When you stop smoking, good things start to happen

Public health officials at Hartlepool Borough Council have joined forces with Fresh to promote the campaign which launched on 1 October.

In the North East, research has found that the top benefits ex-smokers experience within two weeks of quitting include:

• Having more energy (36%)
• Feeling healthier (37%)
• Breathing better (37%)
• An improvement in their ability to exercise (21%), healthier looking skin (24%), a sense of taste returning (26%), and saving money (31%)
• Saving, on average, £38 a week which equates to around £2000 a year. 

While stopping smoking can be challenging, the research also revealed interesting findings in terms of where people find support to quit, with family and friends (27%) and talking to others who have quit smoking (24%) rated as key motivators. Other top tips included finding a distraction from smoking, such as keeping hands busy (38%), changing routine (33%) and going for walks (42%).

These findings reinforce the near-immediate improvements smokers can expect when they quit – including improvements to senses of taste and smell within as little as 48 hours.[2]

Councillor Mike Young, Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council and Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board, said: “Stopping smoking is one of the best things a person can do for their health and the benefits are almost immediate, so that is why we wholeheartedly support the annual Stoptober campaign.

“The prevalence of smoking amongst those aged 15 and over in Hartlepool is gradually reducing - mirroring the national trend - but it remains significantly higher than the national average for England and Hartlepool currently has the highest smoking rate in the North-East.

“A lot of good work to reduce smoking is on-going in Hartlepool but further action is required, and to that end we recently launched a new Tobacco Control Strategy for Hartlepool, a five-year strategic plan setting out our ambitions for eliminating tobacco-related harm, improving health outcomes for residents and reducing the inequality gap between the wealthiest and poorest in local communities.”

Craig Blundred, Hartlepool’s Director of Public Health, added: “There are 7.3 million adult smokers in England and every year around 79,000 people die from smoking, with many more living with debilitating smoking-related illnesses. Smoking increases your risk of developing more than 50 serious health conditions.

“High-profile campaigns such as Stoptober have a key role to play in highlighting the benefits of stopping smoking and promoting community-based support services.”

Hartlepool Borough Council’s Community Navigators, based in the Community Hub Central in York Road and Community Hub South in Wynyard Road are able to offer stop smoking support. Contact (01429) 272905 or helping@hartlepool.gov.uk.

Ailsa Rutter OBE, Director of Fresh and Balance, said: “This Stoptober you can do it. It’s a chance for a new start. Believe in yourself and get the right support to beat the cravings – it can make all the difference.

“There are so many benefits to quitting smoking and it is never too late as your body starts to recover. Within weeks you feel fitter and can breathe easier. But as the weeks and months go by you reduce the risks of a life-altering disease.

“Within a few weeks, you can feel calmer and less stressed. Quitting is also good for your family finances – it might not solve your money worries but it will ease them.”

Care assistant Damon Mowbray, 49, from Hartlepool, suffered a heart attack while at work aged just 46. Finding out it was caused by smoking was the motivation he needed to quit. He switched to a vape and two years on he’s smoke-free and enjoying the extra cash.

Damon says: “Once I’d made the decision to quit, I actually found it easy as I knew that if I started smoking again, I was risking my health. I didn’t want to have another heart attack or go through the same experience again.

“I’d urge anyone who smokes to quit for Stoptober – don’t leave it until you’re really ill like me. Make sure you get support and find a quitting method that works for you.”

Hartlepool Borough Council’s Community Navigators, based in the Community Hub Central in York Road and Community Hub South in Wynyard Road, are able to offer support. Contact (01429) 272905 or helping@hartlepool.gov.uk

The free NHS Quit Smoking app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.

More information about quitting is available at www.freshquit.co.uk