‘Kick the habit’ this Stoptober

Blackburn Rovers and Blackburn with Darwen Council are encouraging local smokers to ‘kick the habit’ for good during Stoptober.

During October, smokers in Blackburn with Darwen are being encouraged to quit together as this year’s Stoptober challenge gets under way.

The Council and Rovers have teamed up to support the Public Health England campaign in a bid to help local people quit.  This year’s campaign harnesses the talents of some of the country’s best comedians including Bill Bailey, Al Murray, Shappi Khorsandi and Rhod Gilbert who will provide a humorous slant to the campaign’s messages.

Smoking is no laughing matter though and neither is quitting. Stoptober quitters will receive a full range of support to kick the habit for good. Local smokers are also encouraged to get in touch with the Blackburn with Darwen stop smoking service, as research shows you are four times more likely to quit with this extra support than stopping on your own.

One ex-smoker who did just that is Mick Cave, 53, from Blackburn. Mick had been smoking for 35 years when he accessed the stop smoking service via the town centre Your Support, Your Choice shop.

He said:

I was just really fed up of the control cigarettes had over me, especially financially. I’d been smoking since I was 18 and pretty much chain smoking every day. Since October last year I’d started to seriously considering packing it in and eventually approached the stop smoking service after realising I’d had enough.

With support from adviser Paula Dobson, Mick has been smokefree for three months now and is delighted with his achievement.

He added:

I’m proud of myself. Every day I’m getting stronger. I’m going to start swimming again to get my breathing good and hopefully by after Christmas I’ll feel like a new person. I can’t thank the smoking team enough and would recommend them to anyone.

Councillor Brian Taylor, Deputy Executive Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said:

We’re delighted to team up with Blackburn Rovers and encourage as many people as possible like Mick in Blackburn with Darwen to quit. Stoptober is a great chance to get help to break away from this addiction and start to feel the health and financial benefits of becoming smokefree.

Stoptober 2015 starts on Thursday October 1 and runs for 28 days. For further information contact the Blackburn with Darwen Stop Smoking Service on (01254) 682037 or email: quitsmoking@blackburn.gov.uk

For more information and a list of local stop smoking clinics visit: http://www.refreshbwd.com/service/stop-smoking-service-2/