Quit for Good This January with Free NRT from the HSE

This Quit Month (January 2025), people who smoke are being encouraged to access support to stop from the HSE. Record numbers of people have used the QUIT Service since it started providing free nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) in 2023. The percentage of people smoking in Ireland was 17% in 2024, however, one in five people aged 25-34 people still smoke.

The HSE QUIT service is expanding with extra funding for 2025 which will provide more assistance for those looking to quit. The Quitline is open 7 days a week in January which gives smokers the freedom to reach out whenever suits you. The service provides free NRT in the form of sprays, mists, lozenges and patches. You can use any type of NRT that you want and your stop smoking advisor will help you decide which is best for you.

NRT are licensed medicines that safely give you just enough nicotine to relieve cravings and withdrawal symptoms while reducing your dependence on nicotine gradually. They help you cope with cravings and withdrawal symptoms. NRT does not contain the poisonous and cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco smoke, such as tar and carbon monoxide. NRT products from the HSE are checked for safety by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA).

Robyn Sadlier from Milltown in Dublin who quit with the help of the HSE QUIT service shared:

“I started smoking when I was about 15, and the number per day just seemed to increase as the years went on. Before I joined the QUIT service, I was smoking more than 20 cigarettes per day. I had actually tried to quit last year and signed up for the emails. As luck would have it the QUIT team rang me on the yearly check in to see if I was still off cigarettes. I explained to Matt, the HSE stop smoking advisor, that I tried before and it didn’t stick. I took that call from Matt as the sign I needed to try again.

I tried everything to quit down through the years, and different methods did work, but that was only for a short period of time. I thought about vaping as a way of quitting but having seen how addictive they are I decided instead to try cold turkey. My most successful attempt on my own saw me being smoke free for seven months, but a lack of support meant that a difficult life event saw me going back to cigarettes. I basically didn’t know how to quit, I had no idea about a protocol and that I really just needed advice and someone to talk it through.

What I found most helpful with the QUIT service was the one-to-one chats I had with Matt. This gave me a purpose, knowing that someone was there that understood what I was going through and could help me alter my NRT if needed, or even just chat. Over the past few weeks I’ve successfully tapered off the NRT too and I can see a future as a non-smoker.

Since quitting the benefits have been unbelievable. The biggest thing I’ve noticed is the improvement in my voice; I'm a singer and do some voiceover work. Since I’ve quit I’ve noticed how much my voice has improved which has been a noticeable health and professional benefit.”

Dr Paul Kavanagh, HSE Public Health Consultant and Clinical advisor to the Tobacco Free Ireland Programme, explains:

“The HSE QUIT service delivers care which is safe, clinically sound and most of all which works. In line with recommendations in the National Stop Smoking Guidelines, and with support from the Department of Health, we are pleased to offer free NRT to people using our services.

We know that using NRT during a quit attempt increases the likelihood of success. Since it became widely available across our services in 2023, the impact of free NRT for people using our support to quit has been game-changing. There’s been a 50% increase in NRT use among people using our service. People who use NRT double their chances of quitting successfully so this is a huge step forward, with 6 in 10 people using the service availing of the free NRT on offer.”

Martina Blake, National Lead, HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme, says:

“Smoking rates in Ireland reported in the recent 2024 Healthy Ireland Survey are not falling quickly enough. It still showed a high level of tobacco use for those in the 25-34 age bracket. This is worrying given the ill-health, disability and premature mortality caused by smoking. We have responded by improving the HSE QUIT service through increased access to NRT and making more staff available to provide support.

Unfortunately, too many people who smoke try to quit alone and don’t access the help they need to increase their chances of finally quitting. This January, the QUIT services across the country are here to help. Take the opportunity to work with our trained QUIT advisors to create a personalised stop smoking plan tailored to fit your lifestyle.”