StopTober could be a life changer for you

The subject of smoking cessation is now mainstream news, especially with the growing popularity of electronic cigarettes, and the UK NHS is certainly assisting the fight against tobacco cigarettes. The recent introduction of the so-called “StopTober campaign” initially started fairly quietly but has grown into something which is having a material impact upon tobacco smokers in the UK and beyond. So what exactly is StopTober and could StopTober be a life changer for you?

What is StopTober?

In simple terms StopTober is an ongoing annual campaign which covers the first 28 days of October encouraging tobacco cigarette smokers to sign up for smoke cessation assistance. To give you an example of the growth in popularity of the campaign, the StopTober 2013 promotion assisted just over 160,000 tobacco smokers in the UK who were looking to reduce or eliminate tobacco smoking completely. This in itself is a significant figure but when you bear in mind that over 215,000 people have so far signed up to StopTober 2014 you begin to get an idea of its growing popularity.

The simple idea of StopTober, and this is why it is proving more successful than many had anticipated, is to encourage tobacco cigarette smokers to give up for 28 days during October. Statistically if you can avoid tobacco cigarettes for one month your chances of reducing or giving up smoking longer term improve by a factor of five. When you bear in mind the knock-on impact which tobacco smoking has on the health service, the economy and other areas everyday life, surely this is a campaign worth supporting?

Electronic cigarettes

Over the last couple of years we have seen a significant number of UK electronic cigarette manufacturers joining the StopTober campaign, offering significant discounts and promotions on their products. This has proven to be extremely popular amongst those looking to switch from tobacco cigarettes to electronic cigarettes and, going by the feedback from years gone by, for many people it is proving to be a life changer.

There are some wild forecasts about the electronic cigarette industry, some suggesting there could be more electronic cigarette users than tobacco cigarettes smokers in the US within the decade, but the fact remains that electronic cigarettes are growing in popularity. As more information and research is made available to the wider public it seems that confidence in the sector is gaining momentum.

StopTober goes global

Slowly but surely we are starting to see signs of interest in StopTober from outside of the UK. Indeed StopTober 2014 is also being embraced by New Zealand and the Netherlands with high hopes that other countries will join in the future. It will be interesting to see how far the StopTober campaign can go, how many people will sign up this year and in the future and indeed, perhaps more importantly, we look forward to the long-term feedback from participants.

Conclusion

While StopTober may not have hit the US yet, it is certainly making great strides and offering invaluable assistance to those in the UK and this year New Zealand and the Netherlands. The idea is very simple, refrain from smoking tobacco cigarettes for 28 days and increase your chances of giving up by a factor of five. It is also the opportunity to become more involved in the StopTober community, asking questions and helping each other, which is perhaps the main factor behind the ongoing growth in this movement.

Could StopTober 2014 be a life changer for you?

Mark Benson

Mark Benson is a contributing author for Spinfuel eMagazine. His continuing columns will bring a levelheaded approach to the dynamics involved in realizing a positive future for the e-cigarette industry. For more information on OK Eliquids and other products available please visit the OKCigs website.