Smokers Try To Quit On No Smoking Day

13 March 2013, 08:54 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

Smokers in the North East are being encouraged to think about how much money they could save by kicking the habit on No Smoking Day.

Quitting smoking is one of the best ways to beat the recession and give yourself an instant pay rise - with more money in your pocket to treat yourself and your family.

According to the British Heart Foundation ahead of the 30th annual No Smoking Day campaign, money is a big motivator for quitting smoking in the North East - with almost one in five smokers agreeing that they could buy more for their family if they were to quit.

An average 20-a-day smoker spends £7 a day on a packet of cigarettes.

If they quit:
* After one week they could save £49 and look forward to taking their family to the cinema or paying their monthly mobile phone bill
* After two weeks, they could save £98 and buy their weekly family shop or book an overnight stay in a hotel
* After a month, they could save £210 and pay their quarterly gas and electric bills, or buy tickets for a weekend music festival
* After three months, they could save £630 and pay for tax, fuel and insurance on their car or buy a football season ticket
* After six months, they could save £1,260 and redecorate a room or buy a second hand car
* After a year, they could save £2,555 and take the family on a week's holiday in Spain

Ailsa Rutter, director of Fresh, said:
"Many smokers in the North East don't realise how much money they're actually wasting each time they hand their money over to buy a pack of cigarettes.

Sometimes this can put a real strain on a family's finances, especially when you add up how much smoking is costing you on a weekly basis and what you could have spent your money on instead.

If you've quit before but not succeeded you shouldn't feel like a failure.

It can often take a few attempts before you succeed for good and tens of thousands in the North East have managed to quit.

There are hundreds of easy, convenient locations in the North East where you can get friendly help through the NHS Stop Smoking Service. With their support, smokers are up to four times more likely to quit successfully."

If you want to quit smoking, contact the Newcastle and North Tyneside NHS Stop Smoking Service on 0191 2292910 or Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Stop Smoking Services on 0800 531 6317.

You can also contact the Northumberland NHS Stop Smoking Service on 01670 813135.