Free support available to women who want to quit smoking

Women in the areas of Coolock and Kilmore who want to quit smoking are invited to join the We Can Quit programme. We Can Quit is an initiative of the Irish Cancer Society in partnership with the Northside Partnership, Health Promotion and Improvement HSE and Lloyds Pharmacy. The programme, which is due to start on Wednesday, 20th of January, is free of charge and offers the opportunity for women to join forces with other women and to support each other in quitting smoking together.

Participants in the We Can Quit programme will attend weekly group sessions and will receive one-to-one support. They will also be offered 12 weeks of free Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). Research has shown that smokers who use a combination of group support and two NRT products for a 12 week period are four times more likely to quit and stay smoke-free for good.

We Can Quit is open to all women smokers living in Coolock and Kilmore who are over the age of 18 years and are interested in quitting smoking. There are two upcoming We Can Quit programmes available, one in the morning and one in the evening. They will take place on Wednesday, 20th January from 10am – 12pm in St. Brendan’s Parish Centre, Coolock Village and on Wednesday 20th January from 7pm-9pm in St Luke’s Parish Centre in Kilmore, Dublin 5.

Rachel Burke, Community Cancer Prevention Officer at the Irish Cancer Society said: “We are welcoming all women smokers who would like to take part in ‘We Can Quit’. This is the third year the programme will run in the Northside area with many local women now smoke-free as a result. It is fantastic to see the joy and confidence of the participants who quit in previous years with the help of this programme. We know that many women see stopping smoking as a huge challenge which can seem like an uphill struggle that they face alone. The ‘We Can Quit’ message is you are not alone. With the right support, we know that women can quit smoking and we want them to know that we are here to help them.”

Maureen Downey, Local Development Officer at the Northside Partnership said: ‘’The Northside Partnership is delighted to once again be involved in the ‘We Can Quit’ initiative. It is programmes like ‘We Can Quit’ which provide people with information and support which are important in keeping communities healthy. It was great to see local women get involved in the past, and with so many being successful, I encourage any woman who is thinking about quitting smoking to join the programme in January.”

For further details on We Can Quit or to sign up for your free place on the programme, contact Bernie McDermott by calling 085 8478961 or register online at www.cancer.ie/we-can-quit.

Aside from the programmes offered in the areas of Kilmore and Coolock, We Can Quit will also be available to areas such as Blanchardstown, Swords, Balbriggan, Tallaght and Rialto in 2016. Details will be on the website www.cancer.ie/we-can-quit in the coming weeks.