Stop Smoking - Save Money - Jim O'Rorke

Getting Help to Quit

For somebody smoking a pack of 20 cigarettes-a day, they could save around £80-a-week if theu could quit.

Getting support to quit is highly recommended as it doubles your chance of achieving a successful quit, and if you use Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) at the same time this doubles your chances again. Quit Your Way Scotland is an NHS advice and support service for anyone trying to stop smoking in Scotland.

You can contact Quit Your Way Scotland for free by phoning a Quit Your Way Scotland advisor on 0800 84 84 84 The helpline services are open Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm

Quit Your Way also provide local services which can include the following activities.

• One to One Support
• Group Rolling Support
• Smoking in Pregnancy
• Telephone Support
• Youth Services
• Drop In

To find out more about what is available locally, direct people to: https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/stopping-smoking/help-to-stop/local-help-to-stop-smoking/

Your local community pharmacy provides a free stop smoking service. The service is:

• local – there’s usually one in every neighbourhood.
• convenient – you can drop-in to pick up your stop smoking medication and access 1 to 1 support when it suits you, such as during lunch breaks or after work
• flexible – you can go at a time that suits you and it doesn’t have to be the same time of day each week.

The pharmacist will explain the medications available to help you quit smoking such as patches, nasal sprays, or inhalators. They’ll advise on the pros and cons of each to help you decide which option is the best for you. They are then provided free on prescription. Your GP can also prescribe NRT.

NRT works by gradually reducing your body’s addiction to nicotine by using a low dose of clean and therapeutic nicotine. NRT should reduce cravings for nicotine and other withdrawal symptoms and makes it less likely that people will relapse back into smoking.

NRT can be given free on prescription if you use Community Pharmacies for support or your GP. They can also be bought over the counter.

Quit Your Way Services are effective at helping people quit and NRT and support can help. People are 3-4 times more likely to have a successful quit if they use support and NRT at the same time.

ASH Scotland provides a free e-learning module, “Raising the issue of smoking in a money advice setting”. This can be accessed at https://www.ashscotlandmoodle.org.uk/ and you can find more information on the ASH Scotland information pages.

Contact Jim O’Rorke at jororke@ashscotland.org.uk for more information.