Quit smoking and you could help beat the credit crunch! A 20-a-day smoker could save over £2,000 per year and a 60-a-day-smoker would have almost £6000 extra in their pocket. For a family of four where 2 parents smoke an average of 40 cigarettes a day, the figure could be over £4,000 per annum, a substantial contribution to the family budget.
This message is being reinforced on March 11th, National No Smoking Day, which will see roadshows being staged throughout Forth Valley - in Falkirk, Stirling and Alloa.
NHS Forth Valley health promotion and primary care staff will be inviting people to check their carbon monoxide levels and have their blood pressure taken. They will also have money boxes on display to remind people it is cash and not ash that counts. Last year one Forth Valley couple who quit saved enough to buy a second-hand car.
Kate Johnstone, Smoking Cessation Co-ordinator said: "Giving up smoking is one of the best things you can do, not just for your wealth but also your health. Everyone is finding it hard to make ends meet at the moment and an extra few thousand pounds in cash and the obvious health benefits must be worth making the effort for. No Smoking Day is an excellent opportunity to stop and think about the need to quit."
NHS Forth Valley provide numerous clinics for smoking cessation, where people are four times more likely to stop than they would if they tried to quit on their own. The clinics have a high success rate with about three quarters of people who attend staying stopped at four weeks. Those who want to stop are given continuous support throughout the programme.
To meet new Government targets, 8% of Forth Valley's 56,000 smokers would have to stay stopped for four weeks. This equates to 1500 people a year for the next three years.
Road shows will be held between 11.00am and 3.00pm on Wednesday March 11th 2009 at
People wanting to quit should contact Smoking Cessation Co-ordinator Kate Johnstone (01786 431125) for details of clinics, some of which operate as drop-in centres, and offer free patches, gum, and other nicotine replacement products. For patients admitted to hospital who wish to stop smoking, advice and intensive support will be provided, along with nicotine replacement therapy where appropriate. A workplace stop smoking scheme is also available.