Residents have pledged to give up smoking in a new NHS Dorset campaign, ‘Make Tobacco History in 2015’.
NHS Dorset last week launched a brand new anti-smoking campaign asking the simple question: Are you ready to pledge to quit smoking?
So far, the answer has been a resounding yes, with many residents logging on and making their online pledge.
“When we make a pledge and tell people about our goals we are more likely to act on them. It is a powerful motivator and we want to hear your pledges,” said NHS Dorset.
Pledges are flooding in, and can all be seen on the NHS Dorset website with the clear message of ‘you are not alone’.
The campaign encourages smokers to share their reasons for wanting to give up, with the aim to support and inspire others.
NHS Dorset suggest that a person is four times more likely to quit smoking with support and so are urging quitters to support one another in the fight against smoking.
The campaign is using radio adverts, posters and social media to try and spread their message, such as the trending hashtag ‘#maketobaccohistory’ on the Dorset For You Twitter page.
Tweets from Dorset For You highlighted the benefits of quitting: “If you smoked 20 a day and quit at New Year you’ve already saved about £100! #maketobaccohistory”.
The campaign features several stories from Dorset residents and their reasons for giving up to inspire others to do the same.
Chris, a Dorset resident, said: “I quit smoking, lost six stone and found my life again.”
Other featured residents on the site, such as Jenny, from Poole, pointed out that she “didn’t realise how much it cost” her.
On average, a smoker spends around £2,500 a year on their habit.
Online the main motivation for quitters is their health, the shocking amount of money spent and their family.
Ash, a campaigning public health charity that works to eliminate the harm caused by tobacco, states that “surveys show that about two-thirds of current smokers would like to stop smoking, but only about 30%-40% make a quit attempt in a given year”.
The new NHS Dorset campaign aims to tackle these statistics to help more smokers quit.
Every year, over 100,000 smokers in the UK die from smoking related causes.
If you want to pledge to quit smoking, or want some motivation to do so, go to: maketobaccohistory.co.uk.
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