Stoptober
3rd October 2018
3rd October 2018
Launched in 2012, Stoptober is the 28-day stop smoking challenge from Public Health England (PHE) that encourages and supports smokers across England towards quitting for good.
Stoptober is based on the insight that if you can stop smoking for 28-days, you are five times more likely to quit for good.
Last year, nearly 400,000 smokers in England quit successfully, which is the equivalent to 1,069 smokers each day – one every 80 seconds. Fresh, along with local authorities and NHS Trusts across the country are supporting this year’s campaign and encouraging people who smoke to take part.
Six out of 10 smokers want to quit and most try to quit using willpower alone (or ‘cold turkey’). However, the most successful quit attempts use a combination of effective stop smoking support methods.
The best way to quit is with expert help from local stop smoking services together with stop smoking aids. In 2017-18, half (51%) of smokers who got this package of support managed to quit and among those who used an e-cigarette in their quit attempt, the success rate was up to 63%.
New to this year, Public Health England’s Stoptober campaign is offering a free online ‘Personal Quit Plan’ to help smokers find the right stop smoking support for them. The online plan asks a number of questions and provides smokers with a suggested combination of support based on their level of tobacco dependency and what quitting support they have used previously.
Smokers will be advised that nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products are most effective when used in combination – an all-day patch together with a fast-acting option such as an inhalator or lozenges to help them deal with any immediate cravings.
Jeremy Kyle, TV presenter and until recently a smoker of 35 years, said: “I was a 20 a day smoker for most of my life and am proud to say I quit smoking earlier this year. I’ve tried many times in the past to quit but nothing really worked for me. I’m not going to pretend it is easy, but I knew my time smoking was up.”
Jeremy added: “The thing that is really helping me stay smokefree is vaping. I’m currently on the lowest nicotine strength and will then come off the e-cigarette altogether when the time is right for me. Since quitting I’ve learned just how important using support is and for people not to go ‘cold turkey’ – that certainly didn’t work for me in the past. If I can quit, I honestly believe anyone can quit if you just have the right support, and that’s what Stoptober is there to give you and I want people to know that and to do it this year.”
The new Personal Quit Plan will recommend a range of options to smokers including face-to-face support, nicotine replacement therapies like patches, gum or inhalers, and e-cigarettes.
E-cigarettes remain the nation’s favourite stop smoking aid, with an estimated 3.2 million adult users in Great Britain. Over time, the proportion who are ex-smokers has risen and over half (52%) of current vapers have stopped smoking completely. A further 900,000 people have given up both smoking and vaping.
Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) said: “There are almost as many different ways of quitting as there are smokers, but to succeed smokers need motivation. ASH is delighted to see Stoptober is back, with a new TV ad campaign raising awareness and online resources to provide encouragement and advice for smokers trying to quit with Stoptober. ASH welcomes PHE’s endorsement of e-cigarettes as an effective quitting-aid, alongside nicotine replacement therapies such as patches or gum. The latest research for ASH found that nearly 4 in 10 adult tobacco smokers have yet to try e-cigarettes and we would encourage them to do so, as an aid to quitting.”
For help and advice on quitting smoking, and for a wide range of products and supplements that get you on the right track, take a trip to Imperial Pharmacy in The Pantiles.
To find out more about Stoptober.