Let’s quit smoking together! Feel Good Suffolk gets behind national Stoptober campaign

25/09/26

Feel Good Suffolk is raising awareness of this year’s Stoptober campaign and the support it offers for any smokers in the county who want to stop.

A unique partnership, Feel Good Suffolk brings together Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils, Ipswich Borough Council East Suffolk Council, West Suffolk Council and Suffolk County Council, working closely with NHS Suffolk and North East Essex (SNEE ICB) Integrated Care Board and the Norfolk & Waveney Integrated Care Board.

Since launching in 2012, Stoptober has helped millions of people across the country to quit smoking for good by encouraging them to stop smoking for the month of October. Research shows that staying smoke-free for 28 days means you are up to five times more likely to quit for good.

The Stoptober campaign has the tagline of ‘let's quit smoking together’ and Feel Good Suffolk is reassuring smokers there is a range of free help and support available.

Smokers are three times more likely to stop with help from stop smoking services like Feel Good Suffolk. Feel Good Suffolk has a team of dedicated expert advisors across the county who can explain the various options available to people wanting to quit. These include one-to-one support, stop smoking groups, vaping, medication, free apps or free access to the highly acclaimed Allen Carr seminars.

This October also marks three years since Feel Good Suffolk was launched as Suffolk’s stop smoking support service. In that time the service has helped nearly 3,700 to successfully quit smoking.

Georgina Howe is the strategic manager for Feel Good Suffolk. She says:

“We all know the harm that smoking causes, both to our own health and to the people around us. Most people who smoke wish they’d never started, but quitting can be incredibly difficult. It often takes more than one attempt to stop for good and that’s completely normal. The good news is that there are now more proven ways to quit than ever before.

“We’re here to help, not to judge, and we’ve supported thousands of people across Suffolk to become smoke free. The most important message is that you don’t have to do it alone. Wherever you live in Suffolk, if you’re ready to quit smoking, we’re here to help.”

Alex was supported to stop smoking by Feel Good Suffolk. When an advisor asked him why he wanted to quit, something clicked:

“I thought about my children and I realised I was spending £50 a week on tobacco that was killing me. I was sick and tired of having no money. And I thought: ‘this is good for my kids, and it's good for me’. I feel so much healthier. I can breathe in and I can run. My lungs feel clear. I feel really healthy again.”

Dr Mike Smith, executive medical director at NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board, said:

“Stopping smoking is one of the best decisions you can make for your health. Whatever your age and however long you have smoked, quitting reduces your risk of serious illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and stroke, and the benefits begin almost straight away. Stoptober is a great opportunity to make a positive change and Feel Good Suffolk can provide the expert support needed to help people quit for good.”

Smoking is still a significant public health issue and the single biggest cause of preventable ill health and death. It’s estimated to cost society £21.9 billion per year in England and £3 billion of this is the cost to the NHS and social care. One in four patients in a hospital bed is a smoker and smokers see their GP 35% more than non-smokers.

Here in Suffolk, smoking is the single greatest risk for early deaths, contributing to nearly 1,000 deaths per year and costing an estimated £586 million every year. Around 10.5% of people in Suffolk smoke which is very slightly above the national average of 10.4%.

On top of the health risks there is the financial cost to the smoker. If you smoke 10 cigarettes a day you’ll save around £2,500 per year if you stop.

Bob stopped smoking with the help of Feel Good Suffolk. Bob has not only felt the benefits to his health but also financially:

“My GP said I needed to do something about my life because he didn't want to sign my death certificate. I said ‘Right, let's start with smoking’ and he referred me to Feel Good Suffolk. They provided me with various tools to stop smoke including joining a support group. It was an amazing experience and they kept in touch to make sure we were still on the plan and hadn't drifted off back into our old habits. That encouragement kept us going. Later in the year I was thinking of all the money I’d saved each week by not smoking and I worked out I would have enough money to retire on. So this summer I officially became a gentleman of leisure.”

The good news is that it’s never too late to stop and you’ll start to feel the benefits almost immediately:

•   After 20 minutes, your pulse and blood pressure start to drop back to normal.
•   After 8 hours your oxygen levels are recovering and you’ll have half the amount of nicotine and carbon monoxide in your blood
•   After 3 to 9 months your lungs are working 10% better. This means less coughing and wheezing
•   After 1 year your risk of heart attack has halved compared to that of a smoker
•   After ten years your risk of lung cancer your risk of death from lunch cancer has halved
•   After 15 years your risk of heart attack is the same as someone who never smoked.

You can find out more and fill in a simple referral form via the Feel Good Suffolk website.