Stoptober Campaign: How to Quit Smoking in 28 Days
Sep 26, 2024
Quitting smoking is tough, but the Stoptober campaign is an excellent opportunity to turn the page. And do it in 28 days!
Wait, what?
We know…Quitting is hard enough, let alone doing it in 28 days. But it is possible. And in this post, we’ll show you how.
But before we venture too far into the weeds, let’s first understand what we mean by the Stoptober campaign.
Stoptober meaning: What is the Stoptober campaign?
Stoptober is a quit smoking campaign organised by the NHS in conjunction with Public Health England.
As the name suggests, the campaign is held in the month of October of every year. It aims to bring on board as many people as possible from across the country to collectively embark on a quit smoking attempt.
The notion behind the Stoptober campaign is based on the theory that if you can quit smoking for more than 28 days (essentially not to smoke over the month of October), you have a high likelihood of kicking the habit for good. Five times more likely to quit to be specific.
According to a survey that involved former smokers, it was reported that it took them an average of six attempts to successfully give up the habit for good, with one study even establishing that it could take 30 or more attempts for some to successfully quit. [1]
While that may be on the higher side of the spectrum, what’s not in doubt is that giving up smoking is no easy feat.7
Why is quitting smoking hard?
Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances available to man, with every study out there placing it in the top 5 of the most addictive drugs in the world. Right alongside the usual suspects in heroin and cocaine. [2]
But what makes it so addictive?
Well, nicotine may not be categorised as a hard drug like heroin or cocaine, but it is definitely a drug. What makes it so addictive is because continued nicotine usage rewires some structures in your brain known as nicotine receptors. This results in direct stimulation of the brain’s reward centre in regular users.
It is this region that stimulates the release of dopamine, a hormone that creates a feel-good factor that keeps smokers coming back.
Smoking is the fastest way to get addicted to nicotine, but all tobacco and nicotine-containing products will have the same effect – whether that be smokeless tobacco, vapes, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) like nicotine gum and lozenges, nicotine pouches, you name it.
Now, the more you smoke or consume nicotine in any of these formats, your brain creates additional nicotine receptors over time. This is why people who have used nicotine for longer periods of time have more nicotine receptors (think billions in number) in their brain.
Since we’re talking “how to quit smoking”, perhaps it’s also worth mentioning that this number [of receptors] varies depending on the individual. This discrepancy is the reason why some people find it easier to quit smoking than others. But that’s a topic for another day.
So, what happens when you don’t smoke (or use nicotine) is that your brain receptors get deprived of nicotine. It is this deprivation that causes withdrawal symptoms, including strong nicotine cravings, anxiety and restlessness, difficulty concentrating, irritability etc.
The quickest way to alleviate these symptoms is to get a nicotine hit which reactivates your pleasure response through dopamine release.
It can be a difficult loop to snap out of, but the good news is that with the right strategy and patience, you can finally retrain your brain to become less dependent on nicotine – ideally for good.
You just have to figure out the best strategy to help you cross that bridge.
That’s where the Stoptober smoking campaign can come in handy.
How does the Stoptober challenge work?
The Stoptober challenge is a campaign that runs across the country, with support provided by health centres, GP surgeries and dental practices in England.
Anyone can participate, and you don’t have to pay in order to join the challenge. While the official kick-off date for Stoptober is October 1st, you can sign up at any point within the month of October.
After joining the challenge, you will receive a pack that contains all the information and advice that will be helpful in your quitting journey.
Read: New Year Resolutions: Vaping as an Avenue to Quit Smoking
The NHS has an app which is dedicated to the Stoptober campaign that provides all the daily support you need. It also allows you to monitor your progress and shows you how much money you are saving.
This information is based on the initial pre-vetting responses you provide after signing up. It allows the app to create a personalised quit plan for you based on a short set of questions around how much you smoke and if you’ve ever made earlier attempts to quit.
The NHS website also carries a wealth of information, including smoking aids, the things that happen when you give up cigarettes and a bunch of other local resources.
When joining the Stoptober campaign, you are encouraged to set your quit date – the day you plan to begin your quitting journey. You are also advised to get rid of all cigarettes around your surroundings in advance, including triggers that may prompt you to light up.
While all the information you will need is on the NHS website and Stoptober app, some notable smoking quitting tips they share with participants include to try out the following:
- Identify and list your reasons for quitting cigarettes
- Let other people know you are quitting
- If you have made previous attempts to quit smoking, to recall what worked
- Use stop smoking aids. These include nicotine vapes, NRTs (lozenges, nasal or mouth sprays, nicotine inhalators, patches and gum) as well as prescription-only medicine to help you manage cravings and cope with withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine pouches had not been added to the initial list as they are a relatively new quitting method, but that’s another option available to quitters.
- Have a diversionary plan when smoking temptations come
- Note down your list of triggers and how you can avoid them
- Find ways to keep yourself busy to quell cravings
- Incorporate exercise into your daily routine as a way to fight the urge
- Join the Stoptober UK Quit Smoking Group on Facebook for support and advice
Related: Vaping with Nicotine vs Nicotine-Free E-Liquids
The Stoptober campaign in a nutshell
Stoptober is split into a three-step structured framework to help smokers quit more effectively – what to do before, during and after the campaign to increase your chances of success.
Let’s walk you through what the campaign entails, step-by-step.
Preparation phase: Before October
The first step in the Stoptober campaign is to make a decision that you’re finally ready to kick the habit.
After you commit:
- Go ahead and sign up on the NHS official website or through their app. This will grant you access to the treasure trove of resources that will provide support and tips.
- Once you’ve signed up, select your quit date. Choosing October 1st as your quit date allows you to align your schedule with the campaign.
Next, plan ahead by:
- Assessing your smoking habits in a bid to establish your smoking patterns and triggers.
- Collating your Stoptober campaign resources, including apps, quitting guides and support tools. This is where – if necessary – you identify your quitting aid of choice to help you transition from cigarettes. You can choose nicotine pouches, vaping or NRT.
- Informing your support network of your commitment to quit smoking, including family, friends or colleagues.
Stoptober 2024: Quit month
As you have gathered by now, Stoptober is not just a 2024 campaign – it is a challenge that happens each year. Whether it’s 2014, 2024 or next year, the framework is basically the same.
That said, here’s what you should be looking at by the time Stoptober 2024 rolls around:
Day 1: Quit day
- October 1st is the big day and it’s important to start strong. Make use of the NHS website or app for encouragement and useful tips.
- Dispose of any smoking remnants from your environment (home, car, office etc.) including getting rid of cigarettes, ashtrays and lighters.
- You can also engage with like-minded individuals who have joined the Stoptober 2024 UK challenge on online forums and local support groups for motivation.
Day 2-7: Establish new habits
- Participate actively in daily Stoptober challenges and motivational content to keep yourself engaged.
- Similarly, take advantage of the daily tips you’ll be furnished with to manage smoking cravings. These include chewing gum, drinking water, practising deep breathing exercises and more.
Day 8-14: Strengthen your commitment
- Monitor your progress through the Stoptober app to see the health benefits you’re gaining and how much money you are potentially saving.
- Stay active to reduce stress levels and keep cravings at bay by engaging in physical activity or hobbies.
Day 15-21: Increase your resolve
- Regardless of the date you joined the Stoptober smoking challenge, take the third week of your quit smoking journey to acknowledge your progress and celebrate this little milestone.
- Continue to motivate yourself through Stoptober’s resources and daily support groups.
Day 22-28: Take stock
- You’re on the last stretch of the most critical period. Take time to reflect on the positive changes you’re witnessing in your health and wellbeing since your last cigarette.
- It’s also important that you don’t let your guard down by staying on top of your common smoking triggers. Identify potential situations that may tempt you to smoke and have a plan on how to circumnavigate them.
Post-Stoptober
At this point, you have navigated the toughest window in the smoking cessation journey. If you are using smoking alternatives like nicotine pouches and vapes, the transition should be smoother versus quitting cold turkey.
Regardless, you have managed to complete the most challenging phase of quitting smoking. The end goal, after all, is to give up traditional cigarettes in a bid to take control of your health and of those around you.
But that doesn’t mean the job is done. Remember, the rate of slip-up after quitting is highest during the first few weeks, with this likelihood decreasing the longer you go without smoking.
According to research, 75% of smokers who try to quit slip up within 6 months. [3]
That shows the uphill task that awaits and the extra need to stay vigilant.
Therefore, during the Post-Stoptober period, aim to keep the momentum going by staying engaged. You can continue using the tools and tips you’ve picked up and relying on support groups; counselling even.
Keep in mind that cravings will take a while to disappear, so have a plan in place on how to deal with them.
Maintaining healthy habits like exercising and others you’ve developed during Stoptober will go a long way towards helping you stay on track.
It’s also good to keep evaluating your progress and celebrate little milestones along the way. If you have given up nicotine for good, you can even use the money you have and continue to save along the way to reward yourself or channel it to an investment vehicle of choice.
Related: How Much Does Vaping Cost UK?
Speaking of costs and saving money…
How much money can Stoptober save you?
Given the high cost of maintaining a smoking lifestyle in the UK today, giving up cigarettes in October alone of every year could potentially save you £3,340 over two decades. [4]
That’s presuming a pack of cigarettes is going for £10.77 and you are running through 10 cigs a day. That means in a month, you stand to save approximately £167 by not smoking.
Going by that same calculation, your potential savings in a year if you don’t spend on cigarettes comes to £2,000. In 20 years, that figure would total to £40,000. That’s potential savings alone, without investing this money.
True, it looks easy on paper. But there is a reason Stoptober can increase your likelihood of quitting for good: by addressing the underlying cause of quitting failure.
How effective is Stoptober?
According to figures from the official website, the Stoptober campaign has helped over 2.5 million individuals attempt to quit smoking since the initiative kicked off in 2012. [5]
Continued research into nicotine cessation habits through the years has shed valuable insights into why many smokers find it difficult to successfully keep off cigarettes.
The three main underlying factors are:
1) Lack of a solid plan. Many people underestimate the effort it requires to successfully quit smoking. It’s not as easy as waking up and deciding you are no longer going to light up another cigarette in your life. While a few do succeed with a cold turkey approach, you need to be psychologically prepared and methodical in your approach to increase your chances of success. Willpower alone can only get you so far and is not sustainable in the long run.
It’s important to have a plan that begins with the reasons you want to quit. You also need to figure out the best way to quit smoking for you personally, as well as the techniques you will employ to navigate the inevitable rough days. Stoptober provides that framework for you.
2) Underestimating the power of addiction. The failure to address the psychological aspect of addiction is another major reason behind many failed quit attempts. Quitting smoking is not only about dealing with physical withdrawal symptoms and finding ways to manage your cravings. Addiction is as much a psychological thing as it is physical. This is why cessation methods like nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) have failed to resonate with many users as they only address the physical aspect of addiction.
Having a cessation method that addresses the psychological factor can help. Stoptober facilitates this by providing smokers with a platform that allows them to understand how psychology plays a role in nicotine addiction. There are tons of resources and material to help you retrain your brain. The quit smoking community on Facebook is also a good place to compare notes and look at other smokers’ personal journeys.
3) Lack of support or accountability. The third reason why many smokers relapse is due to lack of support and accountability. There is power in accountability. You are more likely to achieve your goals (whatever those may be) if you have someone holding you accountable.
This ties in with our second point above, but in addition to embarking on this journey with a community of like-minded individuals, Stoptober encourages building a strong support network to increase your chances of getting across the finish line.
Research also shows that you are more likely to quit smoking if you are doing it as a collective versus embarking on the journey solo. And that’s the essence of the Stoptober quit smoking campaign.
Conclusion
The number of smokers in England has dropped significantly over the last decade or so. A large part of it has to do with health and lifestyle reasons. However, rising cigarette prices (which are set to rise to £16 a pack in 2026) have become another motivator lately. [6]
Still, we cannot deny the role that effective substitutes – in particular vaping – have had in helping many smokers successfully stub out the habit.
But there still remains millions of smokers in the country. And with smoking continuing to remain the biggest cause of avoidable illness, disability and death, quitting smoking is one of the best personal decisions anyone can make.
While there are many roads to get to the promised land, the Stoptober campaign presents an excellent opportunity for smokers to finally cross smoking off their list. Because many want to, but few are able to successfully do so.
The en masse quit attempt of Stoptober can be a great motivator, but the fact that the challenge comes with free resources to support you through your quitting journey is a bonus. At the end of the day, though, the decision to quit rests with the individual.
The truth of the matter is that there is no perfect time to quit smoking. But it doesn’t get any more perfect than Stoptober.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is October a quit smoking month?
Any month can be a quit smoking month. However, the NHS has designated October as the official month to run the Stoptober campaign. The campaign is a quit smoking challenge that brings people together from all over the country and encourages them to improve their health by ditching traditional cigarettes.
What is the 28 day stop smoking challenge?
The 28 day stop smoking challenge is the idea behind the Stoptober quit smoking challenge. It is based on the theory that if you can lay off cigarettes for 28 straight days, you are five times more likely to quit smoking for good.
What is Stoptober trying to achieve?
The aim of Stoptober UK is to help as many people as possible quit smoking. It achieves this by providing support and other valuable resources to help smokers in their cessation journey.
Stoptober allows for the use of cessation tools such as vapes, nicotine pouches and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) as smoking alternatives if that’s what it takes for smokers to kick the habit successfully.
How many people stopped smoking from Stoptober?
According to official figures, Stoptober UK has helped 2.5 million people make a quit smoking attempt (excluding 2024 numbers) since its inception in 2012. With millions of active smokers in England still, the NHS campaign hopes to help plenty more make a transition to healthier alternatives or quit nicotine completely.
What happens if you don’t smoke for 21 days?
When you go for 21 days without smoking, your body begins a healing process to restore your body and body systems to normal. Your respiratory system purges mucus and other gunk left over by cigarettes. You stop wheezing and coughing as often, and your circulation system improves noticeably.
References
[1] https://drugfree.org/drug-and-alcohol-news/smokers-may-try-quitting-average-30-times-succeed-study/
[2] https://americanaddictioncenters.org/adult-addiction-treatment-programs/most-addictive
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8298987
[4] https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/01/stoptober-ditching-cigarettes-could-earn-you-up-to-60k-10838549/
[5] https://campaignresources.dhsc.gov.uk/campaigns/stoptober-2024/
