Let’s be honest – there is never a bad time to stop smoking.
Smokers can kick the habit on any given day or week, but if there is an
ideal time to try and with a boosted chance of giving up for good, the
month of October is a great time of the year to start.
The 1st October will see the launch of what is
now a regular addition to the calendar - the annual 28-day Stoptober
campaign, created and funded by Public Health England as an effective
drive to encourage more of the nation to kick smoking into touch.
Last year saw over a quarter of a million
smokers make the pledge to try and stop smoking, with a huge increase in
the number of patients coming to Medical Specialists® Pharmacy for
information about obtaining the popular smoking cessation treatment Champix (Varenicline), and the pharmacy expects a similar sales surge for 2015, if not much bigger.
Data from the Office for National Statistics
show that 18.7% of adults in the UK smoked in 2013 - down from 19.8% in
2012. After the conclusion of last year’s Stoptober, Public Health
England say its latest figures indicated that smoking rates had
continued to fall during the last few months of 2014.
A 4 week duration is used for the Stoptober
challenge due to the fact that research has shown those who manage to
abstain from smoking for 28 days are actually 5 times more likely to
quit for good. In addition, it is often said for every 28 days a smoker
quits for, they could add an extra week onto their lifespan.
At Medical Specialists®,
we know that making the leap into tobacco-free territory can be
difficult and stressful, but those deciding to stop smoking should
realise they are not alone. Literally thousands of others have made the
same pledge to stop too, which should provide a welcome boost to
willpower.
In addition, those that decide to sign up to this year’s Stoptober
will receive a personal helping hand in their efforts, courtesy of some
of the UK’s favourite comedians, such as Al Murray, Bill Bailey, Rhod
Gilbert and Shappi Khorsandi. Quitters that register for the service can
expect to be inundated with light-hearted and humorous messages of
support and encouragement, sent straight to the participant’s phone and
email during the 28 day period of Stoptober.
Comedian Rhod Gilbert decided to throw his
support behind the annual Stoptober campaign after being a smoker
himself for 25 years, toiling for 23 years of those attempting to quit.
He says: “I know first-hand that it can be hard to find the motivation
to quit, but Stoptober is the perfect time to give it a go,” he says.
There are countless benefits to ditching
cigarettes. For example, quitters can expect to notice many physical
improvements such as a boosted sense of taste and smell, increased
energy levels, reduced signs of facial aging and wrinkles, whiter teeth,
fresher breath and even better sex due to the improved blood flow and
stronger erections for men.
Moreover, people that successfully quit
smoking will have much serious longer term benefits, such as a lower
risk of suffering from heart disease and a wide range of cancers such as
lung cancer, not to mention protecting the health of those in the
surrounding vicinity as there will now be no secondhand smoke for them
to inhale.
Despite the fact smoking rates have come down
in recent years, smoking remains the biggest factor behind preventable
illness and premature death in the country - responsible for nearly
80,000 deaths per year in England alone.
Smokers aged 18 or above that want to quit,
can use the support Stoptober as a foundation for doing so, along with
help from Medical Specialists®.
Begin the road to a smoke-free future today by
obtain the smoking cessation medication Champix following an online
consultation with one of Medical Specialists’ GMC registered doctors.
Champix works out from as little £26.95* a pack. The treatment works by
mimicking the effect of nicotine on the body, reducing the urge to smoke
and relieving withdrawal symptoms. It can also decrease the enjoyment
you experience of smoking if you are still smoking whilst on the
treatment.
(*based on private prescription price)
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