World No Tobacco Day: Half of UK Smokers Are Determined to Quit

•Over 4 in 10 smokers smoke more than they would like to.
•Around 46% have attempted to quit with an E-cigarette but were not successful.
•New smoking cessation device, Smooff, launches in the UK after success in Denmark.

A new UK wide survey of people who smoke has given a snapshot of the current smoking landscape and reveals that over half (52%) are keen to kick the habit.

This comes during World No Tobacco Day which encourages a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption around the globe.

Despite many attempting to quit smoking in the past, according to ASH there are still around 10 million active smokers. New research conducted by Smooff, a smoking cessation programme newly launched in the UK, spoke to 2,000 people who currently smoke and found that 64% have attempted to quit smoking between 1 & 5 times, and a further 12% have tried between 6 & 12 times.

Every smoker has their own habits and triggers for wanting to smoke, with 58% of respondents saying they find it hard to refrain from smoking when drinking alcohol, 57% said its hardest when they are feeling stressed, while 56% said they always want a cigarette after eating. As many as 45% believe socialising with friends makes it hard to kick the habit and 37% said they struggle when they are around friends that are smoking.

The NHS provides lots of support and guidance for those looking to quit smoking, and new legislation has been introduced to deter under 18s from taking up the habit. However the research suggests that the tools available to help quit smoking are insufficient.

In fact, 5 in 10 (46%) said they have attempted to quit by replacing smoking with an E-cigarette but were not successful, contradicting recent reports* that the UK's Royal College of Physicians want doctors to encourage people to quit with E-cigarettes. A further 43% have tried to quit using nicotine patches but weren’t successful and 32% failed when using nicotine gum.

With many British smokers searching for a more successful way to quit, a new product has launched in the UK which has proven hugely popular in its native Denmark. Smooff contains 4 filters for use over 28 days, allowing you to gradually reduce your intake of smoke and nicotine. It allows you to treat the body’s addiction without the use of any medicine or nicotine replacement.

As stressed by most stop smoking campaigns, the first 28 days are the hardest and if you make it over that hurdle you are far less likely to turn back. Many people have already quit with Smooff and the founder, Torben Rasmussen, hopes to get even more people to quit with Smooff.

“An attempt to quit smoking is a long and tough stretch, where some tend to give up during the process. I invented Smooff, so that you could gradually reduce your intake of nicotine, and so that you could mentally prepare to quit after 28 days. The nicotine addiction is at a minimum or completely gone after 28 days, which makes it a whole lot easier to quit smoking after this period” says Torben.

Contact Details
Rachel Fletcher
Independent Media News
T: 0207 717 9696
E: rachel@imngroup.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

- Research conducted on behalf of Smooff by Vital Statistics, sampling 2,000 UK current smokers.
- Images are available to download here: WeTransfer