Stoptober
Tips on quitting this stoptober!
Oct
Let’s help you quit and get you fit! Tips and tricks on quitting smoking
Check-in with Choppa this Stoptober!
Stoptober (in case you haven’t heard!) sees thousands of people each year, pledge to give up the cigarettes for a whole month. The goal is to eventually give up permanently, but we all have to start somewhere right? The whole campaign started when Public Health England found research to prove those who quit the habit for 28 days were more likely to stop for good. With this year marking the 10th year of Stoptober, we thought what better than to put together 5 handy tips to help you stop reaching for the lighter throughout the night (and day)!
- Don’t expect yourself to go cold turkey.
The majority of smokers fall victim to nicotine cravings in the first few days and slip back into old habits. DO NOT BE ONE OF THEM. Quitting the cigarettes without any smoking aids is HARD. Your body is so used to receiving its daily dose of nicotine, it has a bit of a meltdown when you don’t provide it. Imagine you’ve just run a race and you’re dying of thirst but you’ve nothing to drink, you’re going to suffer, right? Now imagine someone hands you a fizzy drink. You’re still going to wish you had water, but the fizzy drink satisfies your bodies needs.
There are multiple smoking cessation aids to help you and the official Stoptober website lists some good choices! Of course, we are biased toward vaping, which Public Health England also suggest as a great choice for helping you quit.
E-cigarettes allow you to continue using nicotine, the addictive substance found in cigarettes, without the harmful carcinogens cigarettes bring with them. You can choose your nicotine strength, e-liquid flavour, and many more customisations to tailor it to your needs and preferences. To see how they compare, check out our blog post ‘Smoking vs Vaping, What’s the difference?’
- See and feel the difference!
As you progress through your journey to finally kicking your smoking habit you’ll start to notice the difference! Did you manage to climb the stairs easier this morning? That will be your lungs opening up. Did your partner compliment your scent as they lent in for a kiss? That will be your skin, hair and clothes smelling fresh as a daisy! Tobacco lingers on everything around it, leaving an awful stale smell that follows you around – you probably haven’t smelt like yourself in years! Start enjoying all the benefits you couldn’t whilst smoking those pesky cigarettes!
- Remove any temptations!
Imagine you’re on a diet. No buying chocolate cake or crisps right? If it’s not in the house, it’s not there to tempt you. You need to take the same approach with quitting smoking. Remove ashtrays, lighters, anything that reminds you of a cigarette – and ESPECIALLY cigarettes themselves! Ask any partners/relatives/friends to hide theirs away in a place you’re not aware of (or even better – encourage them to join you with Stoptober!). Don’t just stop there, we found replacing those items by putting something else in their place works wonders! Put a box of your favourite chocolates where you normally keep your cigarettes, a magazine where your ashtray sits, you get the idea! This way you won’t feel so lost.
- Habits can be broke, no need to smoke!
We know, we’ve all been there. Saturday night outside the club, all your mates are off to the smoking area. Sunday morning, sat on the step in your woolly jumper with a banging head from the night before. Monday lunchtime in the middle of THE most stressful day as you sit down with your coffee.
These are all habits.
Stopping these all together can feel like a daunting task, and can make quitting smoking feels like a punishment, which can make your Stoptober feel like an eternity.
We recommend you take something else along for distraction! If you can’t stand the idea of missing out on the gossip when everyone goes out for a smoke – an e-cigarette is a great idea (you’ll also find a lot of others will be using these too)! During your work breaks, take a snack, or a book, maybe take yourself out for lunch. Remember to reward yourself for the great things you’re doing for your body this month!
- Treat yourself, you deserve it!
A new pair of trainers, a fancy meal, a hotel stay? Quitting smoking is a huge success, you should be proud of the strength it took to achieve! What better way to celebrate than to treat yourself to something exciting?
On average, smokers smoke 20 cigarettes a day; with a packet of cigarettes costing £13.30, that’s a spend of £93.10 per week or £4,841.20 per year. For that you could buy:
- A family holiday abroad, including hotel, flights and entertainment and spending money
- The average food shop in 2020 for a family of 4 was £99.00 per week, that’s just over 48 weeks of shopping.
We recommend putting away all the money you would have spent on cigarettes throughout October, and purchasing something at the end of the month as a ‘well done me’! Not only will you thank yourself by the end of the month, but you have this reward as motivation to keep going every time you feel like giving in.
Well, that’s it from us! Good luck, we believe in you! Come and see us over on Instagram where we will be holding weekly ‘Check in with Choppa’ discussions to keep you motivated on your Stoptober journey!