Local help to stop smoking

Scotland’s free and friendly local stop smoking services can hugely increase your chances of having a successful quit attempt and staying stopped for good. Wherever you stay in Scotland you can get help. The NHS provides pharmacy and local specialist stop smoking services.

Pharmacy services

Your local community pharmacy provides a free stop smoking service. The service is:

local – there’s usually one in every neighbourhood
convenient – you can drop in to pick up your stop smoking medication and access 1 to 1 support when it suits you, such as during lunch breaks or after work
flexible – you can go at a time that suits you and it doesn’t have to be the same time of day each week

The pharmacist will explain the medications available to help you quit smoking such as patches, nasal sprays or inhalators. They’ll advise on the pros and cons of each to help you decide which option is the best for you.

Group and 1 to 1 stop smoking support

You’ll be able to access 1 to 1 and group support sessions in your local area. These will be either by appointment or on a drop-in basis. The venue could be a local building such as a:

GP practice
pharmacy
community centre
hospital

Find out more about what a stop smoking advisor does.

Group sessions

Group sessions are ideal if you’re looking for support from other like-minded people facing the same challenges. It’s often the case that group members support each other outside the session. Combined with the support of your advisor, this will increase your chances of quitting considerably.

Stop smoking groups across Scotland

Find out more about what your local stop smoking group can do for you.

1 to 1 support

1 to 1 support allows your advisor to work more closely with you. This enables particular issues to be tackled at each session. Even if you’re just thinking of stopping, 1 to 1 sessions can help you set a quit date.