Courses run by GMFA

GMFA courses use a mix of information, skills and activities that allow you to learn what you want to in a safe, fun and friendly atmosphere. They are facilitated by trained and experienced volunteers of GMFA, many of whom are facilitators in their professional life as well.

GMFA provides Stop Smoking courses for gay men in London. GMFA also works with with CHAPS partner agencies to provide groupwork in London and across the UK. Details of GMFA courses outside London can be found on our National Groupwork site: www.gmfa.org.uk/national.

Courses held on Saturdays normally run from 10am to 5pm. The Stop Smoking Course meetings are held on weekdays from 7pm to 9pm. Please be aware that you may be refused entry to a course if you arrive after the start time.

Men of all ages book on to GMFA courses and 96% of our past participants would recommend the course they have attended to another gay man 1.

If you are interested in attending a GMFA course we recommend that you read the course information first and then book your place via the online booking form. We’ve also provided a page of ‘important information’ in case you have any other questions that haven’t been answered here.

We look forward to seeing you on one of our courses.

Currently available:

The Stop Smoking Course

The Stop Smoking Course
Begins	Tuesday 14 July from 7pm to 9pm
Continues	Tuesday 14 July, Tuesday 21 July, Tuesday 28 July, Tuesday 4 August, Tuesday 11 August, Tuesday 18 August, Tuesday 25 August.
Booking	Book a place.

Gay men are more likely to smoke, start smoking earlier, and continue smoking for longer than straight men. HIV positive gay men are more likely to smoke than HIV negative gay men, and are more likely to suffer from smoking related illnesses, such as lung cancer and emphysema, than HIV negative smokers.

GMFA has been running Stop Smoking courses for gay men since 2001 that are specifically designed and facilitated by gay men and based on the NHS approved course. Having an all gay group to quit with makes it easier for you to share how quitting will impact on your life when socialising, cruising or relaxing.

Who should attend?

The course is for any gay or bisexual man who wants to quit smoking. In addition, the course is particularly useful for men with HIV as it is the only UK course that contains advice on the interaction of Nicotine Replacement Therapy with HIV treatment.

Course Detail

If you want to stop smoking then our seven session Stop Smoking course for gay men can help. Evidence shows that the support you get from a Stop Smoking course, combined with the relief from withdrawal symptoms that Nicotine Replacement Therapy gives you, makes your attempt to quit ten times more likely to succeed than if you use willpower alone.

During the course the facilitators will cover some of the ‘science bits’ to help you understand why you find it so hard to quit and how to get the maximum benefit from any of the Nicotine Replacement Therapies that you may choose to use. The main emphasis of the group meetings is on understanding and supporting you through your quit attempt.

The third week of the course is the quit date and the group quits smoking together (so keep smoking until then). At each subsequent meeting until the end of the course you have your carbon monoxide level tested using monitors which verify that you have stopped smoking.

You should not be discouraged from joining a group by fear of failure as everyone in the group knows how difficult it can be to quit, and anyone who doesn’t succeed in their attempt will be shown sympathy and understanding.

References:

1 GMFA Market Research Report. GMFA, 2006.