Quit Squad, a specialist on stop smoking service in Lancashire, is encouraging smokers across the UK to give up the unhealthy habit of smoking this October. This year marks the 11th anniversary of the month-long campaign called Stoptober to empower smokers to quit smoking.
Stoptober offers free-quitting tools that help people find a combination of support that is right for them, such as expert support and stop-smoking aids. Smoking cessation is one of the most important things smokers can do for themselves to improve their health.
Stopotober: Six Tips to Stop Smoking
According to National Health Service (NHS), the Stoptober campaign is a 28-day program based on evidence that people are more likely to quit for good if they could successfully go for 28 days without smoking.
Most smokers want to quit; more than one-third or 36.6% of them tried to quit in the past year. Quitting smoking is still the single biggest cause of preventable illness and death in the UK. STOP smoking expert Louise Ross shares with The Sun her top six tips on how to give up smoking and stick to it:
- List down reasons to quit smoking- Writing down a list of reasons or motivations to quit smoking is the first step to help keep oneself focused and have something to go back to when it gets hard.
- Stop smoking aids- As part of the NHS program, they provide support and resources to people, like advice, nicotine patches, chewing gums, and nasal spray to help them stay away from cigarettes.
- Tell friends and family- Informing loved ones of the intention to quit smoking will let them know of the situation and they could also offer support. Even better, they could join in quitting smoking if one of them also smokes.
- Break routines- Whenever a craving for a smoke kicks in, try other hobbies or create distractions, like taking a walk or listening to a podcast.
- Count the savings of quitting smoking- The National Cancer Institute said that the average price of a pack of cigarettes in the US is $6.28, which means that a pack a day would cost $188 per month or $2,292 per year. It is almost the same price as in the UK, which is a lot of money, and focusing on how much money is saved will help smokers stay focused and motivated.
- Follow Stoptober- Stoptober has a Facebook community that offers space for smokers to talk about their struggles to quit smoking. It will help smokers remind themselves that they are not alone in this battle and motivate them to stick to their goals.
Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking
Smokers can quit smoking, and it is a wise decision to help improve their health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said this is true regardless of age or how long a person is smoking.
Some health benefits of quitting smoking include improving health status and enhancing the quality of life, reducing the risk of premature death, and adding up to 10 years of life expectancy, lessening the risk of adverse health effects like poor reproductive health, cardiovascular diseases, chronic pulmonary disease, and cancer.
Moreover, it also benefits people who already have COPD, improves the health of pregnant women and their fetuses, and reduces the financial burden that smoking puts on the person, healthcare, and society.
Quitting smoking earlier yields greater benefits, but it is also beneficial to health at any age so even if people who have smoked for many years will still feel the positive effects of giving up that unhealthy lifestyle.
RELATED ARTICLE : Smoking Affects Bone Health by Making Bones Prone to Osteoporosis and Fractures; Healthy Lifestyle May Improve Musculoskeletal System
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