Hertfordshire’s free stop smoking service doubles its quit successes in a year

The month-long campaign encourages smokers to try giving up during October
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Hertfordshire County Council is encouraging smokers across the county to take part in Stoptober and signing up for 12 weeks of free local stop smoking support offered by Hertfordshire Health Improvement Service, which has seen its quit numbers double over the past 12 months.

Stoptober - the annual nationwide stop smoking campaign in October - is back for its tenth year in 2021, after inspiring more than two million smokers to make an attempt to quit over the past decade.

Over 100,000 adults in Hertfordshire smoke and it remains the largest cause of chronic disease in Hertfordshire, killing over 1,400 people in the county every year.

The image has been used for illustrative purposesThe image has been used for illustrative purposes
The image has been used for illustrative purposes

The month-long campaign encourages smokers to try giving up during October and offers support to help them stop for at least 28 days – stopping for this long makes them five times more likely to quit for good.

The pandemic has created a polarisation in smokers’ attitudes toward quitting over the last 18 months – a focus on health and ‘quitting for Covid’ has been offset by the stress and boredom generated by lockdowns and the wider economic situation.

Almost half of smokers (45 per cent) have reported smoking more since the first lockdown began, while the number of smokers under 35 has jumped during the same period, from 18 per cent in 2019 to 24 per cent in 2021 - according to the monthly UCL Smoking Toolkit Study.

Hertfordshire’s executive member for public health and community safety, Cllr Morris Bright MBE, said: “We want to improve the health and wellbeing of Hertfordshire’s people so that everyone has the best opportunity to live life well, which is why we are supporting Stoptober.

“Following on from the effects of the pandemic and the increase in smoking behaviours, this year's Stoptober mass quit attempt is more important than ever, especially as smokers are susceptible to increased risk of severe illness from Covid-19.

“If you are a smoker, quitting is one of the best things you can do for your health.

"We’re proud to be able to say that the number of people who have successfully stopped smoking with our support has almost doubled over the past year.”

The dedicated stop smoking service offered by Hertfordshire Health Improvement Service (HHIS) is open to all Hertfordshire residents and offers 12 weeks of behavioural support, advice on quit methods and support from a trained advisor, as well as access to a range of material and resources to help make every smokefree journey as successful as possible.

Emma Longthorne, 24, used the service to successfully quit last year.

She started smoking when she was 12 and had tried to give up a number of times previously but had been unsuccessful and was smoking 20 a day when she contacted HHIS.

After using nicotine replacement patches and gum, Emma hasn’t smoked since April 2020.

She said: “I feel so much better since I’ve stopped smoking. I didn’t expect the patches to work, but they really helped.

"I don’t need them anymore though, I just have the occasional piece of gum if I’m feeling stressed. My mum smoked all her life and she’s been so impressed that she’s giving up now too!

"Having the weekly contact with the advisor really helped and I don’t think I would have been able to do it otherwise. It’s nice to know there is someone supportive at the end of the line.

"It’s always worth trying. If you never try, you’ll never know if you can do it.”

Join thousands of others across England and start your quit journey this Stoptober with the free stop smoking support tools available now on the NHS Better Health Stoptober website.

For more information on Hertfordshire Health Improvement Services’ local stop smoking offer, visit the Health in Herts website.

Contact Hertfordshire Health Improvement Service on 0800 389 3998 or text 'SMOKEFREE' to 80818.