Today we are marking No Smoking Day 2025 - a great opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of stopping smoking, encourage people who smoke to consider stopping, and signpost tobacco users to support. The theme for the campaign this year is ‘Take back your life this No Smoking Day.'
The big picture
The latest figures and trends show that as of 2023, adult smoking rates have declined to 11.9% in the UK, the lowest level ever. However, this still equates to around 6 million people. Smoking is attributed to causing around 80,000 deaths a year in the UK and is responsible for 1 in 4 of all cancer deaths in England. It is estimated that smoking costs the country £21.3 billion a year, which includes loss of productivity and costs to the NHS and social care.
Figure 1: Adult smoking prevalence in the UK, 2011-2023.
We know that the most effective support method to stop smoking is using a combination of behavioural support and stop smoking aids such as Nicotine Replacement Therapy. Smokers are 3 to 4 times more likely to quit with support from a stop smoking service compared with trying to quit without support.
Stop smoking services were established in England in 2000/01. It is estimated that these services have saved 140,000 lives so far and supported over 10 million quit attempts.
At Reed Wellbeing, we deliver six stop smoking services around the country, including in Leeds, Stoke-on-Trent, Essex, Norfolk, and London. These services support thousands of people to stop smoking or reduce the harm caused by tobacco use each year by providing evidence-based behavioural support following the latest National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT) guidelines, with the effective use of stop smoking medications and peer support.
In our services, we work hard to prioritise populations who may be less able to access health and wellbeing support and those who may benefit most from stopping smoking. These include pregnant women, people with a mental health condition, people in the 20% most deprived areas of the country, and those with long-term health conditions. In the services that we deliver, we consistently achieve quit rates and long-term abstinence above the national average.
Benefits of quitting smoking
Quitting smoking is the best thing that someone can do for their health, and it is never too late to quit smoking. There are many benefits to quitting:
Figure 2: Short-term benefits of stopping smoking.
Figure 3: Long-term benefits of stopping smoking.
There is more to stopping smoking than just the personal health benefits:
Family and friends will be protected from the risks of harmful second-hand smoke.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the average cost of a pack of 20 king-size cigarettes in 2024 was £15.85. Therefore, smokers with a 20-a-day habit could expect to save £5,000-£6,000 per year if they quit.
Support available
At the recent Smoking Cessation and Health conference, hosted by Martin Dockrell (former Tobacco Control Lead at Department for Health and Social Care) and supported by leaders in tobacco control and public health, it was said that 2025 could see the most significant step-change in support offered to tobacco users. Local authorities and stop smoking services can aim to go bigger, better, and further than ever before in supporting the UK ambition to create a smoke-free generation.
Now there are more tools than ever to help people stop smoking, such as Nicotine Replacement Therapy, e-cigarettes, and pharmacy-only medications. Services are starting to innovate and use technology to reach more tobacco users. At Reed Wellbeing, we are developing ‘My Wellbeing Hub', a self-service health and wellbeing app that we will be rolling out in April, initially to support our Smokefree Norfolk service.
Additionally, the Government has recently provided £70 million of additional funding for local tobacco control in 2025-2026. Some of our services are already benefiting from this by enabling us to support more people to quit.
Harm reduction advice
On No Smoking Day, it is important to remind ourselves that there is no safe level of smoking and the best way to improve someone’s health is to stop completely. However, some people may not be ready for this significant step and may wish to take a more gradual approach.
One method to achieve this is called harm reduction, whereby smokers may take steps to reduce the harms caused by their smoking rather than eliminating it straight away, to build confidence with the aim to quit in the future.
Here’s some harm reduction advice you may wish to try out or share with your friends and family:
Reduction
Temporary abstinence or smoke-free days – smokers may elect a day or part of a day to be smoke-free. This can build confidence in those who feel quitting abruptly may be challenging.
Cutting down – smokers may choose to reduce their smoking over time by gradually cutting down on the number of cigarettes smoked each day or week. With this method, it is important to be aware of the risks of compensatory smoking, drawing or smoking the remaining cigarettes more heavily than usual.
Changing how tobacco is used – taking a milder draw or not smoking all the way to the filter.
Substitution
A few cigarettes swapped with e-cigarettes or Nicotine Replacement Therapy.
Recently published guidelines advised ‘pre-loading' can be an effective approach to quit smoking.
Reducing exposure
Smoking outside with doors and windows to the home closed.
Avoiding smoking before visiting children or vulnerable people to reduce the risk of exposure to second-hand smoke.
Signposting and resources
If you or a family member or friend wishes to make the important step to stop smoking, there are several options:
Contact your local stop smoking service. Find your local Stop Smoking Service (LSSS) - Better Health - NHS
Sign up to the NHS Quit Smoking Support – Stop Smoking App.
The No Smoking Day 2025 campaign toolkit can be found here - No Smoking Day toolkit | No Smoking Day 2025 | Campaign Resource Centre