Release date: 5 January 2026
A new campaign is being launched in West Sussex focussed on how stopping smoking reduces stress and makes you happier.
‘Stop Smoking, Feel Happier’ 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 campaign 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 free local stop smoking services.
A series of films and animations 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.
The initiative forms part of the South East Smokefree Alliance’s (SESA) wider mission to make South East England a smokefree region by 2030. West Sussex County Council is one of 18 councils in SESA. 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.
Councillor Bob Lanzer, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “I want to encourage as many people as possible to quit smoking this January and experience the benefits, not just for their physical health, but for their overall wellbeing too. Quitting smoking is one of the most positive steps you can take for your health, and with expert support, you’re three times more likely to succeed.
“Here in West Sussex, we have excellent free stop-smoking services available through Smokefree West Sussex, so it is easy to access the help you need through face to face and telephone support, and a Smokefree app – a fully digital stop smoking service.
“This initiative supports our Council Plan priority to help people fulfil their potential and lead healthy lives by improving health and wellbeing and tackling health inequalities.”
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 over 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.
“This campaign is about hope, positivity and connection. We recognise that people have other stresses and challenges in their lives and 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.”
To learn more, watch the campaign films or find free, local stop smoking support, visit www.quittogetherlivebetter.com, or go straight to free support to quit smoking in West Sussex at Smokefree West Sussex or call 0330 222 7980. Support is available face-to-face, over the phone or via the Smokefree app.
Notes to Editors:
The South East Smokefree Alliance (SESA) represents 18 local authorities: Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Medway, Oxfordshire, Portsmouth, Reading, Slough, Southampton, Surrey, West Berkshire, West Sussex, Windsor and Maidenhead, and Wokingham.
There are at least 846,787 adults who smoke across the South East — 10.6% of the population. In West Sussex, 11.6% of adults smoke – approximately 80,000-90,000 people.
Smokers are 2.5 times more likely to need social care and on average need it 10 years earlier than non-smokers.
Smoking causes around 9,500 deaths each year in the South East and is responsible for over 55,000 hospital admissions annually.
The Alliance’s goal is to make the South East smokefree by 2030 (fewer than 5% of adults smoking).
