‘We helped hundreds of people to quit smoking last year – and this Stoptober we can help you!’
This is the message from Healthy Cornwall, whose Stop Smoking service supported 799 smokers to kick the habit between April 2022 and March 2023.
Official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also show fewer people are lighting up year on year.
In 2021, 11.5% of adults in Cornwall were smokers, but this dropped to 10.3% the following year.
Benefits of quitting include:
- Reducing the risks of smoking-related diseases, such as cancer, lung disease, heart disease and stroke
- Boosting mental health and wellbeing and reducing anxiety, depression and stress.
- Savings of hundreds and even thousands of pounds per year
Latest statistics by charity ASH show there are currently around 54,000 adult smokers in Cornwall who each spend more than £2,400 a year on the habit.
Dr Ruth Goldstein, assistant director of public health at Cornwall Council, said:
“More and more people are choosing to ditch the cigarettes so why not join them and be a quitter!
“When you stop smoking, good things start to happen - like boosting your health and wellbeing and more money in your pocket. There's plenty of help too so I would encourage all the smokers out there to stub out their habit this October.”
Cllr Dr Andy Virr, portfolio holder for adults and public health and Emergency Department consultant at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, said:
“There is a huge amount of support available to help you and research shows that if you can make it to 28 days smoke-free you’re five times more likely to go on and quit for good.
“In my job I see the devastation that smoking causes to people’s lives all the time. For smokers, quitting is the single best thing you can do for their health so why not make a change this Stoptober?”
Research suggests smokers are three times more likely to succeed with their quit attempt if they have the right support. Text SMOKEFREE to 82228 to received regular support before, during and after your quit attempt.
For more information on quitting visit the Healthy Cornwall Smokefree web page or download the free NHS Quit Smoking app, which includes a handy calculator so smokers can see how much they could save.
You can also join Healthy Cornwall’s new Stop Smoking Support group on Facebook.
Press release issued on September 25, 2023.
