In England, Stoptober is boosting e-cigarette sales

Since 2012, the British government has been implementing a program to combat tobacco addiction. Known as Stoptober, the contraction of Stop-October, this anti-tobacco campaign encourages smokers to stop smoking for an entire month. Countless media outlets and health professionals are spreading the news in hopes of reaching as many smokers as possible.

The originality of the project can be attributed to the behavioural therapy techniques created by Robert West. The idea is that participants benefit from the positive effects of group motivation. On the first day of October, participants make a group promise to stop smoking cigarettes.  The objective? Get through 28 days without tobacco. The 28-day cap is important because after this period, the painful effects of withdrawal symptoms begin to wane, increasing the chances of quitting by 500%.

Since its creation in 2012, more than 1.5 million smokers have participated in Stoptober. 53% have used e-cigarettes as an alternative to cigarettes.

 

The English ministry of health encourages the use of e-cigarettes

This year, the Stoptober campaign began promoting the e-cigarette as a legitimate device to help quit smoking. Britain’s ministry of health has reminded the public that according to recent scientific studies, e-cigarettes are much less harmful than cigarettes. Consequently, the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases is significantly reduced.

This trend has been echoed by frequent tobacco smokers. In fact, sale of e-cigarette starter kits has increased by 37% compared to last year. Since Stoptober’s inception, the United Kingdom has seen record numbers of people quitting smoking. Great Britain stands at the forefront of European countries when it comes to tobacco prevention.

Faced with the growing success of Stoptober in England, France’s National Institute of Prevention and Education (INPES) was inspired to begin Mois Sans Tabac, a similar anti-tobacco campaign in France.