SOMERSET NEWS: Stub it out by joining Stoptober

SMOKERS throughout Somerset are being encouraged to think about taking on the 28-day quitting challenge for Stoptober.

Stoptober – which begins on October 1, 2016 – is the national quit smoking campaign from Public Health England back for the fifth year having driven almost one million quit attempts across the country.

Last year over 20,000 people attempted to go smoke free for Stoptober in the South West. If people can make it to 28 days smoke free they are five times more likely to quit for good.

The smoking rate across the South West has fallen by 3.2% over the past four years and now stand at 15.5% - the lowest ever on record.

Celebrating Stoptober are Somerset friends of 40 years who have now quit and have been smoke free for nearly eleven months. They have proved it’s never too late to quit using the power of friendship and Smokefreelife Somerset.

Elaine St John Mosse and Janet Brown both attended weekly stop smoking sessions at the Key Centre in Frome.

Elaine plucked up the courage to join first as she noticed daily life such as climbing stairs was getting more difficult.

She said: “I also hoped that if I got help to quit it would encourage Jan, who has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (lung disease) to finally break the habit too.”

A couple of weeks later Jan felt it was time for her to join her friend. 

Nearly a year since then they report they feel so much better and are very pleased with the amount of spare cash they have! 

Cllr Anna Groskop, the county council’s spokesman for health and wellbeing, said: "Why not take up this great opportunity to use all the free support available to improve your health and feel better by quitting this Stoptober.”

Somerset residents are able to access free local support to quit which can include free stop smoking medications given at appointments. People are encouraged to contact the service by visiting http://www.smokefreelifesomerset.co.uk, calling 01823 765006 / 0800 2461063 or through Facebook (Smokefreelife Somerset) and Twitter pages (@Somerset_sfl)

Search Stoptober or visit http://po.st/Stop16_Somerset .

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