Coffee Break “Stoptober”: Think High Five!

Stoptober is here again and if you stay quit for 28 days or more you are five times more likely to stay quit for good. Now that’s a high five worth celebrating! 

For those of you who are new to Stoptober, it was first implemented in 2012 by Public Health England and it encouraged smokers to abstain from smoking for 28 days during October. Smoking is still the biggest single cause of preventable illness and death. If you have tried to quit smoking before then try again with the Stoptober Challenge to keep you motivated to quit for good. Better Health quit smoking

Think of five reasons to quit. Motivations and reasons to stop smoking help keep you on track throughout the month

Think of five rewards to give yourself along your stop smoking journey.  Just a little reminder of how well you are doing

Think of five good things that will start to happen over the month when you quit. Your blood pressure begins to return to normal after 20 minutes. Your lungs begin to work better as carbon monoxide is removed from your body after a day. Your taste and smell improve after a couple of days.  Walking and daily tasks become easier to do after 2 weeks. And after just one month you notice your breathing and energy levels continue to improve. 

As you can see when you stop smoking good things start to happen and you can begin to see and feel improvements to your health very quickly.

Think of five top tips to help you stay smoke free. 

1. Develop new habits and routines. If you associate cigarettes with your morning coffee, switch to water, juice or fruit teas Brush your teeth and get dressed before going to the kitchen to put the kettle on
2. Know your triggers. If certain people, places, or situations tempt you to light up, avoid them for now if you need to
3. Keep your mouth busy with sugar free mints or gum or some chopped up veg such as carrot sticks and have a bottle of water to hand, keeping you hydrated whilst helping with the hand to mouth action. Keep your hands busy with a puzzle, a stress ball, may be do some knitting or get a colouring book for grown up`s which are also a great stress buster!
4. Get moving more if you can with a daily walk or may be do some Yoga. Exercise helps boost your  immune system and is great for your mental health too
5. Manage your stress in a better way by not using smoking as a coping mechanism. Your problems and the stress are still there when you have smoked. 

Start your Stoptober journey with and you will be on your way to a High Five Celebration yourself!  

 NHS Stop Smoking Service - Yorkshire Smokefree