More effort must be made to encourage young people to quit cigarettes as they are the least likely to give up on National No Smoking Day, the Irish Cancer Society has said.
The organisation said one in every four smokers attempted to quit last Ash Wednesday, which is designated annual non-smoking day, but most of those were aged between 25 to 34.
The society said this reinforces how important it is to highlight the dangers of smoking and the benefits of quitting to younger people.
Ms Norma Cronin, health promotion manager at the society, said that tomorrow's National No Smoking Day has proven a key time for smokers to quit.
"Quitting smoking may be the single most important thing people can do to improve their health. Smokers experience health and other benefits as soon as they stop smoking," she said.
The cancer charity has a free six-week course to help smokers quit after a nationwide survey taken after last year's event showed that most people failed to stay off cigarettes as they could not cope with the cravings.
The survey showed almost 21 per cent of those who did not succeed stated that they would try again in the near future. Around 31 per cent of the 1,200 people surveyed felt that nicotine replacement therapy would have helped in their attempt to quit, and 18 per cent believed they would have benefited from advice from a counsellor.
People attempting to quit this year will be invited to the society's one-hour session for six weeks with a trained counsellor to cover topics including quitting methods, coping with withdrawal symptoms and cravings and tips for quitting.
Most those surveyed after the last event cited health reasons as the most important reason to quit. This was closely followed by the cost issues, which was more of an issue for females.
Just 13 per cent of respondents said that the ban on smoking in the workplace, which came into force on March 29th last, was a reason for them attempting to quit.
The Irish Cancer Society said that after only eight hours the chances of heart attack start to fall. After a day without cigarettes the lungs begin to clear out mucous and within 48 hours nicotine is no longer detectable in the body and ability to taste and smell improves.
After five-years of not smoking the risk of heart attack falls to the level of a non-smoker and within a decade the risk of lung cancer drops substantially compared to a smoker.
Information on the free six-week course is available from the Irish Cancer Society on 01-2310539.