Medical Specialists Pharmacy is proudly supporting the next annual No Smoking Day, which will be taking place on 12 March 2014. Whether it is for this yearly awareness day, month-long campaigns such as ‘Stoptober’, for a New Year’s Resolution, or any other particular occasion, basically there is always a good reason to quit smoking today, not way in the future. No Smoking Day is being pioneered by the British Heart Foundation, who understand not everybody can go ‘cold turkey’ and suddenly quit smoking for good instantly, but they are encouraging smokers to quit at least just for this one day to prove to themselves they can do it. It is hoped this one day smoke free will increase their motivation to quit for good in the long-run; this can be achieved with the help of smoking cessation medication such as Champix. Now is the perfect time to quit as Medical Specialists Pharmacy have just drastically reduced the price of Champix to its lowest ever price! Prices have been reduced by as much as a whopping 50%. For instance, an online consultation for the Champix starter pack was £75, but this has now come down to just £38.95! For those already with a private prescription, the price is even lower, at a mere £27.48. Everyone may have their own personal reasons for wanting to give up smoking. In the current financial climate, paying almost £10 for a packet of cigarettes is simply not feasible, with food and bills obviously much more important. For others, quitting could be part of a much wider plan to become healthier and include increasing exercise, eating better, etc. A packet of 20 cigarettes can set you back around £7-£8, so the average 20-a-day smoker could suddenly have an extra £56 in their pocket each week. Wondering what to spend all that extra cash on? If you are spending £7 each day on your smoking habit, here’s what else you could be spending your money on: 1 day (£7): Two movie rentals or a new lipstick. 1 week (£49): A family cinema trip or a meal for two. 1 month (£210): A shopping spree or premiership football tickets. 3 months (£630): A new laptop or the latest flat screen TV. 6 months (£1,260): A leather suite or a home cinema. 1 year (£2,555): A new kitchen or a holiday of a lifetime. If all that wasn’t music to your ears, you will feel extra money in your pocket in other ways. You will now suddenly find that life, home and car insurance will now be cheaper because you are a non-smoker. It is worth remembering that you and everybody around you will reap the massive benefits from you stopping smoking. Your friends and family will no longer be inhaling second-hand smoke and having their health badly impacted too and for you personally, this is what you can look forward to in the forthcoming 12 months after stopping smoking:

20 minutes	Your heart rate and blood pressure return to a normal level.
8 hours	Oxygen levels return to normal as the nicotine and carbon monoxide begin to leave your body.
24 hours	Mucus and other smoking debris is cleared from the lungs.
48 hours	Nicotine should have been removed from your body by this stage and your sense of smell and taste are boosted.
2 - 12 weeks	Breathing improves and you find exercising is easier.
3 - 9 months	Any coughs, wheezing and breathing problems are reduced as your lungs repair.
1 year	You now have half the risk of coronary heart disease than that of a smoker.