Smokers across the country are being told there is still time to sign up to Stoptober – the country’s 28 day mass quit attempt from Public Health England – to receive support and encouragement every step of the way.  New to the campaign this year, Stoptober’s very own podcast series forms part of the support to help people overcome their Sunday Blues and to provide quitting motivation for the week ahead. 
 
Stoptober is using humour to help the nation swap ‘fags for gags’ and this year, the campaign has teamed up with multiple Edinburgh nominated comedian Carl Donnelly to help support quitters in a funny and motivational way.
 
Having smoked himself for almost 20 years, and having tried to quit numerous times, Carl has signed up to Stoptober for the first time to help him quit for 28 days and beyond. In his regular podcasts, Carl is sharing his quit attempt with listeners, whilst chatting to a wide variety of people involved with Stoptober this year. From top comedians and healthcare professionals to fellow Stoptober participants and supporters, Carl is capturing the voices, thoughts and feelings of the country’s biggest quit attempt. 
 
 
Talking about his support of Stoptober this year, Carl says:  “Having been a smoker myself for over 20 years, I’ve tried to quit a number times from going cold turkey to using the various quitting aids available. To date nothing has worked and that’s because quitting can be tough. I’m giving it another go with Stoptober and I’m urging others to join me – after all, you are five times more likely to quit for good if you can stop smoking for 28 days.’ 

 
“To help keep people motivated, especially on Sunday nights when the going can get tough, I’ll be talking to Stoptober participants about their experience of quitting, discussing the triggers, quitting aids and support available. All the time, I’ll be using humour to engage and motivate people to sign up to Stoptober to help them quit.”
 


Carl joins some of the nation’s top comedians in his bid to help people quit with Stoptober; this year, Bill Bailey, Rhod Gilbert, Al Murray and Shappi Khorsandi are all providing personal support and humourous messages direct to quitters’ phones and tablets for 28 days.   

 
Carl’s podcasts can be found on the Stop Blog. People can sign up to Stoptober anytime throughout October to receive free and proven support. Those looking to take part in the campaign should search ‘Stoptober’ online or visit: http://smokefree.nhs.uk/stoptober