95 per cent of ex-smokers see positive changes soon after quitting

Stoptober is back and calling on smokers to join the thousands of others committing to quit from October 1, 2023.

A new nationwide survey released ahead of Stoptober shows nearly all (95 per cent) ex-smokers see positive changes in their life as early as two weeks after quitting.

Stoptober’s mass quit attempt will launch on October 1, calling on smokers in England to join the thousands of others committing to quit. While smoking rates are declining, over five million adults in England still smoke and smoking remains the single biggest cause of preventable illness and death in the country - linked to 64,000 deaths a year. The total cost from smoking to society in England is approximately £17bn a year - this includes the cost to the NHS of treating diseases caused by smoking at approximately £1.9bn a year.

This supports the government’s bold new measures - such as financial incentives for all pregnant women who smoke to quit - to help it achieve its ambition to be Smokefree by 2030.