FEATURE
THE COST OF QUITTING
Ireland wants to encourage smokers to quit but stubbornly refuses to endorse vaping .
Words : Caroline Barry
When we talk about money and smoking , it ’ s often in relation to the cost of cigarettes and how much we can save by giving up .
We seldom discuss the cost of quitting smoking in terms of devices , patches or pills but the upfront costs of quitting can be a factor in a person ’ s decision to stop .
Vaping is one of the more cost-effective ways of reducing nicotine intake or quitting and with devices on sale for as little as £ 20 , upfront costs are not prohibitive .
Both the UK and Ireland offer similar ranges of stop-smoking alternatives but there are significant variations in cost .
However , in Ireland there is no standard fee for the medication , meaning the price can vary dramatically depending on what you need and where you are .
When Vapouround phoned pharmacies in Ireland we were offered a three-box course of treatment for € 300 (£ 266 ) in Dublin , € 255 (£ 226 ) in Galway and £ 150 in Belfast . In addition , there is a € 50-60 (£ 44-53 ) charge to visit a GP in Ireland .
When we queried the price , the pharmacists assured us that the cost made sense in relation to how much we would save by quitting smoking . Not one mentioned other options or vaping when we expressed concern about the upfront costs .
For those looking to try the pharmaceutical route , the leading brand is Champix – prescription-only tablets , which would cost £ 27.45 for a three-box course of treatment on the NHS .
It ’ s not just the financial concerns facing smokers , but Champix has also been linked to depression and anxiety in the past although there are studies that contradict this .
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