Smokers who quit this Stoptober stand to save up to £2,000 a year to help with the cost-of-living crisis – as well as reaping the health benefits.
Latest statistics by charity ASH show there are almost 70,000 adult smokers in Cornwall who puff their way through 640,000 cigarettes a day.
This costs each of them £1,944 a year on average, or around £37 a week.
Data also shows that smoking costs Cornwall’s communities a staggering £177.45m every year, including a £130m hit to workforce productivity, £31m on healthcare, £13m on social care and £3.45m in fire costs.
The habit also creates 34 tons of waste a year, of which almost half – 14 tons – is street litter.
Dr Ruth Goldstein, public health consultant and deputy director of public health at Cornwall Council, said:
“It’s never too late to quit and stopping smoking brings immediate benefits to health, including for people with an existing smoking-related disease.
“Plus, if you can make it to 28 days smoke-free, research suggests you’re five times more likely to go on and quit for good.
“Smoking increases anxiety and tension and quitting is proven to boost your mental health and wellbeing. It can improve mood and help relieve stress, anxiety and depression.”
“With our finances squeezed more than ever before, this Stoptober would seem like the perfect time to ditch the cigarettes and save a lot of money.”
Cllr Dr Andy Virr, portfolio holder for adults and public health and Emergency Department consultant at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, added:
“Smoking causes complete devastation to people’s lives and the lives of their families and loved ones. This is something I see all the time in my job.
“So I can’t stress enough how important it is for all the smokers out there to quit. We know the best way to do this is with specialist support and medication, or e-cigarettes if you are over 18. GPs and pharmacists can also give advice and tips to help smokers quit.
“There is a huge amount of support available to help you, so don’t put it off any longer and join the thousands of others across the country who will be stubbing out their habit for Stoptober.”
For more information on quitting visit the Healthy Cornwall Smokefree web page or download the free NHS Quit Smoking app, which includes a handy calculator so smokers can see how much they could save.
