Today, Ash Wednesday is Ireland’s National No Smoking Day.
Traditionally many Irish smokers have chosen Ash Wednesday as the first day of their quitting journey.
- 29% of current smokers are either trying to quit or activity planning to do so
- 18% of Ireland’s population currently smoke – 1% higher than the last survey in 2019
- 28% of people who smoke, smoke more than they did before COVID 19 pandemic commenced in Ireland March 2020
(Healthy Ireland Survey, 2021)
Recent research shows 29% of current smokers are either trying to quit or are actively planning to do so. If you quit smoking for 28 days, you are 5 times more likely to quit for good.
According to the recent Healthy Ireland Survey many people changed their smoking habits during the pandemic with just over a quarter of people who smoke (28%) reporting that they smoke more since the introduction of the Covid-19 restrictions.
Quitting will improve your health more than any other change you can make, and you will notice improvements within the first days and weeks of your QUIT journey.
The HSE survey indicated that smoking in adults appears to be stalling at one-in-five. Smoking causes lung disease and other chronic diseases which reducing the chances that people who smoke can effectively fight COVID-19 infection and other illnesses.
Support for smokers is readily available at https://www2.hse.ie/quit-smoking/