Thousands of people are trying to quit smoking for Stoptober

Thousands of people will try to get rid of their addiction to cigarettes in the next four weeks. They are participating in Stoptober, which is being held for the ninth time.

The special month is an initiative of the Ministry of Health, the Lung Fund, the Heart Foundation and KWF, among others. Participants will receive daily guidance and support in their attempt via an app. According to the organizers, more than 50,000 Dutch people participate in Stoptober every year and share experiences with each other on social media.

Well-known Dutch people participating this year are Formula 1 analyst Tim Coronel, journalist Arno Kantelberg, singer Eva Simons and singer and actor Tommie Christiaan.

According to the organizers, quitting for 28 days is just long enough to experience the positive effects of quitting smoking. Most withdrawal symptoms will be over by then. Scientific research has shown that people who manage to quit for four weeks are five times more likely than other smokers to stick with it permanently.