For the ninth year, the month of October is dedicated in an effort to stop smoking, whether regular cigarettes or e-cigarettes. If you have been thinking about quitting smoking and need some encouragement to do so, there’s never been a better time than right now.
The importance of good health has been uniquely highlighted this year due to the crisis of Coronavirus, so if you wanted an extra reason to give up smoking, you have one.
So what is Stoptober?
It is a campaign beginning on the 1st of October each year, encouraging smokers to give up the habit for 28 days with the view of quitting for good.
Even one day without smoking is beneficial for you.
Within three days you will already note improvements like better sense of smell, better sense of taste, the return of sensitivity in your extremities, more endurance as a result of better circulation.
Stopping smoking will make you less vulnerable to colds, flu and other respiratory diseases.
It has been proven that even one cigarette a day is damaging to your health. The chemicals inhaled damage lung cells, harm arteries, increasing the risk of heart attack and cancer. Heavy smokers can have as much as a 13 years reduction to their life expectancy!
The facts are worrying but the effects of smoking cessation are also impressive. It has been discovered that even smokers who have been smoking a packet a day for years, after quitting have seen that their bodies are healing.
Isn’t that worth trying for?
So this year, give Stoptober a go. Make it your personal go. You could even ask people to sponsor you! However you do it, your body will thank you for it.
If you need more encouragement or inspiration, follow these links.
NHS – Stoptober campaign : https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/
British Lung Foundation : https://www.blf.org.uk/take-action/campaign-with-us/stoptober
GOV.uk resources : https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/resources/campaigns/6-stoptober/overview
stayingwellhub.com 