Stop Smoking

GMFA runs stop smoking groups in London for LGBT people based on the NHS seven week groupwork model. As the group is open to everyone from the LGBT community it could be a mixed gender group you attend. At the moment all the facilitators are gay men although we are in the process of recruiting other members of the LGBT community to be facilitators on the course. All volunteers are trained and accredited Smoking Cessation facilitators. The course takes place over seven consecutive weekday evening sessions and you need to be able to attend all seven weeks.

The course is for anyone who wants to quit smoking; you may have tried any number of ways before to quit, and you may even have used this course before and want to use it again. The main thing is the motivation to quit, without it to be honest, we can’t help you. You need to want to stop smoking yourself, not just be attending because you are fed up with your other half moaning at you for example, because you are unlikely to succeed if you don’t really want to stop.

The course encourages participants to use Nicotine Replacement Therapies – known as NRT (things like gum or patches) to help you deal with your nicotine cravings. By using NRT you are 10 times more likely to succeed in your quit attempt than if you just stop, which is why we would discourage you from going ‘cold turkey’, but the method you choose to help you move away from smoking is really down to you, we will give you lots of information about any method that you choose to use.

The course runs for two hours every Tuesday from 7pm till 9pm. The first three weeks of the course will give you lots of information about smoking itself and the methods you can use to help you quit. Everyone quits together on the third week of the course, as this helps everyone feel like they are all going through the same things at the same time and helps everyone in the group bond. The other four weeks are spent building your skills to help you through difficult times, talking through how your quit is going and getting support from each other.

Depending on the method you use when you quit, you will be asked to make an appointment with your GP so he can give you your prescription. This is important if you choose to use either Champix or Xyban, the drugs that help you to quit, or if you want your NRT on prescription. We will give you a letter to your GP informing them you are on a smoking cessation course to support the prescription. You will need to make your appointment after the first session of the course.

All places on the course are free of charge for you.

Begins: Sunday, January 27, 2013 at 3 PM - 5pm and every Sunday until March 10, 2013.

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PLEASE ONLY BOOK A PLACE ON THIS COURSE IF YOU ARE CERTAIN YOU CAN ATTEND.