Let's talk - Stoptober

Over the course of 5 sessions we delivered our talk to over 120 students.  In line with the Stoptober message, our talk focused on the health risks linked to smoking and vaping along with the physical and mental benefits of giving up.

Smoking remains the biggest cause of preventable deaths and in Rotherham, the percentage of adults smoking is significantly higher than the national average (16.9% in Rotherham, 13% nationally).  Vaping has also become a nationwide issue, with studies showing that many young people who have never smoked have now turned to vapes.

It was interesting as we went through the sessions that many young people are aware of the cancer risk associated with smoking, but it was the lesser known health risks such as peripheral artery disease that really hit home with them.  Many had no idea that smoking could cause the loss of limbs or fingers and toes, and whilst our pictures may have shocked our audiences, they seemed to have an impact.

We wanted to know what young people believed to be the reasons why people took up smoking and vaping.  In all the sessions we delivered, peer pressure and it being a way of dealing with problems and stress, came up every time. Although the announcement of a ban on the sale of disposable vapes from June 2025 has been made, this is likely to only tackle some of the more superficial reasons why young people vape such as the variety of flavours, fashion and looking cool.  It may have less of an impact on those who are using smoking and vaping as a coping mechanism for stress and mental health problems which we know continues to be an increasing problem for today’s young people.

Although smoking is associated with stress relief and a way of dealing with difficult situations, the opposite is in fact true and longer term, smoking can trap people into a stress cycle that is difficult to break.  One of the benefits of quitting smoking is better mental health, and stopping can be as effective as taking antidepressants in reducing depression, anxiety and stress. 

This is something that NHS South Yorkshire looked at as part of their Smokefree Starts campaign back in May this year during Mental Health Awareness Week.  More information about this campaign and how smoking affects your mental health can be found here: Smokefree Starts 

Some of the young people we spoke to told us how difficult they’ve found it to quit and how some of them wished they never started.  Andrea spoke about ‘The Wheel of Change’ theory and how everyone goes through several stages when they attempt to change a pattern of behaviour such as smoking.  Relapsing is part of this and shouldn’t be seen as a failure, just as stepping back a stage before the new behaviour (not smoking) becomes normal. Most people will go back and forth between the stages before quitting for good.

Thank you to Rotherham College and Dearne Valley College for hosting us this Stoptober and to everyone who contributed to our talks and told us that they were going to try to stop - we hope you are successful!