Stoptober, the time of year when millions of people try and quit smoking has a new slogan, Don't Go Cold Turkey!
Health officials are advising anyone who is attempting to quit this month not to try going it alone, and to use a nicotine replacement instead (like e-cigarettes).
Last year Public Health England, the people who organise Stoptober, made a splash by being the first health campaign to endorse using e-cigarettes.
But what is Stoptober, and does it help people quit?
STOPTOBER HELPING SMOKERS
For those who don't know, Stoptober is Public Health's England attempt to encourage people to go smoke-free for at least 30 days. The thinking is that if a smoker can quit for a month, they can quit for good.
It may seem strange at first that Public Health England, the UK Health agency, is advocating for E-Cigarettes, however since 2016 Public Health England has publicly stated that E-Cigarettes are “ at least 95% less harmful than traditional cigarettes”!
For them it seems like a simple decision then, is it better that people smoke cigarettes, or something much less dangerous for them?
Stoptober started after a study came out that found if a smoker can quit cigarettes for a month, they are 5 times more likely to stay off the cigarettes for good.
It all started in 2012 and every October they target the 6 million+ smokers in England with adverts and online tools. Last year they even suggested using e-cigarettes as an effective tool to help you along.
This was seen as a big shift in the perception of e-cigarette, as this was the first time that a big Health body ran a campaign which suggested e-cigarettes were a better alternative to smoking.
But did adding e-cigarettes to the Stoptober message make a difference?
STOPTOBER AND E-CIGARETTES
Last year was a massive success for Stoptober! They were able to get 16% of all smokers to give quitting a try. This doesn't sound like much but that is almost 100,000 smokers all trying to quit at the same time!
But as any smoker knows, trying to pack it in and actually quitting are two completely different things. And on that front Stoptober did well, with half of the smokers who tried succeeded in staying of cigarettes after the month.
That is 8% of all the smokers in England who were able to quit because of Stoptober.
This was the most successful quit rate Stoptober has ever had, and no small part of that can be attributed to the inclusion of e-cigarettes.
That could be why this year the Stoptober message is "Don't Go Cold Turkey".
DON'T GO COLD TURKEY WITH CIGARETTES
It's a simple message, but it could help a lot of people. Every year thousands of smokers try and give up with just willpower alone... and fail.
In fact the NHS says that only 3% of "cold turkey" attempts actually work, with 97% of the smokers falling back into smoking within a year who attempt it.
This time around, the health experts behind Stoptober are suggesting you use a replacement, so you can get the nicotine your body needs without all the other chemicals and carcinogens from cigarettes.
And using something like an e-cigarette really does help. In fact, you are 1.5 times more likely to quit for good when using a replacement then by going cold turkey.
They of course suggest the usual items: sprays, patches and lozenges. But Stoptober is again including e-cigarettes and includes them along with the other options.
This is important, as it shows that PHE understands how people are trying to quit. After all e-cigarettes are the most popular way to get rid of the cigarettes, with over 3 million people in the UK alone using them!
TRY GIVING UP FOR STOPTOBER WITH SMOKO
You may be wondering though why e-cigarettes, rather than the usual nicotine patches and gum, are more effective at helping smokers quit. The reason for this is the feel and throat hit.
Nicotine patches, nicotine gum and E-Cigarettes all contain the nicotine a smoker needs to quit cigarettes. However what sets vaping apart is that an E-Cigarette produces vapour and is designed to be treated just like a cigarette.
That means rather than a patch that you stick on your arm or gum you chew to get the nicotine, a smoker breathes in the E-cigarette vapour.
This gives E-Cigarettes a huge advantage, as smokers get to feel like they are having a cigarette!
By breathing in the vapour you also get the throat hit of the nicotine as well, which to many smokers is vital to feel satisfied.
Another factor is the taste. As E-Cigarettes can taste like tobacco (or anything else) it can give smokers who enjoy the taste of their cigarettes a way to still get the taste they are used to, but without the damage cigarettes give.
So if you are a smoker who has been thinking about quitting, then E-Cigarettes might be the right option for you! To try a SMOKO Starter Kit and see if you too can make the switch to a much less dangerous option then click here!
