Why it's never been better to be a quitter

According to Darcy, who is part of the most successful anti-smoking campaign in UK history, more people in the North-East have been helped to give up smoking in the last few years than ever before.

It has been achieved by the Government pouring millions into a network of smoking cessation services which cover the whole country and providing them with a range of heavily subsidised - and in many cases, free - nicotine replacement therapies to help wean smokers off tobacco.

This year's resolution should be to heed the stark "Smoking Kills" warning on every cigarette pack and do yourself a favour, says Darcy.

Thousands of UK smokers have been helped to give up after enrolling onto courses through their local surgery. The North-East has been particularly good at this - despite higher than average levels of smoking, the two health authorities covering an area from the Tees to the Tweed have the highest success rates in helping smokers give up.

But many smokers who would dearly love to stop still don't realise that help is at hand.

Lifelong smoker Tony Foggon, 53, from Darlington, says giving up is the best thing he has done in years. After enrolling on a 12-week course with Darcy's team, Tony recently kicked his habit.

"I can't believe how easy it was this time. I have tried and tried for years to give up on my own and I could never, ever do it," says Tony, who has three children.

It was a combination of support and nicotine patches that did the trick for Tony. "I only used about four of the patches but it worked for me, I'm hoping my wife, Joanna, is going to try to give up now," he says.

Darcy, who has personally helped hundreds of smokers quit, believes that a New Year name change, which means that he and his colleagues up and down the UK will become "stop smoking officers" rather than members of the smoking cessation service, will help to break down barriers between the public and health professionals.

Sceptics might wonder why 2004 is such a good year to give up, but Darcy points to the striking success rates of smokers who join organised groups. "Research confirms that you are much more likely to successfully give up smoking if you join a proper group. Since we started running these groups in November 2000, we have seen about 2,000 people. The most recent statistics show that out of 442 people who set a quit date between April and September, 268 were successful, which is 60.6 per cent."

When the Government was setting up smoking cessation services, it thought the success rate would only be around 25 per cent. Official figures show that smoking cessation courses have helped an average of 85 people per 100,000 across the UK.

The rate for the area covered by County Durham and Darlington Strategic Health Authority is 190 per 100,000, a figure only bettered by the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear health authority area to the north.

"Research suggests that if they meet the four-week quit criteria, they are more likely to stay off cigarettes for a longer period. Coming through a service such as ours doubles the chance of success, compared to doing it yourself," says Darcy. So what is the secret of success?

Darcy explains that smokers who are determined to give up start by asking their GP about enrolling on a course, usually for an hour a week for seven weeks.

"You would normally go to your local doctor's surgery, register your interest and you would either be seen by a practice nurse or referred to groups organised by our service," says Darcy.

Courses are normally run at GP surgeries but occasionally take place in larger venues.

"The numbers range from about half a dozen up to 20. People seem to really value being part of a group. They can share their experiences and talk about what works and what doesn't work," says Darcy.

While smokers are told the facts about smoking - that it is the biggest single cause of death and illness in the UK and a major risk factor for heart disease, strokes and cancer - they are not lectured, says Darcy, who prefers a more relaxed, sympathetic approach.

"We are certainly not out to scare people - we aim to provide people with information that helps them to think that they have made the right decision. Everyone thinks of lung cancer as the first problem with cigarettes and nine out of ten people that have lung cancer are people who have smoked."

But just as serious is the effect of smoking on the heart and circulation system. "If you smoke, you are breathing in a poisonous gas, carbon monoxide, which reduces the amount of oxygen your blood carries around your body and causes heart and circulatory disease," Darcy says.

Apart from heart attacks, heart disease and strokes, smokers are also at risk of losing their lower limbs, with around 25,000 smoking-related amputations every year.

So apart from a pep talk about why you should give up, what else is on offer from the courses?

"We identify how much they smoke, the patterns and a few lifestyle factors so we can guide them to the best prescription available to them," says Darcy.

The most popular aids to giving up, which are highly effective when people are taught to use them correctly, are nicotine patches but other nicotine replacement therapies including gum, lozenges, inhalators (plastic tubes fitted with cartridges containing nicotine and menthol) and nasal sprays can be used, according to circumstances.

A popular method of helping smokers get over their craving is the drug Zyban, a mild antidepressant which gives smokers a feeling of well-being while they are trying to kick nicotine. People are also given advice about ways of avoiding temptation.

Special information days for people who want to stop smoking are being held at Darlington's Dolphin Centre on January 7th and 9th, between 10am and 3.30pm.

"People can drop in any time, it is very informal," says Darcy.

* For information about giving up, ring the NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 169 0169 or visit www.givingupsmoking.co.uk