Those wanting to quit smoking can get free nicotine patches, gum, inhalers and mouth sprays.
The HSE has announced free Nicotine-Replacement-Therapies as part of National No Smoking Day, with one in five Irish adults smoking.
Previously they were only free to those on medical cards at pharmacies.
18% of the population are current smokers, 14% smoke daily and 4% smoke occasionally.
In the UK, the NHS approves the use of vapes to help someone quit smoking, but that is not recommended in Ireland.
Tomorrow is #NationalNoSmokingDay.
If you're in #SJH, pop along to our information stand, where we will have advice & support to help you to #quitsmoking. 🚭
Want to #TakeBackControl & #Quit nicotine for good? See https://t.co/o87IB5bi5W for a free quit plan.#QuittingisWinning pic.twitter.com/vt3rC1EiJt— St James's Hospital (@stjamesdublin) February 21, 2023
What Is NRT?
Dr Paul Kavanagh, is the HSE Public Health Medicine Lead with the Tobacco Free Ireland Programme.
Dr Kavanagh outlines how Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) works:
“We sometimes talk about smoking as a choice but the reality is that it is an addiction."
He says people can "double your chances" of quitting for good with support from quit.ie and using a free Replacement Therapy, like patches, gum, mouth sprays or inhalers.
“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."
Visit QUIT.ie to take back control over smoking.
Dr. Kavanagh recommends anyone who wants to quit should sign up to a personalised quit plan and find contact details for your local stop smoking clinics.
