Tipperary smokers are given extra incentive to kick the habit over the coming weeks

The HSE has announced that nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) are free from local stop smoking clinics as part of a package of supports on offer to people who quit smoking through the HSE QUIT service.

NRT are licensed medicines that safely give you lower levels of nicotine to help you get through cravings and withdrawal symptoms that can double your chances of quitting for good.

In 2022, almost one in five people in Ireland were smokers. The prevalence of smoking in Ireland remains at 18% and has not declined since 2019.  

For free support  and to take back control over smoking, contact Quit Mid West on 065-6865841 or email quit.midwest@hse.ie You can also visit QUIT.ie. to sign up to a personalised quit plan and to find contact details for your local stop smoking clinics.

Dr Paul Kavanagh, HSE Public Health Medicine Lead with the Tobacco Free Ireland Programme, outlines how nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) works: “We sometimes talk about smoking as a choice but the reality is that it is an addiction.   Nicotine makes cigarettes addictive and hard to give up. You will double your chances of quitting for good if you get support from QUIT.ie and use NRT, which is now provided free from local stop smoking clinics.

“NRT are safer than smoking because they don’t contain the other poisonous chemicals, like tar and carbon monoxide, which are present in tobacco smoke.

“They come in many different forms like patches, gum, lozenges, inhalers and mouth sprays and often work best when you combine them together in a way that suits you. For example, use a long-acting patch combined with a short-acting nicotine mouth spray or lozenge.

“Using NRT, over a full course of 12 weeks, doubles your chances of quitting smoking in combination with all the encouragement, emotional and behavioural support available from HSE Stop Smoking Advisors before and after you quit smoking.

“NRT products are checked for safety by the Health Products Regulatory Agency (HPRA) in Ireland, and following a comprehensive assessment by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), they are recommended as a safe, effective and clinically sound way to stop smoking in the National Stop Smoking Guidelines.”

Martina Blake, National Lead, HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme, explains how you get free NRT: “There are over 60 Stop Smoking Advisors based around the country to support anyone who wants to quit smoking. You do not need to be referred by your GP or doctor. Visit QUIT.ie from the HSE to find a list of clinics near you or call 1800-201203 and we’ll put you in touch with your local clinic. You can arrange a face-to-face appointment or a phone appointment.”

In a one-to-one session, HSE QUIT advisors will assess your nicotine addiction, identify your reasons for quitting, discuss your best options for NRT and create a personal plan to help you quit smoking for good.

If you join the HSE stop smoking programme your local advisor will arrange for you to access NRT through your GP or your nearest participating pharmacy.

Your advisor will keep in touch with you weekly for the first 6 weeks after you quit and periodically for up to 12 months to help and support you. In Clare, Limerick and north Tipperary, the HSE offers free, weekly clinics near to you. You can attend in person, by video call or by phone and we welcome all queries.

Top tips for quitting smoking successfully:

- Don’t feel you need to go it alone. Quit Mid West (065 6865841) and HSE QUIT services are there for you to help you take this step with simple, practical help that is proven to work, maximising your chance of staying quit for good

- Focus on the goal to stay smoke-free for 28 days. Once people get to that goal, they are up to 5 times more likely to stay quit for good 

- Use stop smoking medicine, like NRT. This is a safe, effective and a clinically sound way of getting through the first 28 days and beyond and will really help you to deal with cravings.