Here’s what you can have when you give up smoking! Quit now and pay for that holiday!

Check out www.giveupsmoking.ie;   create your own quit plan and start saving for that special treat.

By smoking 20 cigarettes a day you will spend €3,102.50 (based on euro 8.50 for a pack of 20).  This is costing you €59.50 every week; €263.50 every month;`€3,102.50 every year and €15,512.50 over five years.

Log on to www.giveupsmoking.ie and in less than five minutes you can set up your own personalised online quit plan which will give you information and advice about how you can give up smoking for good.

www.giveupsmoking.ie has been used by over 5,100 smokers who have already signed up to create their own quit plan as they try to quit smoking.

Here are some of the physical benefits that you will get when you give up smoking:

Remember the health benefits start right away when you give up smoking:

• Within 20 minutes your circulation will improve, your heart rate and blood pressure will get lower. This reduces your risk of heart attack straight away.
• Within 8 hours the carbon monoxide level in your blood will drop and the oxygen level will go up.
• Within 24-48 hours all the carbon monoxide will have left your body.
• Within a few days your sense of smell and taste will start to improve.  
• After 72 hours your breathing will improve and your energy levels will increase.
• Within 2 or 3 months your lung capacity can increase by up to 30%.
• Within 1 year your chance of heart attack drops by half and within 10 years the risk drops to almost the same as a non-smoker.
• Within 5 years the risk of smoking related cancers will be greatly reduced.
• Once you give up, your lungs start to fight back by coughing up tar. A mug full of tar builds up in the lungs of a 20 a day smoker over the period of a year. It is the toxic chemicals in tar that cause cancer.

Importantly, no matter what age you are when you give up smoking, you will:

• have fresher breath and cleaner teeth, hair, skin and fingers.
• look and feel better.
• have more control of your life.
• be fitter and have more energy.
• reduce your risk of illness.
• reduce the complications of existing illnesses.
• have a better quality of life.
• be a good role model for your children or grandchildren.
• have more money
• have a healthier family as they will not be exposed to your second-hand smoke.

Think about what you could do with the money you save!  

You could have:

€50.00  several trips to the cinema  

€150.00  2 meals out  

€300.00  4 meals out  

€450.00  car insurance for 1 year  

€600.00  1 years mobile phone bill  

€750.00  1 years gym membership  

€900.00  a weeks holiday  

€1,000.00  2 new bikes  

€1,200.00  a meal out every month  

€1,400.00  1 years petrol  

€1,500.00  1 months rent/mortgage  

€1,600.00  a new laptop and software  

€1,800.00  3 years mobile phone bill  

€2,000.00  52” HD Television plus blu ray player

€2,200.00  your annual electricity bill  

€2,500.00  a family holiday to America  

€3,000.00  2 months mortgage/rent  

€3,500.00  a meal out every week for a year

€4,500.00  3 months mortgage/rent  

€5,000.00  a new bathroom  

€5,500.00  a small 2nd hand car  

€6,000.00  4 months mortgage/rent  

€7,500.00  5 months mortgage/rent  

€8,000.00  a 2nd hand family car  

€9,000.00  6 months mortgage/rent

As it is Ash Wednesday on the 17^thFebruary this week, why not contact the National Smokers’ Quitline from Monday to Saturday 8am-10pm on callsave 1850 201 203 or contact the HSE Health Promotion Smoking Cessation Service in your area to help you kick the habit.

‘Quit’ your guide to giving up smoking can be ordered on www.giveupsmoking.ie