Our Story
Every story has a beginning. This is ours…
How it all began
Smoking is the single most important preventable cause of death and illness.
It causes long-term illness and disability in many smokers, including those that ultimately die from something else other than their smoking.
In Ireland at least 5,900 people die from diseases caused by tobacco use each year. This represents approximately 19% of all deaths, the breakdown of which is as follows:
- Cancers (44%)
- Circulatory diseases (30%)
- Respiratory diseases (25%)
- Digestive diseases (1%)
16 people die every day in Ireland from tobacco related diseases…every single day let that sink in.
In Ireland, smoking causes over 2,200 people to die from cancer each year.
The risk of lung cancer is 15 times greater for a smoker than a non-smoker. This risk accumulates over time and is directly related to daily cigarette consumption and how long someone has been smoking.
About one in eight smokers who do not quit will die of lung cancer.
Other cancers
As carcinogens in cigarette smoke are ingested, dispersed and eliminated throughout the body, smoking is linked to a large number of cancers other than lung cancer, including:
- Throat and mouth cancer;
- Bladder cancer;
- Kidney cancer;
- Stomach cancer;
- Pancreatic cancer.
It can be motivating for smokers to have information on the benefits of stopping, and it is important to communicate to smokers that quitting is the best thing they can do for their current and future health.
It is important for young smokers to realise that they have most to gain by stopping now. Stopping smoking increases life expectancy at every age but the earlier the smoker stops the better; quitting at age 35 adds an average of 10 years, while quitting at 65 adds 3 years of life.
Stopping smoking at any age will lead to improvements in physical and mental health.
Key facts that you can tell smokers include:
- The risk of lung cancer stops increasing when smokers quit;
- The increased risk of heart disease diminishes by 50% within the first year of stopping;
- The rate of progression for COPD is drastically slowed once a smoker stops smoking;
- Ex-smokers report being healthier, happier and having greater life satisfaction than smokers;
- The average smoker saves over €4,000 per year if they quit.
16+ people die every day in Ireland from tobacco related illnesses and if we can help save one person this group will have been a success.
12.398
Days since founding
