Counting the cost of your cigarette habit (From Swindon Advertiser)

Counting the cost of your cigarette habit

8:00pm Tuesday 12th March 2013 in News By Matthew Edwards

SMOKERS could save hundreds of pounds a month if they give up the habit today.

Smokers across Swindon are being encouraged to consider the financial benefits of quitting, on the 30th anniversary of No Smoking Day.

Just over one in five adults in the town smoke, but figures show two thirds want to quit.

This year smokers are being encouraged to focus on what they could afford to buy if they were to quit for a day.

Tim Benson, 60, of Wroughton, gave up smoking four and a half years ago after being offered advice and the NHS Smokefree Quit Kits from Jephson Pharmacy, in Barrat Way, Wroughton.

He said: “I had been trying to give up several times, but I went to the pharmacy with a chest infection and agreed to take the no smoking kit. I would recommend anybody to go to their pharmacy. It is not easy to quit, but you will get the help you need.

“A packet of cigarettes I used to smoke now costs £7 for 20 and I am saving £120 a month.”

Swindon Stop Smoking Service, supported by Swindon Smokefree Alliance, will be at the bus station and outside ASDA Walmart, in North Swindon, offering Stop Smoking advice and support to help smokers ditch the cigarettes today.

Jephson Pharmacy will also be offering advice and NHS Smokefree Quit Kits.

Pharmacist Nick Jephson said support and advice, available all year round as part of the All About Health programme, will help smokers feel the benefits to their health and wallets.

“Not only is quitting smoking one of the best things you can do to take care of yourself but it’s also a good way to look after your finances,” he said.

“With a packet of cigarettes costing £7, the financial strain of being a smoker can be massive.” Cherry Jones, the deputy director of public health, said: “One of the biggest incentives for smokers to quit comes from considering the money they spend on cigarettes and what they could afford if they were to give up for good.

“By tallying up the amount of money that could be saved, smokers can work towards a goal – be it a new pair of shoes, a family trip to the cinema or a holiday.”

For more information visit www.wequit.co.uk.