Quit-smoking savings
The financial side of quitting — by day, week, month, year, and over 5 or 10 years. The health side is much bigger, but the money is the part you can see immediately.
Why quitting works better with support
- Going cold turkey — around 4% of people quit successfully without help in any given attempt.
- NRT alone (patches, gum) — about 7-10%.
- NRT + weekly behavioural support — about 15-22%. Roughly double the cold-turkey rate.
- This is the foundation of the NHS Stop Smoking service. It's not magic — it's just the most evidence-supported approach.
How the free service at Hyde Park works
- Walk in or call — no GP referral needed. We enrol you the same day.
- Weekly pharmacist appointment for the first 12 weeks — short structured sessions.
- NRT included free — patches plus a fast-acting product (gum, lozenge, spray, or inhalator). Combination NRT is more effective than single-product NRT.
- Carbon monoxide monitor — you'll see your CO level drop week by week. Hugely motivating.
- No judgement on slips. Most people relapse at least once. The data is clear: the more attempts, the higher the eventual success rate. Each go counts.
How quickly your body recovers
- 20 minutes after the last cigarette — heart rate and blood pressure drop.
- 12 hours — carbon monoxide levels return to normal.
- 2 weeks to 3 months — circulation improves, lung function increases by up to 30%.
- 1 to 9 months — coughing and shortness of breath decrease.
- 1 year — risk of coronary heart disease is roughly half that of a smoker.
- 5-15 years — risk of stroke drops to that of a non-smoker.
- 10 years — risk of lung cancer is about half that of a smoker.
- 15 years — risk of coronary heart disease is the same as a non-smoker.