Stoptober 2024
Stoptober is back this October to encourage and support smokers to quit for good.
Stoptober is the Department of Health and Social Care's annual stop smoking campaign, based on evidence that if a smoker makes it to 28days smoke-free, they are five times more likely to quit for good. Since its first launch in 2012, Stoptober has helped over 2.5 million people make a quit smoking attempt. With your help, this year we aim to encourage the remaining 5 million smokers in England to give quitting a go this October and support them to quit successfully.
While smoking rates have declined in recent years, over 5 million people in England still smoke and smoking remains the single biggest cause of preventable ill health and death. The total cost from smoking to society in England is approximately £1.9 billion per year to treat smoking-related diseases.
The latest data shows that using willpower alone remains the most common approach to quitting smoking, despite being proven to be the least effective. Stoptober is great opportunity to promote the range of national and local support available and, as a result, increase the number of successful quit attempts.
If you search 'Stoptober' this will direct you to the better health website or click this link: Quit smoking - Better Health - NHS (www.nhs.uk) . This is where you can access a range of free support, tools, information and advice on quitting smoking. There is also a postcode lookup tool to help find local stop smoking services.
Facts and Stats
* There are currently 5.3 million adult smokers in England
* Since 2011, adults smoking prevalence has dropped from 19.8% to 12.7%
* More men smoke than women
* Smoking is the single biggest behavioural cause of preventable illness and death in England. Every year around 64,000 people in England die from smoking, with many more living with debilitating smoking-related illnesses
* 2 out of 3 smokers will die from smoking unless they quit
* Smokers lose on average 10 years of life, or around 1 year for every 4 years of smoking after the age of 30
* The prevalence of current smokers in England is highest in the East Midlands (14%) and lowest in the South East region (11.5%)
* The annual cost of smoking to society in England is £21.8 billion
* The most common trigger for quitting smoking is a future health concern, followed by cost, a current health concern or comment by friends or family
* Most smokers try to quit with no support, followed by using a vape, NRT products, prescribed medication or accessing a local stop smoking service
* When you quit smoking the benefits start almost immediately. After just 8 hours harmful carbon monoxide levels in your blood will have reduced by half. After 48 hours your senses of taste and smell are improving. After 2 to 12 weeks circulation will have improved, and after 3 to 9 months lung function increases by up to 10%
* The average price of a packet of cigarettes is £15.84, which is equates to smokers spending on average £59.54 a week on tobacco. That means they could save around £3,000 a year by quitting
* Evidence shows that once people have got past the short-term withdrawal stage of quitting, they have reduced anxiety, depression and stress and increased positive mood compared with people who continue to smoke.
* For symptoms of anxiety and depression, stopping smoking is as effective as taking antidepressants. Just 6 weeks after quitting, people start feeling happier as well as healthier.
