“Doctor, when will I be well enough to smoke again?”

As a young doc, I used to say there was no wrong question to ask me as your doctor. And then, one of my patients asked me this when they were recovering from Covid. I was wrong: There is the question NOT to ask your doctor.

Because the answer is: Never.

Tomorrow is #AshWednesday which is also National No Smoking Day.

If tomorrow is your #quitday – you got this.

Set yourself up for success by getting great support from @hse_quit, your GP, or your hospital team.

Nicotine replacement therapy really helps and is finally FREE!!**, and is safe for most smokers. Your pharmacist can help. Best bets on a budget? Try to avoid choosing to start vaping (which can just swap one addiction for another) or hypnosis (which doesn’t work for everyone).

**FREE nicotine replacement therapy – Finally !! Nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) are be made free from all local stop-smoking clinics as part of a package of supports through the @hse_quit service. You do not need to be referred by your GP. Check out QUIT.ie to find a list of clinics near you or call 1800 201 203 If you make it to 28 days, most people succeed. However, it often takes 12 weeks to fully quit smoking and control cravings, and evidence shows that NRT during this time more than doubles your success. If you are struggling, you can also as your GP or hospital team (or a doc like me) for evidence-based extra support. Nicotine replacement therapies are safe for short term use (12 weeks) and the products regulated by the HRPA. There is also a good level of evidence (clinical studies).