Fresh and Hartlepool Borough Council are supporting Stoptober and encouraging people across Hartlepool to join the tens of thousands of people quitting this October.

More than five million adults in England still smoke and smoking causes 64,000 deaths every year, making it the biggest cause of preventable illness and death. Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health.

To help people stop smoking the annual campaign challenges smokers to go smokefree for 28 days. Research suggests that smokers who complete the challenge are five times more likely to quit for good [1].  

Ahead of the campaign launch, Fresh took the Stoptober banner out across the region to town centres and well-known North East landmarks.

In the North East, Fresh’s Smoking Survivors campaign is running from September 16 and throughout Stoptober as a powerful call to people in the North East who smoke to put smoking behind them and make a fresh quit for their health and their family. In their own words and striking medical footage, former smokers and their families speak of the devastating impact on their health, finances and their families.

Many people try to quit smoking with willpower alone, but it's much easier to go smokefree with the right help such as quitting aids, local stop smoking services or switching entirely to vaping. People can visit FreshQuit.co.uk for a full list of North East stop smoking services and advice on quitting.

Ailsa Rutter OBE, Director of Fresh and Balance, said: “Most people who smoke regret ever starting – it damages health and costs tens of thousands of pounds to smoke over a lifetime. Smoking has killed over 125,000 people in our region since the year 2000 alone.

“The good news is that thousands of people every year successfully manage to quit smoking and have a better life by putting smoking behind them. Just breaking down your quit attempt into 28 days might feel less daunting. And once you’ve done that, you can tell yourself you are well on the road to staying quit.

“Don’t ever give up on quitting even if you don’t succeed first or second time. Keep trying - next time it can be different.”

Councillor Tom Feeney, Deputy Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, said: “Every year around 74,000 people die in England from smoking from diseases such as lung cancer, with many more living with debilitating smoking-related illnesses such as COPD. Smoking increases your risk of developing more than 50 serious health conditions.

“Just give it a go for Stoptober – it doesn’t matter if you have tried before. This time you stand a great chance of putting smoking behind you!

“As well as Stoptober we are also supporting the “Smoking Survivors” campaign from Fresh featuring the tragic story of a family from Hartlepool who want to spare other people the pain of losing a loved one. High-profile campaigns such as these have a key role to play in highlighting the reasons to quit and the benefits of stopping smoking.”

For help and support to quit, contact Hartlepool Support Hub on 01429 272905 or email helping@hartlepool.gov.uk.

TIPS

It can take a number of attempts to successfully stop for good - but there are lots of ways to stop which can take a lot of the stress out of quitting.

Your chances improve if you use a quitting aid or switch completely to vaping to reduce cravings. Stop Smoking Services can also help you develop a plan to help you stop for good.

Here’s how your body recovers when you quit:

After 20 minutes

Your pulse rate starts to return to normal.

After 8 hours   

Your oxygen levels are recovering, and the level of harmful carbon monoxide in your blood will have reduced by half.

After 48 hours

All carbon monoxide is flushed out. Your lungs are clearing out mucus and your senses of taste and smell are improving.

After 72 hours

If you notice that breathing feels easier, it's because your bronchial tubes have started to relax. Also your energy will be increasing.

After 2-12 weeks

Blood will be pumping through to your heart and muscles much better because your circulation will have improved.

After 6 weeks

Smokers who stop have better mental health than those who continue to smoke. One study found that benefits could be seen as soon as six weeks and were maintained even a number of years after stopping.

After 3-9 months

Any coughs, wheezing or breathing problems will be improving as your lung function increases.

After 1 year

Great news! Your risk of heart attack will have halved compared with a smoker's.

After 10 years

Your risk of death from lung cancer will have halved compared with a smoker's.

Source: https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/