HOW TO GIVE UP CIGARETTES FOR GOOD

There are free supports to help you kick the habit

IF you are trying to kick your cigarette habit this January, the sage advice is not to try to go it alone. This month is a very popular time for people to attempt to give up cigarettes but getting the right support gives you the best chance of kicking the habit for good.

Though the rates of people smoking are falling, last year almost one in five people in Ireland still smoked according to the Healthy Ireland survey for 2023. Smoking rates in Ireland currently sit at 18%, unchanged since 2019.

The HSE’s own research has shown that those who engage with quit smoking supports can begin to take control of their addiction within 28 days.

Using the resources available means that with quit.ie you can get a personalised plan to help you.

There are also 200 HSE Quit: Stop Smoking clinics around the country, offering a free support package to help you, including nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). NRT are licensed medicines that give you safe levels of nicotine to help you cope with cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Around 10% of quitters used NRT to help them quit in 2022 which has risen to 19% in 2023. NRT offers a safer and more regulated form of help compared to commercial vapes.

For Pat O’Callaghan, the service helped him finally quit for good after smoking for more than 40 years.

‘I tried everything to quit down through the years, the Alan Carr book and seminar twice, hypnosis twice, patches, cold turkey, you name it and I’ve tried it,’ he says. ‘What I found most helpful with the QUIT service was the one-toone chats I had with Miriam, my HSE Stop Smoking advisor. This gave me an accountability and purpose that the other programmes just didn’t really have.

‘I used the NRT inhaler which helped me massively as I really didn’t want to go for vapes as a crutch. I reduced down the number of cartridges in the inhaler over a number of weeks and now I sometimes use an inhaler even without any nicotine, it is just out of habit.

‘The money I’ve saved over the past three months is huge, not only on cigarettes but also I don’t buy a coffee anymore as without the cigarettes I don’t find I need it, so before you count the cost of cigarettes I’ve saved €60 a month. Since quitting I’ve started motivating others around me, I had made a €200 bet with my brother-in-law to quit smoking, he has recently relapsed but we’ve gone double or nothing and I can hand on heart say that I hope I lose €400 in the new year.’

Rather than turn to vapes, Dr Paul Kavanagh, HSE Public Health Medicine Consultant Lead with the Tobacco Free Ireland Programme, says using nicotine replacement therapy is safe and effective.

‘NRTs are tightly regulated medicinal products which are overseen by the Health Products Regulatory Agency in Ireland. It is encouraging to see that more people who smoke are using NRT to help them quit.

‘We have been working hard to improve access and availability of this life-saving medicine. People who smoke and who want to stop, and healthcare professionals who are supporting them can have full trust and confidence in the safety and effectiveness of NRT.

‘Some people who smoke will be wondering about using an e-cigarette or vapes to help them stop. We do not have full trust and confidence in the safety and effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a way to stop smoking and recommend NRT as a way to help them through their quit attempt,’ he says.

Martina Blake, national lead of the HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme, says you are five times more likely to quit for good if you stop smoking for 28 days.

‘The hardest piece of this process is making the decision to quit in the first place,’ she says.

‘Our staff can help you assess your daily routine and smoking pattern. They will help to build your confidence and motivation, assess your nicotine dependence through a simple breath test and then arrange free medication for you.

‘They will contact you regularly over a 12-month period to keep you on track for long term success. If you slip up along the way, there is no judgment. We are here to help you achieve your quitting goal,’ she continues.

‘Over the last few years we’ve seen a growing prevalence of “dual use” with smokers using e-cigarette or vapes for short periods or in spaces where it is not possible to light up a cigarette. Our team are available to support with this new issue of “dual use” and if you wish to quit both smoking and vaping, you can contact our services.’