Stoptober: 28 days, and every day counts

From 1 October, lots of people stop smoking together for 28 days. Taking part, or still on the fence? Keeping track of how it goes helps you get to know your tricky moments, and see how often you already managed.

What is Stoptober?

Stoptober started in England and now runs in several countries, including the Netherlands. The idea is the same everywhere: from 1 October, go 28 days without smoking, together with others. For support in the UK, see NHS Better Health; in the Netherlands, stoptober.nl.

According to the campaign, if you manage 28 days without smoking, you are five times more likely to quit for good.

Why tracking helps

• You see when cravings come. After a meal, with coffee, when you are stressed: patterns only show once you write them down.
• You see cravings pass. Every craving you let pass is on record. That builds confidence for the next one.
• You see where you stand. Not by feel, but in plain numbers per day and per week.

Cravings come in waves

A craving often feels like it will last, but it usually fades within a few minutes. Note the moment, ride it out, then look back at what happened. The more often you see it, the better you know it passes.

Not ready to quit completely?

Knowing how much you smoke or vape right now is still a good start. Track a week of what you use without changing anything. Afterwards it becomes clearer where you could cut back. You can always join Stoptober later.

See also: work out what smoking costs you and the free printable weekly log.

Ebbly is a logbook for adults (18+). It gives no medical advice and is not a quit programme. Need support? Talk to your doctor.