Smoking has a particular place in gay culture, from the sailors in Querelle to the leather cigar daddies, something about it has engrained itself in the gay psyche, yet it undoubtedly is bad for your health and will raise your chances of having a heart attack or a stroke, as well as the risk of lung cancer and lung disease. Quiting is bloody hard and we're realistic about that, so if you've tried to give up and have gone back to the fags, that doesn't mean if you try again it won't stick this time.

Sometimes it can help to try and quit with other people, if you do it with friends or partners that will really help as you'll have someone to bitch to about it and help support each other through the difficult times.

Some people find it really useful to get some help using things like nicotine gum or patches to help with the cravings. If you want to try using these then pop in and have a chat with your GP or your practice nurse, you might find that you can get some of them on the NHS and can also get some extra support giving up.

There are also more and more organisations round the country offering smoking cessation courses, most PCTs will provide local smoking cessation services and some will be funding targeted services for gay and bisexual men's.

There is general information on giving up smoking at www.givingupsmoking.co.uk/

Some of the agencies which offer specific help to gay and bisexual men trying to quit:

www.gmfa.org.uk - details on the metromate website - www.metromate.org.uk
www.lgf.org.uk