So that went well.
It was announced yesterday that more than 215,000 smokers joined Stoptober, the annual taxpayer-funded quit smoking campaign.
Many were inspired, perhaps, by the gentle coaxing of comedians Al Murray, Rhod Gilbert, Shappi Khorsandi and Bill Bailey (above). Or maybe they weren't because the number of people who signed up was 15 per cent fewer than in 2014.
Naturally Public Health England had a ready-made excuse for the relative failure of Stoptober 2015. The drop, they said, reflected the year-on-year decline in smoking rates in England.
Except it didn't because the fall in smoking rates in England in 2014-15 is nowhere near 15 per cent, a fact rightly mentioned in this report Fewer people joined Stoptober smoking challenge. (H/T journalist Peter Russell.)
Meanwhile the Oxford Times reports that 'Smoking target missed by 50% as fewer quit cigarettes habit':
Some people will of course suggest that e-cigarettes are the reason these state-sponsored initiatives are failing. Who needs a calendar to quit when you can switch to vaping any time you please?
That may be a factor but the principal one, I'm sure, is warning fatigue, while the noxious sight of four comedians preaching what they didn't practice when they were younger is wearing thin.
My advice to Al Murray, Rhod Gilbert, Shappi Khorsandi and Bill Bailey? Take a leaf out of the great Keith Richards' book and mind your own business.
PS. Just to show we're not against quit smoking initiatives per se, here is Forest's response to the end of Stoptober 2015, as quoted by one local newspaper:
"Good luck to anyone who wishes to quit smoking. It's important to remember however that millions of adults choose to smoke and a great many enjoy smoking and don't want to stop.
"We're not against initiatives like Stoptober but tobacco is a legal product and an adult's decision to smoke must be respected. Smoking cessation must be based on choice not coercion or social engineering."
See Thousands try to quit smoking in North East this month (Northumberland Gazette).
See also Stoptober 2015 concludes (Public Health England).
Finally, a serious question. How much does Stoptober cost the taxpayer? Just asking.