What is Stoptober?

As the autumn approaches each year, you may hear people talking about Stoptober; this annual campaign, which is run by Public Health England, aims to encourage people all over the country to give up smoking during the month of October.

Stoptober is based on the theory that if you can give up smoking for more than 28 days, you are much more likely to quit for good. The idea is that you stop smoking at the end of September and carry on going right the way through October and hopefully beyond. The campaign runs across England and is supported by GP surgeries, health centres and dental practices.


Studies show that if you can give up smoking for 28 days, you are 5 times more likely to quit smoking for good.

Stoptober is open to all and you don’t have to begin on the 1st October; you can sign up at any point in October and it’s completely free; once you have signed up, you will receive a pack, which is designed to provide you with helpful information and advice to help you quit smoking. The pack also contains details about measures, treatments and organisations, which can help you to give up. The Stoptober team is also active on social media and there are numerous blog posts, articles and tweets, which are designed to support you, spur you on and provide you with useful facts and anecdotes about smoking. 

You can find out more about Stoptober from your local GP or dental surgery or by visiting the NHS Smokefree website (www.stoptober.smokefree.nhs.uk) to register. 

In addition to receiving lots of information and resources free of charge, Stoptober also enables you to meet other people who are going through the same issues as you and share your journey with them; research suggests that you’re more likely to give up alongside other people than you are if you try and go it alone. There are online forums, social media pages and interactive sites where you can post updates on your progress, chat to others and share stories and tips. 

Last year, in 2014, more than 250,000 people successfully quit smoking as a result of taking part in Stoptober. 


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