Every five minutes, someone successfully quits smoking using the Smoke Free support app.
That’s the headline from the team behind Smoke Free, an app which has been newly commissioned by Norfolk County Council’s Public Health team to provide free smoking cessation support for Norfolk residents – just in time for National No Smoking Day (Wednesday, 11th March).
Across the county, 12.2% of adults smoke, which is approximately 92,700 people. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) estimates that smoking costs Norfolk £757m per year, while smoking remains the biggest cause of ill-health and death in the UK.
The Smoke Free app is available for all Norfolk residents free of charge, and studies have shown that using Smoke Free can increase your chances of quitting by up to three times than willpower alone. The key difference compared to other stop smoking apps is that it provides users with 24/7 one-to-one support from Smoke Free’s team of experienced advisors, who provide support and guidance whenever a user has a craving or concerns about quitting.
The app also provides progress tracking including health and money saved, daily missions, Dragon distraction game, round the clock support, and peer support through the app’s community features. Plus, prescription only medications (POM), vapes and nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) delivered to the user’s door, to support their quitting journey.
Councillor Fran Whymark, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health and finances. Without acting now to eventually achieve smokefree status, smoking will continue to be a major source of harm to our health, finances and healthcare systems in Norfolk.
“The Smoke Free app is a fantastic initiative which can support residents who smoke to quit for good. The mix of behaviour change science and consistent, 24/7 support at the user’s fingertips makes it a brilliant option to anyone looking to quit their addiction and improve their health. I encourage residents who smoke to download the app for free and give it a try.”
Louise Ross, Smoking Cessation Lead at Smoke Free, added: “Smoke Free is quite literally support in your pocket – for any time of the day or night. Anyone who wants to quit smoking in Norfolk can get advice and encouragement to keep them motivated, along with free evidence-based products. Whether they’ve tried before, or if this is their first attempt, they’ll find that Smoke Free has so much to offer to help them on their journey.”
Smoke Free’s CEO & Founder, Dr David Crane, said: “Smoke Free was born from a belief that behavioural science and great app design could help people stop smoking.
“Smoking costs Norfolk huge sums each year and behind that number are real people whose health and lives are being cut short. We know that with the right support, people can and do quit. What excites me about this partnership is that we can now put that support directly into the hands of Norfolk residents, free of charge.”
Building on 13 years of success, the app is available to download for Norfolk residents who want to start their quitting journey, and is ranked globally as the number one smoking cessation app with over 195,000 5-star reviews.
Download the app for free to your smartphone today via link.smokefreeapp.com/sfnorfolk. Visit www.norfolk.gov.uk/smokingsupport for more information about quitting smoking.
