IRELAND’S SMOKING RATE has not declined since 2019, the HSE has said, as it launches a new campaign encouraging people to quit.

Almost 100 people die and 1,000 people are hospitalised because of smoking-related disease every week.

In 2022, almost one in five people (18%) in Ireland still smoked, according to research from Healthy Ireland. This has not declined since 2019.

Dr Paul Kavanagh, the HSE’s Public Health Medicine Lead with the Tobacco Free Ireland Programme, said: “Stopping smoking remains the single most important thing you can do for your health.

“I am concerned by recent trends in smoking as reported in the Healthy Ireland Survey which show that reductions in smoking prevalence may have stalled.

It’s important we recognise that smoking is an addiction, not a choice.”

“And like any addiction, it can be very hard to overcome and start to take back control without the right support.”

Several Healthy Ireland surveys have found that people who smoke are interested in quitting: In 2022, half of those who smoked in the past year attempted to quit, and three quarters were successful in quitting.

Dr Kavanagh added: “As we move into a new year, it’s a great opportunity for people who smoke to reach out to HSE QUIT services for support. If someone has been smoking for many years, taking that first step to being smoke-free can feel huge.”

Happy New Year!

Thinking about New Year resolutions? Then make 2023 the year you quit smoking.

If you stop smoking for 28 days you are 5 times more likely to quit for good.

We're here to support you all the way. Sign up at https://t.co/akmIbMeuTE
  #28DayChallenge pic.twitter.com/gSm6rHnzLL

— HSE QUIT Team (@HSEQuitTeam) January 1, 2023

Martina Blake, the national lead of the HSE’s Tobacco Free Ireland Programme, said: “It’s all too easy to see smoking as an individual choice. However, the reality we are calling out in our new advertising campaign is that smoking is highly addictive and takes control of people’s lives.

“The HSE Quit services are here to help with support that tackles the addictive nature of smoking.

Many people will try to quit cold turkey without any help or support, but nicotine is highly addictive.

Smokers are five times more likely to quit for good if they stop smoking for 28 days.

Blake added that the HSE’s trained advisors can create personalised quitting plans.

Other supports provided from the HSE’s QUIT service include

• Advice on nicotine replacement therapies, which double your chance of quitting
• Text message or phone support
• A free Quit Kit
• Face to face and group support from local community based services