Your money-
Smoking 10 cigarettes a day costs about £31 a week.
For a couple that smoke, that means around £3,264 a year, £272 a month and £62 a week – enough to pay for regular food shops. Alternatively, switching to e-cigarettes can save about £800 a year, or switching to Nicotine Replacement Therapy saves nearly £700 a year.
Your health-
We already know that smoking is bad for our health and can lead to weakened immune systems, heart disease, pneumonia, COPD, stroke and cancer. In addition, research shows that smokers are much more likely to develop life-threatening complications from COVID-19.
Free stop smoking services to increase your chances of quitting successfully:
Getting NHS support increases your chances of quitting by 300% compared to going it alone. NHS Wales offer a free Help Me Quit service which includes free stop smoking medication to suit you and telephone support. Visit www.helpmequit.wales or call 0800 085 2219 to find out more.
Pharmacies also offer stop smoking services (over the phone during lockdown) with free stop smoking medication. Call your local pharmacy to find out what they can currently provide and to arrange your stop smoking support.
For more information on stopping smoking during the pandemic, visit www.ash.wales
