Smokers are cutting back on food to fund their craving

The disastrous smoking habits of the Irish have been highlighted in two new studies — we are far more prone than other Europeans to continue smoking after suffering a stroke and one in 10 of us cut back on food to fund our craving.

A study by the Health Research Board (HRB) found post-stroke smoking rates are double those in Europe, despite the fact that a quarter of strokes are caused by smoking.

The study found that an alarming 58% of smokers continued to smoke six months after stroke compared to a European rate of 29%.