Additional support is being offered throughout October to help smokers in Croydon kick the habit by taking part in Stoptober, the national 28-day stop smoking challenge.
Stoptober, which is Public Health England’s annual stop smoking campaign, begins on Monday 1 October 2018.
There are an estimated 6 million smokers in England. To date, Stoptober has encouraged 1.7 million people to try to give up smoking, and quitting success rates are now at an all-time high.
Quitting smoking can be challenging for some people but it is made easier with the right support. The most successful quit attempts are made with a combination of quit methods.
This year, the Stoptober campaign is providing a free online Personal Quit Plan, which helps smokers find the right support for them. This includes face-to-face support and nicotine replacement therapies such as patches, inhalers or lozenges, and e-cigarettes.
There is also a free Stoptober app, Facebook messenger bot, daily emails and Stoptober online communities.
Smokers in Croydon can receive support all year round with Croydon Council’s Live Well programme. It offers free healthy lifestyle tools to help residents who want to stop smoking, lose weight, be more active and feel healthier and happier.
This includes top tips and advice available on Croydon’s health website at www.JustBeCroydon.org and residents can pop in to speak with a Live Well adviser in one of the community health hubs around the borough. Smokers who get the right support are up to four times as likely to quit successfully as those who try to quit unaided.
Croydon resident Hakki Ahmer was supported by a Live Well adviser to give up a 50-year smoking habit. He was in poor health and he found smoking to be expensive and realised that it also impacted his family’s health too.
Hakki had tried giving up a few times using nicotine replacement therapy, but the lack of personal support would mean that he always went back to it. Regular appointments with a Live Well adviser helped him to find the right treatment and he was taught how to deal with nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Since giving up smoking, Hakki says he can breathe better, his taste buds have improved, he is more social and also has more energy.
“I couldn’t give up cigarettes without the help of the Live Well adviser. I would strongly recommend this service to other people,” said Hakki.
“By taking part in the Stoptober movement during October, you are also joining thousands of smokers across the country who are determined to be healthier and become smoke-free. Some people can find it challenging to give up the habit, but advice is available online, at local health hubs, GP surgeries and pharmacies around Croydon to help you to quit for good.”
Councillor Jane Avis, cabinet member for families, health and social care