Stoptober is a yearly UK government initiative to help people stop smoking during the month of October. Every year, more and more people attempt to quit smoking altogether, using the help, advice and apps to track their progress to ditch the cigarettes for good.
The initiative offers fantastic support to those who are trying to quit, offering you a personalised plan after answering 3 short questions. This short questionnaire is designed to give you alternatives to smoking to help you quit.
Last year for the first time ever, Stoptober started recommending the use of e-cigarettes to aid you in quitting.
Why participate in Stoptober?
The Stoptober campaign has been wildly successful and continues to aid the decrease in people smoking year on year.
Since launching the campaign in 2012, Public Health England have reported 1.5 million attempts at quitting smoking within the UK, with the University College of London stating that quitting rates are the highest they have ever been in at least a decade – up to 19.8% for the first 6 months of 2017.
Many people wait for October to hit so they can give Stoptober a go. This is because of the increased support during this time and you’re more likely to quit if you have a good support system behind you.
With the integration of apps, you can track money saved, daily progress and more. There are many other apps that can be found on the NHS OneYou site, which can be found here.
Does It Work?
Giving up smoking is a difficult task, but evidence shows that after 28 days of being smoke free you’re more than 5 times more likely to quit for good.
Due to the wealth of information and support available during this campaign through media channels, friends and family and the NHS itself it is clear to see why the scheme has worked for millions of people across the UK.
Using these support channels will increase your chances of quitting for good but relying on pure willpower alone will not provide you with the best chances of quitting. Some people can do it with pure willpower alone, but statistics have shown that using support systems, nicotine replacement therapies and talking to your GP/Pharmacist are the best routes for a smoke free life.
It will work if you have the right mindset and use the right channels to give up smoking for good.
What are the Health Benefits?
Smoking harms the body and not only puts strain on your body, but also the NHS and wider economy.
There are numerous health benefits to quitting in the short term such as increased sense of smell and taste, breathing and general fitness improve, skin and teeth improvements as well as saving a substantial sum of cash, however long term benefits that you may notice are laid out by the Smokefree Initiative by the NHS:
After 20 minutes
Pulse rate returns to normal.
After 8 hours
Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in blood reduce by more than half and oxygen levels return to normal.
After 48 hours
Carbon monoxide will be eliminated from the body. Lungs start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris.
After 48 hours
There is no nicotine in the body. Ability to taste and smell is improved.
After 72 hours
Breathing becomes easier. Bronchial tubes begin to relax and energy levels increase.
After 2-12 weeks
Your circulation improves.
After 3-9 months
Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung function increases by up to 10%.
After 1 year
Risk of heart disease is about half compared with a person who is still smoking.
After 10 years
Risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker.
After 15 years
Risk of heart attack falls to the same as someone who has never smoked.
What are We Doing for Stoptober?
At Gourmet eLiquid we talk to people that have already quit cigarettes or people who are wanting to quit every single day. We have done it ourselves and made the switch and we know how difficult it is. For us, e-cigarettes made this switch easier to handle and saved us money in the long run.
That is why during the month of October, to make it easier, we’re offering all our customers a 10% discount on E-Liquids, Vaping Kits, Vape Tanks, Box Mods and Accessories. It doesn’t matter if you’ve already made the switch or are looking to switch, this discount is there for everyone. It will run for the entirety of October so if you’re looking to switch with the aid of e-cigarettes you’ll instantly save some cash and you have plenty of time to make the switch.
Simply use code STOPTOBER at the checkout and you’ll receive 10% off your order.