Ian Wright is using everything in his arsenal to make Stoptober a success

If you have been paying close attention to the Medical Specialists Pharmacy website, you will be aware that yesterday saw the start of The Department of Health’s national anti-smoking campaign ‘Stoptober’, of which Medical Specialists is a proud supporter of. It will be running for 28 days, finishing on 28 October. This specific time period was chosen as it is believed that you are five times more likely to quit for good after abstaining for 28 days.

The campaign is the first mass attempt at getting the nation’s 8 million smokers to kick the habit for good, mainly for the benefit of their health and those around them, and also to save the NHS millions of pounds each year. New Year’s Resolutions may be the only reason why many people try (and fail) to stop smoking, however why not get involved with Stoptober and join millions of people around the country in the fight against harmful cigarettes, improving your appearance, health and cash.

However, you don’t need to just listen to us. The campaign is being backed by a whole host of celebrities including former Arsenal and England footballer Ian Wright, former Apprentice contestant Kate Walsh and leading makeup artist Gary Cockerill. Using their area of expertise, the trio will be providing motivation and support in helping smokers to quit. Other famous faces who are backing the campaign are Gordon Ramsay, Sharron Davies and Jeff Brazier.

As well as expert advice from the celebrities, those looking to quit will also receive support via a Stoptober support pack, an app on their smartphone, and there has been a dedicated Facebook page setup for people to connect to each other and share their experiences.

Stoptober mentor Ian Wright, like Medical Specialists, seems to understand the huge dangers of cigarettes and why smokers need to get on board with the campaign. He says, “Smoking is one of those habits that’s so easy to fall into but takes real focus and perseverance to get out of. Anyone who makes the effort to quit has my total respect. Stoptober is a great campaign because for many, willpower isn’t enough. Most people need that additional support to avoid slipping into bad habits or kidding themselves that having one won’t hurt. Soon they’re off again. The worst thing is that smoking gives you nothing and it is, literally, killing you, which is why I feel so strongly in backing those who are trying to quit. We all know people who’ve been smoking for 20 years and the damage this can cause to their health is huge. Who wouldn’t want to be able to run up the stairs, play more easily with their children or even put in a man of the match performance every week at football? I tried smoking myself when I was younger. Everybody did it. But I stopped after a few years. I was asthmatic so I knew it wasn’t for me. Loads of people smoked back then and it can’t have helped me. I found it hard to breathe in rooms full of smoke.”

One very interesting point we note is that Wright mentions he suffers from asthma, joining other former and currently footballers who also suffer from the lung condition; including David Beckham and Paul Scholes. Hopefully if more asthmatic celebrities speak up about their asthma struggles, this may go some way to dispelling the stigma and feeling of embarrassment that is present in some people who suffer with the airway-constricting lung condition. Not only can smoking trigger asthma attacks, babies and children who are exposed to cigarette smoke are at a high risk of then developing asthma, a subject we covered way back in March.

Adding to Wright’s comments about Stoptober was fellow anti-smoking advocate and mentor Gary Cockerill, who commented on just how smoking can ruin a person’s looks. He said, “Not many people realise how damaging smoking is for skin, hair and teeth. It causes premature aging, yellowing of the teeth and brittle and smelly hair. I’ll be providing some top insider beauty tips and advice on how to improve ‘smoker’s skin’ and minimise the harmful effects smoking has to our looks.”

For part of his involvement with the Stoptober challenge, Wright has agreed to mentor and provide support for one of three ‘superquitters’, together with Walsh and Cockerill who are also doing the same for two other superquitters. Wright is backing 29-year-old Emergy Godden from Liverpool, who remarkably has been smoking ever since she was 14-years of age. Emergy wastes £40 every week on her smoking habit, which could be better spent on more important times in the midst of a double-dip recession. She says, “I want to stop smoking before I turn 30 next year. I’m well aware of the damage I’m doing to my body and know that making just this one change alone will make me much healthier.”

For smokers out there who require some extra support in quitting, allow Medical Specialists to help you. We realise it may be asking a little too much for some people to completely go cold turkey for 28 days. However, we do have the smoking cessation medication Champix, which many argue is better at helping you to stop lighting up in comparison to nicotine patches.

Champix is a prescription medication that works out from as little as just £75.00 per pack, an incredibly small price when it comes to your long-term health. Champix mimics 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.

Anti-smoking ‘Stoptober’ campaign to kick-off next month

A National stop smoking campaign funded by the Department of Health, and backed by both Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation, will get underway next month. The primary aim will be a huge attempt to encourage the nation’s 8 million smokers to stub out cigarettes and embrace the beneficial impacts that doing this can have on their lives.

The new initiative is the first of its kind and has been named ‘Stoptober’. It will begin on 1^st October and last for a total of 28 days. The reasoning for this specific time period is because experts have claimed that if smokers stop for 28 days, they are actually five times more likely to completely quit forever.

The idea has seemingly come about after a realisation that people tend to quit smoking as part of their New Year’s Resolutions, quickly give-up, and then there is no motivation during the rest of the year to do anything similar. Martin Dockrell of ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) spoke about the scheme and said, “You get a surge of people quitting on New Year’s Day and in March on No Smoking day. But there’s nothing for the rest of the year.”

Maureen Talbot, Senior Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation released a media statement and spoke about why all smokers should get involved with Stoptober, saying, “Stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do for your own health as well as those you love and live with. Quitting also makes you look better by improving your skin and teeth and, of course, it helps your finances too.”

Any smoker who decides to accept the Stoptober challenge will be provided with a motivational kit that will give them daily encouragement as well as support in the way of television and radio advertising. There will also be roadshows taking place up and down the country which will give smokers the chance to get together and share their experiences during the four weeks.

In Britain it is estimated that 21% of adults smoke cigarettes and smoking is still the biggest cause of premature death in England, claiming roughly 100,000 lives each year. If more people finally decided to stop smoking for good then this would cause less heartache for families and less money wasted by the NHS at a time when their budgets are restrained by a government looking to reduce the countries deficit.

If you are a smoker and are considering giving the Stoptober challenge a go, here are some facts and statistics about smoking that may persuade you to commit to it:

. Tobacco contains approximately 50 chemicals that can be attributed to cancer.
. Smoking has been proven to be directly responsible for many types of cancer including mouth, lip, throat, lung, kidney, bladder, stomach, liver and cervix.
. Smoking accounts for 71% of all lung cancer deaths.
. Six million deaths around the globe are caused by smoking every year.
. Smokers are twice as likely to suffer from a heart attack in comparison to their non-smoking counterparts.
. In 2009 within the UK there were 102,000 fatalities due to smoking-related health conditions.
. Those with the willpower to finally quit can look forward to a physical boost such as a better sense of taste and smell, as well as a lot more energy.

Of course, not everybody will be able to successfully go ‘cold turkey’ for a stretch of 28 days. For the heavier smokers, this could be asking an awful lot of them to do. Other therapies that are worth considering include smoking cessation medication such as Champix which mimics the effects of nicotine on the body. Therefore, this medication simultaneously will decrease the urge you have to smoke and also relieve the withdrawal symptoms. It even manages to make the experience of smoking a less enjoyable one should you give-in to the cravings and decide to light up a cigarette.