To inspire parents to give up smoking this No Smoking Day, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) is educating parents on the dangerous effects of second hand smoke or ‘passive smoke’ on their children.
Passive smoke is a cause of short- and long-term illness in others and is particularly harmful to children – especially in enclosed spaces. In December, the Government announced new regulations that ban smoking in cars where children are present will come into force on 1st October 2015, subject to agreement in both Houses. The ban will only cover England, however similar bans have been put forth in Wales and Scotland and Northern Ireland is considering a ban.
Drivers or passengers who are caught smoking face a £50 fixed penalty. However, if the case goes to court, the maximum fine is £800 for someone caught smoking in a car carrying a child and £10,000 for a driver who fails to prevent a passenger from smoking.
Passive smoke not only negatively impacts children’s immediate health, it can also influence their habits in the future – children who are exposed to smoking in their homes are more likely to smoke than those who are brought up in smoke-free environments.
Hamad-ul Rahman (pictured with his daughter), 35, started smoking as a teen after seeing both his father and his friends smoke. While his father protested against him smoking, since his father smoked, he figured it must be okay for him to smoke too. By the time he was in his early 20s, he was smoking 20-30 cigarettes a day – a figure that increased when Hamad’s father passed away when Hamad was just 24.
Two years later, when Hamad married, he started to cut down on smoking and when he found out his wife was pregnant with his daughter, Sehreem, he decided to quit cold turkey.
Although he admits that quitting smoking was the hardest thing he’s ever done, he’s proud that he stopped smoking for his family. Hamad sees the benefits of quitting smoking every day, and is now able to run around with his two daughters without getting out of breath.
No Smoking Day 2015 will be held on 11 March.
To get involved in No Smoking Day or to receive information and support on stopping smoking visit nosmokingday.org.uk and join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #NoSmokingDay.
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Bloggermummylauren
Tuesday 13th of January 2015
I started smoking when I was 13. I quit in 2013 after 12 years, and it was the best thing I have ever done. it was also one of the hardest, my husband and I quit together, using patches at first but just cold turkey after a few days.
There is no better source of will power than your children, if you are thinking of quitting I urge you to give it a go. It can be done!