Smokers urged to think about the cost of their habit

James Qualtrough | March 12, 2013 | 0 Comments

Smokers who want to quit the habit for good this No Smoking Day are being asked to think about the cost of cigarettes as motivation to stop smoking as it is estimated that someone who smokes 20 cigarettes a day could save over £2,000 a year if they stop.

The national campaign theme for No Smoking Day on 13 March 2013 is “Swap Fags for Swag” which aims to get people thinking about what they could do with the money they save. A 20 a day smoker could save around £2,555 a year, more than enough for a holiday of a lifetime, new clothes or another treat.

Evidence shows that having support and using an approved stop smoking medication can increase your chance of quitting by up to four times. The dedicated Help2Quit service helps Islanders to quit and the support and some of the treatments are free of charge. Smokers who want to find out more about giving up are urged to call the Help2Quit free phone number on 0800 735 1155.

To make it even easier to access support to quit smoking, the Help2Quit service is now being delivered by 12 local pharmacies in a range of locations in Jersey. Matt Johnson (Pharmacist) from Pharmacy Locale said: “The new pharmacy service has been very popular with islanders since it was introduced, with approximately 161 people setting a quit date with a local pharmacy in January this year.”

There is also help on hand for hospital users. Help2Quit Coordinator Dr Rhona Reardon said, “A hospital admission is often the time people decide they want to stop smoking for good. Help2Quit have a nurse adviser who can provide you with support whilst you are in hospital to provide you with support to quit. Once you are discharged from hospital, they can arrange for you to have the rest of your support with one of our pharmacy advisers in a convenient location.”

This year the Help2Quit adviser will be on hand on 13 March to talk to hospital users about stopping smoking. She will also be able to advise staff how they can help patients quit smoking. She will be available between 10am and 2pm on No Smoking Day in the Outpatients’ Department in the General Hospital.

All Health and Social Services building and ground went smokefree in March 2012 to coincide with the last No Smoking Day.