Boots’ pharmacists are offering  free one-to-one consultations and carbon monoxide testing to people who want  to quit smoking.

With the ban on smoking spreading swiftly throughout the GCC – there is no better time than the present to give up smoking, said the UK’s number one health and beauty store in a statement..

The new 'Ask Your Boots Pharmacists' campaign, unveiled this week, aims not only at  helping in quitting smoking but also to improve your heart and lung health and to protect those around smokers from the harmful effects of cigarette smoke, the company said in a statement..

As the campaign leaps into its first month in the GCC, Boots Pharmacists will conduct free one-to-one consultations, as well as provide expert advice in an attempt to help smokers in the region give up smoking for good.  The New Year is a time when many people make resolutions and think about giving up smoking, and it is known that merely seeking advice from a health care professional may increase his or her chances of quitting. It follows that the 'Ask Your Boots Pharmacist' campaign start off the year with a focus on smoking as it is a relevant and serious health issue in the GCC, with half of all adult males in the Middle East currently addicted to smoking.

Commenting on the campaign, Richard Morgan, Managing Director – Boots, MH Alshaya Co. said: “With the immediate and great success of the Ask Your Boots Pharmacist campaign in the UK, we felt it important to provide this high quality health advice to the region as soon as possible. As a trained Pharmacist and local resident, I understand that people have important and sometimes very sensitive health questions that require accessible, professional health advice.  With so many choices and health products available, impartial advice is of the utmost importance and this is especially relevant around smoking cessation.  We would very much like to encourage an ongoing dialogue between our customers and the Boots Pharmacist teams throughout the entire year and we hope that Ask Your Boots Pharmacist is the medium upon which these trusted relationships may flourish.”

As part of the campaign throughout January, and in addition to providing year round one-to-one health consultations, Boots has partnered with Novartis Consumer Healthcare to provide a number of smoking cessation resources in-store.  Most notably, throughout January, a leading smoking cessation expert will provide consultations and conduct free carbon monoxide testing from 17.00-21.00 hrs at Ibn Batutta Mall (Sundays), The Village Mall-Jumeirah (Wednesdays), Deira City Centre Mall (Thursdays) and The Mall of the Emirates (Fridays and Saturdays).

Upon entering the stores this month, smoking cessation leaflets and informative posters will be displayed and distributed to those who are interested in stubbing out for good.  Leaflets on 'why you should quit smoking' featuring eight good reasons to quit may provide additional encouragement for those who are still considering giving up smoking. Information on 'getting help to stop smoking' outlines the differences between Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRT) such as gums and patches, as well as explaining how NRT can help you to quit smoking is available to take away. Interestingly, NRT has been shown to double the chances of quitting which is why this may be an important option for some people.

A dedicated Stop Smoking Questionnaire has also been developed with Novartis specifically for January's smoking cessation programme in order to assist smokers through the quitting process as well as assess a person's level of nicotine dependence. 

Morgan added: "Training our Pharmacist teams to provide even better customer service through the Ask Your Boots Pharmacist highlights our continued commitment to the region and differentiates us from our competitors. You can walk into any of ou