AN annual campaign is returning by encouraging smokers across Jersey to take the first step towards a healthier future by quitting for 28 days.
Stoptober is a month-long campaign encourages people to give up their smoking habit for the month.
Research indicates that those who stop for 28 days are “much more likely to quit for good”, according to Dr Rhona Reardon, the Help2Quit service’s lead Stop Smoking nurse.
She said: “Quitting smoking has many benefits and people who stop smoking often report having more energy, feeling healthier, breathing more easily, improved ability to exercise, better skin health and more money in their pocket. The risk of developing smoking-related disease decreases the longer a person remains smoke-free.”
Stopping smoking improves a person’s mental health, she added, once short-term withdrawal has ended.
Around 140 deaths in Jersey each year are attributable to smoking, according to the Public Health Department.
The department’s Help2Quit service offers a free 60-minute initial appointment, eleven one-to-one support sessions, and a free supply of stop-smoking aids. 770 Islanders contacted Help2Quit in 2025.
Dr Reardon added: “Whether you are quitting for yourself, your family or the people who matter most, the Help2Quit team is here to support you every step of the way.”
Tips from the Help2Quit team
- Get specialist help and if appropriate, use specialist medication
- Quit alongside friends, family or colleagues, or tell them about your plans to quit
- Choose a quit date when you won’t be stressed – and don’t smoke “even a single puff” afterwards
- Stay away from triggers like alcohol or other smokers
- Remember that cravings and withdrawal symptoms will pass
