Campaign to help smokers in Slough find happiness

A new regional campaign is hitting the streets to dispel a common myth about smoking as a way of relieving stress, and ask what makes the South East happy?

Members of the South East Smokefree Alliance (SESA) will be out and about across towns and cities to spark conversations about wellbeing, and the link between quitting smoking and feeling better.

The campaign is built on growing evidence that stopping smoking doesn’t just improve your physical health, it can also make you happier. Within weeks of quitting, people’s brains start to rebalance dopamine, the “happy hormone”, that smoking suppresses us creating naturally.

The Healthier Slough team will be bringing the campaign to the Town Square, on Saturday 7 Feb, from 11am-3pm, featuring activities and information about quitting smoking, support available, and maybe even set your quit date there and then!

The activities are part of a mass media campaign funded by 18 councils in the South East of England that explains in simple terms how quitting allows the brain to produce dopamine naturally again, helping people feel calmer, brighter and less stressed within weeks. Advertisements will be running across TV, radio, and online, with positive messages for smokers on the benefits of quitting smoking, as well as showing people how to access support services available.

A series of films and animations will explain how “smoking steals our happiness” with visual illustrations about how smoking tricks the brain into short-term stress relief, while draining long-term joy and resilience.

Stop Smoking, Feel Happier forms part of SESA’s wider mission to make the South East a smokefree region by 2030. More than 846,000 adults in the South East still smoke, costing thousands of lives every year and deepening health inequalities, particularly among people with mental health challenges and those in manual or routine jobs.

The Alliance’s work is grounded in behavioural science, aiming to reshape public understanding of smoking and stress.

Dr Sarah Milne, Lead of the South East Smokefree Alliance, said: “So many people believe smoking helps them cope with stress, but the truth is the opposite. Nicotine tricks your brain into thinking you need it to feel calm, when in fact it’s stealing your happiness and resilience.

“Within weeks of quitting, your brain starts to heal and your mood lifts naturally. The campaign brings together partners covering a population of more than nine million people to remind us that brighter moods and calmer minds are within reach, and that quitting smoking is one of the most powerful steps you can take to feel better.”

Councillor Ishrat Shah, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Wellbeing and Equalities said: “The Healthier Slough stop smoking service is visiting the Town Square on Saturday 7 February, drop-in to their mobile clinic van anytime between 11am-3pm, and one of their professionals will give you guidance and advice. Or there are so many other ways to contact the free service, just visit: https://healthierslough.co.uk/ Once you quit smoking, the health benefits are almost immediate, so why not make this new year the time to try?”

Dr Milne, whose research into motivation and behaviour change has been featured in the global bestseller Atomic Habits, added: “This campaign is about hope, positivity and connection. We recognise that people have other stresses and challenges in their lives though the evidence is clear that if you are receiving support for a mental health problem or major challenge, quitting smoking can help you through this.”

For local stop smoking support: https://healthierslough.co.uk/

To learn more, and watch the campaign films visit: www.quittogetherlivebetter.com