Smokers are being encouraged to try and stub out their cigarettes this Stoptober – and quit smoking for good.
The annual Stoptober campaign is calling on smokers in Wolverhampton to join the millions of people across England who have made a quit attempt since Stoptober launched over a decade ago.
This year’s 28 day Stoptober campaign begins tomorrow (Tuesday 1 October, 2024), with research showing that people who can stop smoking for 4 weeks are 5 times more likely to stay smoke free for good.
John Denley, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Director of Public Health, said: “Stopping smoking is the best thing you can do for your health and the health of those around you, on both a short term and long term basis.
“When you stop smoking, good things start to happen — you can begin to see almost immediate improvements to your health. So this October, join the thousands of smokers committing to quitting. Stop smoking for 28 days and you’re 5 times more likely to give up for good.
“It’s much easier to stop smoking when you get the right support and there are lots of options to choose from.”
Stoptober offers a range of free quitting tools including the free NHS Quit Smoking app, available from the App Store and Google Play, which allows you to track your progress, get daily support and see how much money you are saving. There is a Quit Smoking Support Group on Facebook, or you can sign up for daily email support.
People in Wolverhampton can also ‘Swap to Stop’ by taking advantage of free vaping kits and behavioural support on offer to help them quit. The council is making kits available at a range of community venues, including the city’s Family Hubs, WV Active leisure centres and selected libraries.
The service will be delivered by trained members of staff, who will offer free vape starter kits alongside support and weekly ‘check in’ sessions delivered from the convenience of local community venues to help people on their quitting journey over a period of 12 weeks. The new service was officially launched last week; to sign up for free, please visit Swap to Stop.
Meanwhile, a new healthy lifestyles service, Live Well Wolverhampton, is also being launched, offering people information, advice, guidance, self help tools and lifestyle interventions to enable them to make and maintain positive lifestyle choices. Initially, the service is being trialled on a small scale, providing support to help people quit smoking, while an adult weight management scheme is also expected to be launched in near the future. Please visit Live Well Wolverhampton or call or text ‘QUIT’ to 07378 768046 and an advisor will contact you.
For more information about Stoptober, visit Quit smoking this Stoptober. For more help and support to stop smoking, please visit Quit Smoking.