Quit for a week and save a day, say health experts

Smokers who choose to quit on the 1 January could save a whole day of their life by 8 January, according to new research

  • New research finds smokers who choose to quit on New Year’s Day could save a whole day of their life by 8 January  
  • On average, every cigarette smoked steals approximately 20 minutes of life 
  • This equates to nearly seven hours of life lost with every 20 pack of cigarettes smoked, demonstrating the importance of government commitment to a smokefree UK 

Smokers who choose to quit on the 1 January could save a whole day of their life by 8 January* according to new research from University College London (UCL), published today (30 December).  

The research commissioned by the Department for Health and Social Care shows, smoking is more harmful than previously thought, with every cigarette stealing on average approximately 20 minutes of life from smokers.

This equates to nearly seven hours of life lost when smoking an average pack of 20 cigarettes. 

If a smoker quits on New Year’s Day, by 20 February, smokers could get a week of their life back and by the end of the year, they could have avoided losing 50 days of life. 

Any smoker considering quitting for 2025 can find advice, support and resources with the NHS Quit Smoking app, which has recently been updated with new information about beating cravings, as well as the online Personal Quit Plan, which tailors its advice to each smoker’s preferences. 

The research follows the introduction of the landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which recently passed Second Reading in the House of Commons.  

The world-leading Bill includes measures to create the first smoke-free generation ,  phasing out the sale of tobacco products across the UK to anyone born after 1 January 2009. 

The Bill delivers on one of the three key shifts in the government’s 10 Year Health Plan, to move from sickness to prevention. Achieving this will help reach a key measurable milestone set out by the Prime Minister in his Plan for Change to cut waiting lists and protect the NHS. 

Public Health Minister Andrew Gwynne said: “Smoking is an expensive and deadly habit, and these findings reveal the shocking reality of this addiction, highlighting how important it is to quit.  

“The new year offers a perfect chance for smokers to make a new resolution and take that step. 

“For anyone looking to quit in 2025, the NHS provide a range of services to help break free from the habit. 

“This government is going further than ever to protect children and young people from ever becoming hooked on nicotine through our Tobacco and Vapes Bill.”

Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy, Deputy Chief Medical Officer said: “Smoking has an immediate impact on your lung and heart’s health as well as significantly increasing your chance of getting a chronic illness or disability and of dying young.

“Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do to improve your current and future health. This new year – start afresh and leave smoking in the past.”

Separately, new research conducted by Censuswide shows more than half (53%) of smokers are planning on quitting smoking as a new year’s resolution in 2025.  

Smoking is the number one preventable cause of death, disability and ill health in the UK. It causes around 80,000 deaths a year in the UK and 1-in-4 of all cancer deaths in England and kills up to two-thirds of its long-term users. 

Just 72 hours after quitting, your breathing will feel easier, and your energy will increase. After 12 weeks, your blood circulation will improve and by the time one-year rolls around, your risk of heart attack will have halved compared to a smoker.

Sarah Jackson, Principal Research Fellow, UCL Alcohol and Tobacco Research Group said: “It is vital that people understand just how harmful smoking is and how much quitting can improve their health and life expectancy.  

“The evidence suggests people lose, on average, around 20 minutes of life for each cigarette they smoke. The sooner a person stops smoking, the longer they live. Quitting at any age substantially improves health and the benefits start almost immediately.

“It’s never too late to make a positive change for your health and there are a range of effective products and treatments that can help smokers quit for good.”

Ex-smoker, Kamran, started smoking in university and tried to quit several times without success. With support from his local stop smoking service, Kamran quit smoking as a 2024 New Year’s resolution. 

Kamran said: “It wasn’t until I quit smoking that I realised how much it had affected my health; I often felt short of breath and couldn’t keep up with my children.

“I tried to quit a few times without any help, but after a few days I would find myself thinking about it again.  

“Quitting can be challenging but keeping busy and using stop smoking products was the best way for me to get through it.

“Now that I’m smoke free, I feel less stressed and am able to play a more active role in my family. I am proud of myself, and I feel great that I’ve managed to control it.” 

Using stop smoking services is three times as effective as an unassisted quit attempt. To support current smokers to quit, the government recently confirmed an additional £70 million for stop smoking services in England, for 2025/26, with local authorities having received confirmation of their funding amount.  

This is in addition to the NHS recently announcing the roll-out of a pill, Varenicline, that could help tens of thousands of people give up cigarettes. 

Professor Sanjay Agrawal, NHS England national speciality advisor for tobacco dependency said: “NHS treatments, including nicotine replacement therapy, are helping thousands of adults each year to live healthier lives and we have seen adult smoking rates drop by more than half in the last three decades.

“But smoking remains a huge public health issue and giving up is one of the best things someone can do for their health, so if you’re looking for support to help you quit, please contact your local NHS stop smoking service.”

NHS GP and TV doctor, Dr Sarah Jarvis, said: “As a GP, I see firsthand the devasting effects smoking can have on health. Each cigarette smoked not only shortens life expectancy but also significantly increases the risk of many health conditions including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, dementia and COPD.

“I often see patients attempting to quit smoking with no support, but going cold turkey can be tough. Quitting smoking is easier when you have a plan and the right support – you don’t have to do it alone. The NHS offers a range of free quitting support, including the NHS Quit Smoking app and local stop smoking services.”

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill contains powers to extend the indoor smoking ban to certain outdoor settings to reduce the harms of second-hand smoking, particularly around children and the vulnerable. Children’s playgrounds and outside schools and hospitals are being considered in England and will be subject to consultation. 

This sits alongside plans to crack down on youth vaping, with the Bill banning vape advertising and sponsorship, as well as giving powers to restrict the flavours, display and packaging of all types of vapes and nicotine products, subject to consultation. 

Disposable vapes are also due to be banned from 1 June 2025 under separate environmental legislation

The UK government is committed to cutting waiting lists – backed by an additional £22.6 billion for day-to-day spending over two years – as announced by the Chancellor in her first Budget. Protecting children and young people from smoking will free up valuable NHS services and help cut waiting lists.  

In October, the Health and Social Care Secretary launched  change.nhs.uk to encourage the biggest conversation ever about the NHS to help inform the 10 Year Health Plan for England. 

Health charity urges Edinburgh residents to share experiences of successful quit smoking attempts

People in Edinburgh who have successfully given up smoking in the last couple of years are being encouraged by a campaigning health charity to share their experiences about how they managed to quit.

As part of the charity’s preparations for No Smoking Day which takes place on 13 March, ASH Scotland is urging Edinburgh residents to share details of their journeys to live a tobacco-free life by highlighting the motivating factors which prompted their quit smoking attempts and if they gave up through sheer willpower and personal determination or the types of support they found to be most useful.

Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of ASH Scotland, said: “Ahead of No Smoking Day on 13 March, we would love to hear from people in Edinburgh about their successful experiences in the last couple of years or so of giving up smoking for good.

“We look forward to discovering everyone’s inspirational stories, which could encourage others to quit smoking for the first time or try again to live a life free from tobacco and enjoy a healthier future with opportunities to spend their money in other ways.” 

The charity is asking people to share stories up to a maximum of 200 words by emailing: comms@ashscotland.org.uk or via ashscotland.org.uk/your-story.

ASH Scotland is tackling tobacco head-on by campaigning to reduce the harms caused by smoking. For more information, follow the health charity’s social media channels on Instagram and Facebook.

Edinburgh residents who smoke urged to make quitting their goal in 2024

 People who smoke in Edinburgh are being urged to set the goal of leaving tobacco behind in 2024. 

Charity ASH Scotland is campaigning to improve the physical and mental health of people who smoke by encouraging them to use free expert stop smoking support provided by the NHS. 

Quitting is one of the biggest proactive steps people in Edinburgh who smoke can take to quickly improve health and mental wellbeing, reduce the risk of longer term illness and also save money. 

If a person who smokes decides to make a New Year’s resolution and starts to quit, not only will they find their health will improve by the end of January, in one month an average smoker could also save in the region of £250. 

Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of ASH Scotland, said: “Tobacco is highly addictive and, although it can take a number of attempts to quit, some people find giving up cigarettes or tobacco easier than they had thought. 

“Don’t be discouraged if you’ve tried before, you’ll have learned something valuable about what did and didn’t work for you it is the best thing you can do for your health, finances and for those around you. 

“You don’t have to quit on your own in the New Year. We’re encouraging people in Edinburgh to seek person-centred support from local stop smoking services or the national stop-smoking service Quit Your Way Scotland. Getting support will give you the confidence to move forward with your quit journey and the tools you need to make the best possible start to 2024.” 

Contact Quit Your Way Scotland by visiting www.QuitYourWay.Scot or by calling the free helpline on 0800 848484. 

ASH Scotland is tackling tobacco head-on by campaigning to reduce the harms caused by smoking.

For more information, follow the health charity’s social media channels on Instagram and Facebook

Quit Smoking: Ash Scotland lunch at Pilton Community Health Project

WEDNESDAY 16th AUGUST from 11am – 12pm

Due to popular demand, another smoking focus group in our comfy #NorthEdinburgh community hub!

Share a delicious lunch, we want to hear your stories. Ask all the questions you want with @QYWLothian and @ASHScotland

#listening

#wellbeing

#Equality

#belonging

Quitting smoking for good could save you over £40,000, new study finds

  • Giving up a pack of cigarettes a day could save you up to £4,197 a year – the price of a family holiday abroad.
  • Cutting out that weekly pack of cigarettes could save you £598 a year, or £2,990 over five years.
  • Quitting for good could save you up to £41,975 over ten years – equivalent to a 20% deposit on a new home.

You could be saving up to £4,197 a year by giving up a pack of cigarettes a day according to new research, with savings of £598 a year for less frequent smokers.

Vaping experts over at IndeJuice calculated how much money you could be saving based on the average UK cost for a pack of 20 cigarettes over various timespans. They broke down how much you would save throughout your lifetime if you kicked the habit for good, as well as comparing what you could be spending the money on instead.

The research reveals that if you are smoking one pack of cigarettes per day at the average UK cost of £11.50 per pack, you would save £349.79 per month or £4,197 over the course of a year by quitting – the cost of a family holiday abroad for four people, the cost of running your car for ten years or paying for 11 years’ worth of gym memberships.

Someone who regularly smokes a full pack of cigarettes a day can expect to see staggering savings in the long run – banking up to £41,975 over ten years from quitting smoking. This is the equivalent of a 20% deposit on a £200,000 property, the price of a Porsche Cayman or nearly a kilogram of 24 carat gold.

For people who are only smoking a couple of cigarettes a day, the cost can still quickly add up. If you are smoking just one pack of cigarettes a week at the same average cost, you could still make savings of £598 a year, or £2,990 in your pocket over the next five years.

The money saved by quitting for one year, could cover the cost of a three-course meal for you and your significant other 11 times a year, the cost of nine weekly food shops or seven annual Netflix subscriptions.

A spokesperson from IndeJuice added: “Many smokers are already aware of the harm imposed on their body by regularly smoking, but it is easy to overlook the financial savings that could be made by choosing to quit for good.

“When looking at Google Trends data over the past five years, there has been a significant increase in people searching the term ‘quit smoking’ year on year, with the exception of 2021 where there was a 2.3% decrease in searches from the previous year.

“As we emerge out of the pandemic, it is important that we continue to reflect on the health benefits of quitting for good, and the long-term savings offer an additional incentive to do so.”

Healthy Heart Tip: Stopping smoking

Approximately 6.9 million people over the age of 18 are smokers. Smoking harms almost all organs in the body, including your heart and blood vessels, increasing your risk of having a heart attack.

Quitting smoking can be extremely difficult, but it is an important step in reducing your risk of heart disease. We provide some tips to help you stop smoking:. 

Decide when to stop and make a plan

The sooner you decide to quit smoking, the better. Choose a date within the next two weeks. If you leave it too long, you will give yourself time to change your mind.

Identify triggers that make you want to smoke and work out how you will overcome them in advance. For example, if you usually smoke during your break at work, plan to go for a walk instead. 

Notify friends and family of your intention to stop smoking and ask for their support.

Manage your cravings

Cigarette cravings are intense urges to smoke and they can last for 5 minutes.

Quitting smoking requires a huge amount of willpower. When you get a craving, try to distract yourself for 5-10 minutes until it passes. You could try planning a healthy dinner or plan a route for a cycle ride or a walk.

Once the craving has passed, you can give yourself a pat on the back.

Get support

Getting support to stop smoking can increase your chances of success. You could try contacting your local Stop Smoking Services or chatting to your GP.

You could also seek advice from a friend or family member who has successfully stopped smoking, or from someone who is also trying to quit.

Perhaps consider using a stop smoking aid, such as nicotine patches, gums, lozenges or nasal sprays to help stop the cravings.

As well as reducing your risk of developing serious diseases, such as cancer and heart disease, quitting smoking can also help to improve your mental wellbeing.

Why not reduce your risk by choosing a date to quit smoking today?

For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for our weekly healthy tips at:

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To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our Healthy Heart recipes from our website: 

https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/

Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers:

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