Nicotine Replacement Just $3

May 2010

What would you buy for $3 - a coffee, takeaways or therapy which could help you kick an expensive and deadly addiction?

With the Government recently increasing the tax on cigarettes by 10%, smoking has become more expensive with the cost per packet now well over $10. But Nicotine Replacement Therapy, such as patches and gum, costs just $3 for an eight week course and can double your chances of quitting successfully.

The Counties Manukau District Health Board’s Smokefree team is encouraging people to take up the smokefree challenge ahead of World Smokefree Day on Monday. Approximately 82,000 people smoke in Counties Manukau and about 5000 New Zealanders die each year as a result of tobacco.

Ingrid Minett, who leads the Smokefree Programme, encourages people to give NRT a go this World Smokefree Day, even if they have tried it before.

“Don’t quit quitting - the more often you try and quit, the more likely you are to be successful the next time.”

And it is worth persevering.

Within hours of quitting, most of the nicotine has left your system, your heartbeat has slowed to a normal rate and your blood pressure has dropped. Within days, your lungs work better and your senses of taste and smell are improving. Within a year, you can halve your risk of a heart attack and be enjoying a less stressful life.

“People who smoke have added stress from their nicotine addiction. Once they become smokefree, they report feeling much less stressed, busting the myth that smoking helps you cope with tension. The only tension it helps you deal with is the one it’s caused in the first place,” Mrs Minett says.

Becoming smokefree also has financial benefits. Someone who gives up smoking just half a packet of cigarettes a day can save about $2000 a year.

“Just remember, people quit successfully every day and then reap the benefits of a smokefree lifestyle for themselves and their family. You can do it too.”

? NRT is available for eight weeks for just $3 with either a doctor’s prescription or a quit card. For information and advice on becoming smokefree, contact your family doctor or nurse, call Quitline on 0800 778 778 or visit www.quit.org.nz. It is important to use NRT products properly and daily for at least eight weeks. If you are unsure how to use the gum and lozenges (which are not like regular products) check with your doctor, nurse or call the District Health Board’s Smokefree team on 259 3896.