[C]umbria County Council welcomes Stoptober, the 28-day mass quitting challenge, which is back from 1 October. The advice for committed smokers who can’t or won’t quit is that switching completely to e-cigarettes will significantly benefit their health.
Stoptober has made a big impact on local communities already, helping to lower smoking rates to 15.6% in Cumbria, down from 20% in 2012. The county council has welcomed the return of the campaign and is encouraging smokers in Cumbria to join the thousands of people making a change this October for a healthier and wealthier future.
The campaign has returned with even more free motivational support including an app, daily emails, Facebook Messenger and lots of encouragement from the Stoptober online community on Facebook.
Local services and pharmacies are also available to provide free, expert support and guidance. People who quit with the support of a stop smoking service adviser are four times more likely to successfully stop for good. Members of the public can contact Cumbria’s stop smoking service by calling 0300 013 3000, going online at http://po.st/Stop17_Cumbria or by dropping into a local pharmacy for a chat.
Colin Cox, Cumbria County Council’s Director of Public Health said: “Using an e-cigarette isn’t completely risk-free, but it carries a small fraction of the risk of smoking and can help you quit.
“E-cigarettes are particularly effective when combined with support from our local stop smoking services and people who choose this route have some of the highest quitting success rates.
“The key messages we will continue to promote are if you don’t smoke, don’t start vaping; if you do smoke, stop altogether if you can – and our pharmacies can help; and if you can’t stop, or don’t want to – switch to vaping.”
Cllr Deborah Earl, the county council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Community Services, said: “Our Public Health teams in Cumbria are committed to a smoke-free Cumbria and our vision is to create a smoke-free generation in Cumbria by 2022.
“We hope as many smokers as possible will use Stoptober as a step towards boosting their health and bank balances, the campaign is more accessible than ever with the app and online support network.
“Smoking is one of the biggest causes of premature death in Cumbria each year, and I’d urge smokers across the county to sign up to Stoptober and consider switching to e-cigarettes permanently.”
