Stop smoking

You are 4 times more likely to give up smoking with professional support, as opposed to going it alone. Stopping smoking will help you feel better, and will almost immediately improve your health.

We offer 12 weeks of telephone or face-to-face support, with e-cigarettes and nicotine replacement therapy sent straight to your door. We can also offer face to face appointments in Northampton.

Contact us

If you would like help to stop smoking please call us on 0300 126 5700 (option 1). You can also email [email protected].

You can make a referral using the form link below:

Make a referral to the stop smoking team

Nicotine replacement therapy

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) contains only nicotine and none of the damaging chemicals found in cigarettes, so it is a much better option than continuing to smoke. It helps you by giving you the nicotine you would have had from a cigarette.

Although you can purchase NRT over the counter, we recommend getting it through a specialist service and combining it with behavioural support. We can provide you with up to 12 weeks of NRT alongside one-to-one behavioural support.

Smoking in pregnancy

Stopping smoking during pregnancy is the most effective way of ensuring that your child has the best start in life. Although it can be tough to stop smoking, there is plenty of help available across Northamptonshire.

Cigarettes contain over 4,000 chemicals, many of which can prevent your baby from growing properly, and increase their risk of developing significant health problems.

The benefits of stopping smoking in pregnancy include:

you will reduce the risk of complications in pregnancy and birth
you will reduce the risk of stillbirth
your baby is less likely to be born too early and have to face the additional breathing, feeding and health problems that often go with being premature
you are more likely to have a healthier pregnancy and a healthier baby
your baby is less likely to be born underweight
you will reduce the risk of cot death, also known as sudden infant death syndrome

Vapes

Vapes, or e-cigarettes, are also known as vaporisers or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). Find more information on our dedicated Vapes page.

Illicit tobacco

Illicit tobacco is often available at cheaper prices, undermining the effectiveness of taxation, making it harder for smokers to quit. Cheap tobacco also makes it easier for non-smokers to start and ex-smokers to replace.

Below are some examples of illicit tobacco:

“Illicit white” cigarettes which have no legal market in the UK. These are cigarettes which are legally massed manufactured in factories outside of the UK and imported illegally to the UK to be sold. Duty has not been paid and the appropriate health warnings and images might not be present
- these will not conform to UK safety standards such as having reduced ignition propensity (they will not self-extinguish if not ‘puffed’ on by the smoker causing a risk of fire)
counterfeit cigarettes which are illegally manufactured and sold by a party other than the original trademark or copyright holder
- these are completely unregulated and may contain hazardous materials as a cheap filler instead of tobacco
genuine Non Duty Paid cigarettes which are smuggled into the UK without duty paid. As well as cigarettes made for the UK this may include cigarettes intended for sale in another country that have been smuggled into the UK or duty-free cigarettes being illegally sold, rather than kept for personal use. The health warnings will be in the language of the country where they were intended for sale

Non-UK hand-rolling tobacco brands that are not intended for sale in the UK
counterfeit hand-rolling tobacco is, like cigarettes, illegally manufactured and sold by a party other than the original trademark or copyright owner. It can also include the counterfeiting of non-UK products
genuine Non Duty Paid hand-rolling tobacco brands which are sold in the UK but are products intended for non-UK markets

Illegal tobacco is available from a range of sources within some local communities, making it easier for children to start smoking and enabling them to become hooked at a young age.

Illicit tobacco trade is often part of organised crime activity and is linked to a range of other illegal trades including alcohol, people-trafficking and drug smuggling.

If you are aware of any illegal activity of illicit tobacco you should report this to your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau.

More information can be found at the illicit tobacco partnership.

Last updated 04 March 2024