ANYONE in the South East who wants to quit smoking can avail now of free Nicotine Replacement Therapies.
Nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) are being made free from all local stop-smoking clinics as part of a package of supports through the HSE 'QUIT' service.
In 2022, almost one in five people in Ireland smoke, with prevalence at 18pc which has remained the same since 2019.
Dr Paul Kavanagh, HSE public health medicine lead with the Tobacco Free Ireland Programme, outlines how NRT works: “We sometimes talk about smoking as a choice but the reality is that it is an addiction. Nicotine makes cigarettes addictive and hard to give up.
"You will double your chances of quitting for good if you get support from QUIT.ie and use NRT."
You can visit www.quit.ie to find details of your local 'Stop Smoking Clinic' here in Waterford.
Kate Cassidy, Health Promotion Officer with the HSE, spoke to Deise Today this morning (Wednesday) about the new initiative.
You can listen back by clicking on the image above.
