As No Smoking Day (Weds 13th March 2024) celebrates its 40th anniversary, the message for the one million smokers across London is to ‘Make Today Your No Smoking Day’.
No Smoking Day is an annual campaign that raises awareness of the health harms caused by smoking and encourages smokers to make a quit attempt. This year is a celebration of the lives saved over the past 40 years, but a reminder that smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death. The campaign is a call to action for those still smoking to get the help they need to quit.
Chris Kennedy from Hackney smoked for 17 years before he quit in time for his wedding day as he wanted to be the best version of himself for his wife. He is urging other smokers to think of their loved ones and quit for them.
He says: “I was in an amateur dramatic theatre show and the character I was portraying was scripted to smoke a cigarette as part of a scene. I decided that I would play the part ‘properly’ by becoming a method actor for the scene and smoked a cigarette.
“I was 19 years old when this happened. I planned to stop smoking once my acting duties had finished, so I smoked throughout the course of the show. I became addicted and did not stop smoking for 17 years.
Chris who is a Cabinet Member for Health, Adult Social Care, Voluntary Sector and Culture at Hackney Council continues: “I was a habitual smoker. I couldn’t get out of bed until I had smoked my cigarette – no matter how early it was or how busy my day was looking. For me, mealtime had not finished until I smoked a cigarette after finishing eating.
“I remember an evening when I felt low, I had a terribly sore throat and I had run out of rolling tobacco. My then fiancé – now wife – had successfully given up smoking and it spurred me on to make a quit attempt. We were getting married and I didn’t want to be a smoker at my wedding – I just wanted to do my bit to be the best version of myself for our relationship.
“I noticed a big improvement in my health shortly after quitting for good. My physical fitness became better. I was able to exercise and I completely lost the breathlessness that I experienced when walking or running.
“Another important aspect is that my mental health improved when I stopped smoking. I spent all those years believing that cigarettes relaxed me when in fact, I soon realised that tobacco and my nicotine addiction were making my feelings of anxiety and irritability worse.”
As No Smoking Day (Weds 13th March 2024) celebrates its 40th anniversary, the message for the one million smokers across London is to ‘Make Today Your No Smoking Day’.
No Smoking Day is an annual campaign that raises awareness of the health harms caused by smoking and encourages smokers to make a quit attempt. This year is a celebration of the lives saved over the past 40 years, but a reminder that smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death. The campaign is a call to action for those still smoking to get the help they need to quit.
Chris Kennedy from Hackney smoked for 17 years before he quit in time for his wedding day as he wanted to be the best version of himself for his wife. He is urging other smokers to think of their loved ones and quit for them.
He says: “I was in an amateur dramatic theatre show and the character I was portraying was scripted to smoke a cigarette as part of a scene. I decided that I would play the part ‘properly’ by becoming a method actor for the scene and smoked a cigarette.
“I was 19 years old when this happened. I planned to stop smoking once my acting duties had finished, so I smoked throughout the course of the show. I became addicted and did not stop smoking for 17 years.
Chris who is a Cabinet Member for Health, Adult Social Care, Voluntary Sector and Culture at Hackney Council continues: “I was a habitual smoker. I couldn’t get out of bed until I had smoked my cigarette – no matter how early it was or how busy my day was looking. For me, mealtime had not finished until I smoked a cigarette after finishing eating.
“I remember an evening when I felt low, I had a terribly sore throat and I had run out of rolling tobacco. My then fiancé – now wife – had successfully given up smoking and it spurred me on to make a quit attempt. We were getting married and I didn’t want to be a smoker at my wedding – I just wanted to do my bit to be the best version of myself for our relationship.
“I noticed a big improvement in my health shortly after quitting for good. My physical fitness became better. I was able to exercise and I completely lost the breathlessness that I experienced when walking or running.
“Another important aspect is that my mental health improved when I stopped smoking. I spent all those years believing that cigarettes relaxed me when in fact, I soon realised that tobacco and my nicotine addiction were making my feelings of anxiety and irritability worse.”
