Stoptober is back to launch its 10th mass ‘quit smoking’ attempt on 1 October, calling on smokers in England to join the 2.3 million who have made a quit attempt with the campaign since it launched almost a decade ago in 2012.
Preventable deaths
Over six million adults in England still smoke, and it remains the leading cause of premature death, with almost 75,000 preventable deaths a year.
Smoking through lockdown
A new nationwide survey of 2,000 current smokers found nearly half (45%) have been smoking more since the first lockdown began. Key reasons reported are being bored in the lockdowns (43%) or the pandemic making them more anxious (42%). What’s more, data from the monthly UCL Smoking Toolkit Study indicates a large increase in smoking among the under-35s since the coronavirus pandemic began, up from 18% in 2019 to 24% now.
Giving quitting a go
As a result, this year’s Stoptober is more important than ever, with quitting remaining one of the best things a smoker can do for their health. This year’s Stoptober is encouraging smokers to join the thousands of others who are quitting for October to experience the benefits of giving up smoking – including being able to start moving better, being able to breathe more easily and saving money.
Free quitting tools
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.
Free help in Lambeth
You can get help to stop smoking from:
- Community pharmacy services: Walk-in service, offering remote and telephone consultation at participating pharmacies across the borough. You will be able to access free one-to-one support during
Stop smoking, start saving this Stoptober
the first six weeks of your journey to become smoke-free, along with up to 12 weeks’ worth of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or medication. For more information please visit Help to quit | Lambeth Council
- Specialist stop smoking service: More intensive support for smokers from the following groups who may find it harder to stop smoking:
- Pregnant women
- Adults sharing a household with children under the age of five
- People with long term physical health conditions
- People with mental health conditions
- Chronic smokers
Contact: Gst-tr.stopsmokinglambeth@nhs.net 0800 856 3409
