Is it easier to quit smoking in September?

New statistics show that Sudbury has one of the highest smoking rates of cities in Ontario and the Smokers’ Helpline wants to help people quit.

It's now suggesting that September is a better time to try quitting, as opposed to making it a New Year's resolution.

Officials with Smokers' Helpline and the Canadian Cancer Society say Sudbury has one of the highest rates of smoking in Ontario, with over 41,000 smokers in in the city.  

Nicole McGaughey-Paparo is a senior coordinator for Smokers' Helpline.

"The smoking rate for the Sudbury and district area is approximately 24 percent. It is slightly higher. And it does have the lowest usage of smokers' helpline services of all of the major cities across northeastern Ontario." said McGaughey-Paparo.

By contrast, North Bay has the lowest smoking rate amongst the five major cities in our region. 

“Just over 20,000 people in the North Bay-Parry Sound area smoke and about 5% of those individuals have reached out to Smokers' Helpline.” said McGaughey-Paparo.

Officials with the helpline in northeastern Ontario, say they have serviced close to 9,000 smokers over the last decade, and are now encouraging people in to quit smoking in the month of September, rather than January.

"It’s a time of year where everyone is back into their routine, back to school, back to work. So, while the month of January is traditionally known for resolutions, take this time of year to revisit resolutions, or make new resolutions, before the hustle and bustle and the cold sets in." said McGaughey-Paparo.

CTV News talked to some smokers in Sudbury and they had this to say:

"If I was to quit, wanted to quit, September would be a better month than January."

"I've made attempts to quit smoking in January, and it just didn't work out. I think September is a good time."

For people interested in trying to quit smoking, you can connect with the Smokers’ Helpline by phone [phone] or via the group's website www.smokershelpline.ca