Stoptober is the Department of Health and Social Care’s annual stop smoking campaign, based on evidence that if a smoker makes it to 28 days smoke-free, they are five times more likely to quit for good. Since it first launched in 2012, Stoptober has helped over 2.5 million people make a quit smoking attempt
Key messages
• Stop smoking for the 28 days of Stoptober and you’re five times more likely to quit for good.
• Over 2.5 million people have quit smoking with Stoptober – join thousands of other smokers committing to quit this October.
• Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do for your health. When you stop there are almost immediate improvements to your health.
• It’s never too late to quit smoking. Even if you’ve tried quitting before, give it another go this Stoptober.
• There’s no need to go it alone – it’s much easier to stop smoking when you get the right support and there are lots of options to choose from.
• Getting free expert support from your local stop smoking service is proven to give you the best chance of quitting successfully. Some are now able to offer free vape starter kits too.
• Better Health offers a range of free quitting support including the NHS Quit Smoking app, a 28-day email programme, a local stop smoking service look-up tool, as well as advice on stop smoking aids including information on how vaping can help you quit smoking.
- There are currently 5.3 million adult smokers in England. (i)
- Since 2011, adult smoking prevalence has dropped from 19.8% to 12.7%. (i)
- More men smoke than women (14.5% vs 10.9%). (ii)
- Smoking is the single biggest behavioral 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. (iii)
- 2 out of 3 smokers will die from smoking unless they quit. (iv)
- Smokers lose on average 10 years of life, or around 1 year for every 4 years of smoking after the age of 30. (v)
- The prevalence of current smokers in England is highest in the East Midlands (14%) and lowest in the South East region (11.5%). (vi)
- The annual cost of smoking to society in England is £21.8 billion. (vii)
- The most common trigger for quitting smoking is a future health concern, followed by cost, a current health concern or a comment by family/friends.
- 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 equates to smokers spending on average £59.54 a week on tobacco. That means they could save around £3,000 a year by quitting. (viii)
- 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. (ix)
- 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. (ix)
Better Health has a range of content and tools to help smokers make a successful quit attempt, all of which can be accessed at Help to Stop Smoking.