Your path to quit smoking successfully -EDI Centre is here to support you

The EDI Centre in Longford plays a crucial role in promoting smoking cessation to enhance the health and well-being of the local community.

Smoking cessation is vital because it significantly reduces the risk of developing serious health conditions such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and respiratory illnesses.

Quitting smoking not only improves physical health but also boosts mental well-being, increases energy levels, and enhances overall quality of life.

Key factors that contribute to successfully giving up smoking include access to a free community-based stop smoking programme to support participants to quit Smoking and stay off them for good.

Group support can significantly increase the chances of quitting. Programmes like this offered by the EDI Centre provide personalised guidance and encouragement and takes a more holistic approach to quit smoking and your health.

This programme is designed for delivery in the community by trained Community Facilitators.

Individuals such as Geraldine Greene and Enda McManus were successful in quitting and have gone on to train as trained facilitators.

FREE Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and Medications: NRT products such as patches, gum, lozenges, can help reduce withdrawal symptoms, making the process of quitting more manageable

Community Support: Being part of a supportive community where others are also working to quit can provide motivation and accountability, making it easier to stay on track.

Education and Awareness: Understanding the health risks associated with smoking and the benefits of quitting can serve as powerful motivators for change.

Behavioural Changes and Coping Strategies: Developing new habits and strategies to cope with cravings, such as exercise, mindfulness, or other stress-relieving activities, can help replace the urge to smoke.

However smoking prevalence has declined in Ireland from 22% to 18% in 2021.

For the first time, 45 to 54 year olds (24%) are the most likely age group to smoke, with an increase of 6 percentage points since 2019.

While we continue to make significant progress in reducing the overall prevalence of tobacco use smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable death and disease with approximately 4,500 deaths and 44,000 hospitalisations annually.

Cigarettes contain over 7000 toxic chemicals, many of which are proven to cause cancer

Why the quit smoking programme: Many smokers know that Smoking is bad for their health nevertheless, they find it a real struggle to give up.

EDI centre is providing the support taking a more holistic approach to smoking and health.

The Course runs for 7-week duration for (1 ½ hr per week.)

Delivered at the EDI Centre is a non-clinical community venue with a warm and welcoming, fully accessible with light refreshments provided to course participants.

To maximise the opportunity for people to take part in this course, two courses will deliver on Tuesdays, September 24 with a choice of morning/afternoon or evening and the courses will be allocated times to suit registered participants.

Excellent programme well worth doing for your health and financial benefits also.
By thinking positive and staying focused and change your mind-set.

You Only Fail When You Stop Trying

How does it work? Do I have to be Smoke Free to attend the Programme?

Participants don’t have to arrive free from tobacco, instead they have to want to quit.

They will start the programme with other likeminded individuals who have made a decision to Quit.

The group supports each other to set a quit date.

Once a quit date is decided they will work individually and together to plan to quit and stay quit.

Smoking is a big part of a person’s life and their daily routine with many smokers expressing that it helps them manage stress or prevents weight gain -if they stop.

In discussion with their peers and facilitators this will be explore, and new techniques for handling stress, opportunities to change daily routines and nutritional guidance will be provided.

You will receive expert advice on free NRT products and what will work most effectively for you day to day.

The EDI Centre is a warm and welcoming space, non-clinical, where participants can enjoy the refreshment and a chat, where everyone supports each other on and is buoyed by each other success.

By quitting, not only are you saving your health, but you are also saving money.

With the cost of living and seasonal demands from back to school to Christmas here is an estimate of how much you will save on average for a year.

In six weeks of starting this course if you were a 20 a day smoker you would €700 which could be beneficial in the run up to Christmas.

Call out to businesses and employers in Longford: support your staff health and wellbeing

This STOP smoking initiative can come to your workplace free of charge, arrange a chat or a pop-up information session please email for more information.

We know that employers in Longford want to support their employees to lead healthy lives as possible; total estimated cost of lost productivity is over €1 billion.

This comprises productivity lost through smoking breaks, smokers taking additional absence from work and the premature death of employed workers.

The EDI Centre's focus on these factors helps empower individuals to take control of their health, ultimately contributing to a healthier Longford community.

A 12-week programme designed to help you quit smoking for good begins on Tuesday, September 24. Contact 087 346 1927 ; email healthylife@edilongford.ie or check out the website www.edilongford.ie