Stoptober is back on 1st October and the campaign is calling on smokers across the Isle of Wight to join the 2.3 million others across England who have made a quit attempt with the campaign since it launched a decade ago.
Over 6million adults in England still smoke and it remains the leading cause of premature death, with almost 75,000 preventable deaths a year. A new nationwide survey of 2,000 current smokers has found that nearly half (45%) have been smoking more since the first lockdown began. Key reasons reported are due to being bored in the lockdowns (43%) or the pandemic making them more anxious (42%).
More than two fifths (43%) of smokers surveyed believe that the strength of addiction and/or craving is the biggest obstacle to quitting, followed by the stress of everyday life (42%). More than half of smokers want to quit, and three quarters (75%) would never have started smoking if they could go back in time. Of those who want to quit, more than half (55%) would like to do so to improve their physical health or to save money (52%).
Stoptober is based on research that if a smoker can make it to 28 days smoke-free, they are five times more likely to quit for good. The campaign first launched in 2012 when 1 in 5 adults smoked (19.3%); this has since fallen to 1 in 7 in England (13.9%).
Stoptober offers a range of free quitting tools including: the NHS Quit Smoking app, Facebook messenger bot, Stoptober Facebook online communities, daily emails and SMS, and an online Personal Quit Plan. The Personal Quit Plan helps people find a combination of support that’s right for them, including expert support from local Stop Smoking Services and stop smoking aids.
Jason Mahoney, Tobacco Programme Lead for PHE South East said:
“Stoptober has been hugely successful in helping smokers to quit since its launch 10 years ago. There are two million fewer smokers in England today than there were 10 years ago, and at the same time we have seen a significant downward trend in smoking rates in across Kent and Medway.
Article continues below this advertisement “The rise in in smoking among the under-35s since the coronavirus pandemic, up from 18% in 2019 to 24% now12, is worrying and shows the importance of campaigns such as Stoptober in helping people up and down the country to take the decision to quit.
“Campaigns like Stoptober, which provides support to smokers, have proven to be enormously helpful in encouraging people to quit and maintaining motivation. Quitting smoking will not only immediately improve your physical health but also your bank balance. Research shows that if you can make it to 28 days smoke free then you are five times more likely to quit for good.”
For free support to quit search ‘Stoptober’.
you cant just replace ciggies with “being on the computer” as a destressor, at least i go outside several times a day
A greater % of junkies give-up heroin, than smokers give-up smoking.
Shouldn’t be legal, devastating health consequences, some which cause drawn-out suffering and cost the taxpayer.