Stoptober challenge for Bury's smokers

During October, smokers in Bury are being encouraged to quit together, as Stoptober – the nation’s biggest ever mass participation stop smoking challenge – launches for its second year.

Bury Council is supporting the Public Health England campaign in a bid to help local people quit through exciting local events and activities including the First Stop Health Bus which will be visiting Bury every Wednesday throughout October.

Stoptober quitters will receive a new stop smoking pack, a 28-day mobile phone app and text support with daily updates and quitting advice, detailed tools and tips for coping, as well as the encouragement and support from thousands of people quitting together through Stoptober social media.

People who currently smoke are also encouraged to get in touch with their local stop smoking service, as research shows you are four times more likely to quit with this extra support than stopping on your own.

Frances Carbery, tobacco lead for Bury Public Health, said: “We want to help as many people as possible in Bury to quit. There is a wide range of support available. For example our local stop smoking services are doing a great job, and last year thousands of people successfully quit with their help. We also have pharmacies in Bury who deliver stop smoking services.

“If you’ve been thinking about quitting, now is the time to do it. It isn’t always an easy journey but with the support of friends, family, Stoptober resources and your local stop smoking service, everyone can help each other to reduce the number of smokers in Bury. For more information about our local services call Bury Stop Smoking Service on 0845 223 9001.”

The campaign returns as new research shows that every day a person goes without cigarettes could add as much as six hours to their lives⁽¹⁾. For the 28 day duration of Stoptober this equals a full seven days. Research also suggests that if you stop smoking for 28 days you are five times more likely to kick the habit for good.

Last year over 160,000 people successfully quit. And although most people will start their quit journey on the 1^st October, people can quit at any time during the month and still receive specialist support.

The campaign launches as new figures released by local anti-tobacco organisation Tobacco Free Futures, estimates that there are currently 31,546 smokers in Bury and every year addiction to tobacco costs the local authority £52 million through loss of productivity due to early death and illness, NHS costs, litter and fires⁽²⁾. 

 Andrea Crossfield, Chief Executive of Tobacco Free Futures said: “The tobacco industry works hard to keep people smoking. Stoptober is a great chance to break away from this addiction and start to feel the health and financial benefits of becoming smokefree.

“As well as the money saved from stopping smoking – an average of £4,000 a year for two parents who smoke⁽³⁾ – quitters will start to notice immediate health improvements including a better sense of smell and taste and more energy. Longer term, those who stop smoking reduce their risk of heart disease and lung cancer as well as protecting others from their secondhand smoke”.

Stoptober 2013 starts on Tuesday 1 October and runs for 28 days. For more information and to sign up visit www.smokefree.nhs.uk/Stoptober or call 0800 022 4332 to be put through to your local stop smoking service.

ENDS

Issued: 9 September 2013.

Notes for editor 

Tobacco Free Futures Contact

For media enquiries contact Ian White, Communications Manager, ian.white@tobaccofreefutures.org 0161 238 6385 / 07825 309 760 or Gareth Davies, Communications and Project Officer, gareth.davies@tobaccofreefutures.org 0161 238 6387.

Public Health England Contact

For media enquiries contact Claire Roach, Regional Communications Manager, claire.roach@phe.gov.uk 0844 225 1295 – option 2.

Deaths from smoking in Bury

In 2009, 330 people died prematurely in Bury due to smoking – and it remains the single biggest cause of preventable death⁽⁴⁾.

More information

·  Public Health England’s mission is to protect and improve the nation’s health and to address inequalities through working with national and local government, the NHS, industry and the voluntary and community sector. PHE is an operationally autonomous executive agency of the Department of Health 

·  For more information on PHE visit www.gov.uk/phe or follow us on Twitter @PHE_uk

·  Over 8 million people in the country smoke. While smoking rates have declined over past decades, the rate of decline has slowed in recent years

·  The tobacco control plan sets up an ‘ambition’ to reduce smoking prevalence among all adults in England to 18.5% by 2015

·  Most smokers have tried to quit and failed before. Although there are almost 5 million attempts to quit each year in England, only around 7% of quitters succeed in stopping for one year

·  Whilst 68% of smokers tell us they want to quit, only 38% actually make an attempt

·  Smoking is the biggest cause of premature death in England and each year it accounts for over 80,000 deaths in England and one in two long-term smokers will die prematurely from a smoking disease

·  Tobacco Free Futures are leading experts in tackling tobacco in communities and recently helped over 60,000 people in the North West to have their say on the government’s plain packaging consultation – the largest regional response in the country. They also worked with partners to halve numbers of 14 year old smokers in the region and helping to create the world’s first regional illicit tobacco programme that has seen illicit tobacco sales in the region drop significantly.

Top 10 tips to stop smoking

If you want to stop smoking, you can make small changes to your lifestyle that may help you resist the temptation to light up.

1.  Get some quitting support – Join in the Stoptober challenge and take advantage of the great free support. Also, there is your local NHS stop smoking services and the NHS Smoking Helpline, available on 0800 022 4332

2.  Think positive - You might have given up before, but tell yourself that you’re really going to do it this time.

3.  Make a plan to quit smoking - Make a promise, set a date and stick to it. Don’t be put off by a wedding, party or other time when you’d normally smoke.

4.  Change your diet - Is your after-dinner cigarette your favourite? A US study revealed that some foods, including meat, make cigarettes more satisfying. Others, including cheese, fruit and vegetables, make cigarettes taste terrible. So swap your usual steak or burger for a veggie pizza instead. 

5.  Change your drink - The same study looked at drinks. Fizzy drinks, alcohol, cola, tea and coffee all make cigarettes taste better. So when you’re out, drink more water and juice. Some people find that simply changing their drink (for example, switching from wine to a vodka and tomato juice), affects their need to reach for a cigarette. 

6.  Identify when you crave cigarettes - A craving can last five minutes. Before you give up, make a list of five-minute strategies. For example, you could leave the party for a minute, dance or go to the bar. And think about this: the combination of smoking and drinking heavily raises your risk of mouth cancer by 38 times.

7.  Get moving - A review of scientific studies has proved that exercise (even a five-minute walk or stretch) cuts cravings and may help your brain to produce anti-craving chemicals.

8.  Make non-smoking friends - When you’re at a party, stick with the non-smokers. "When you look at the smokers, don’t envy them," says Louise, 52, an ex-smoker. "Think of what they’re doing as a bit strange – lighting a small white tube and breathing in smoke."

9.  Keep your hands and mouth busy - Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) can make you twice as likely to succeed. As well as patches, there are tiny tablets, lozenges, gum and a nasal spray. If you like holding a cigarette, use an inhalator. Try putting your drink in the hand that usually holds a cigarette, or drink from a straw to keep your mouth busy.

10.  Make a list of reasons to quit - Keep reminding yourself why you gave up. Make a list of the reasons and read it when you need support. Ex-smoker Chris, 28, says: "I used to take a picture of my baby daughter with me when I went out. If I was tempted, I’d look at that."

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/smoking/Pages/Motivateyourself.aspx

References

(1)  University of Toronto: 21^st Century Hazards of Smoking and Benefits of Cessation in the United States. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1211128#t=article

(2)  Ash Ready Reckoner http://www.ash.org.uk/localtoolkit/R2-NW.html

(3)  Based on £7.98 for a packet of cigarettes (Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association, UK cigarette prices, March 2013) and an average daily consumption of 13 manufactured cigarettes per smoker (2011 General Lifestyle Survey)

(4)  London Health Observatory. Local Tobacco Control Profiles for England - Public Health Observatories in England Nov 2011. Available at: http://www.lho.org.uk/viewResource.aspx?id=13148