (Virgin Books, £10).