Getting help to quit smoking

Getting help to quit smoking increases chances of keeping New Year resolutions

Source: Homecare Medical

[Statements from Quitline - comments can be attributed to Quitline Team Manager Willie Unuka]

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Made the resolution to quit smoking in 2016? Prompted by the tax increase? Get in touch with Quitline. People who use Quitline’s services and support are five times more likely to successfully quit than those who try to quit alone.

An increase in tobacco tax on January 1 will push the price of a pack of cigarettes up. This, coupled with New Year resolutions to lead healthier lives, will definitely mean an increase in people calling Quitline for support. Every year Quitline helps 12,000 Kiwis beat their smoking addiction.

Whatever the prompt to quit smoking, the Quitline team encourage people who are thinking of giving up smoking, to get in touch.

Quitting on your own is so much harder, so we shout out at this time of year … get support, get in touch. People who use Quitline’s services and support are five times more likely to successfully quit than those who try to quit alone.

We also know that the more Quitline services a person uses, the higher their rate of success. Smokers can choose the support services that work best for them, including phone, email, blogs, text and online support to help people beat their addiction. Smoking is highly addictive and is a notoriously difficult habit to kick, so it makes sense that people should get as much help as they can to quit.

A price increase always prompts smokers to try to quit the addiction. Smoking is an expensive habit. A pack a day costs more than $7,400 a year (based on $20.50 for a packet of 20). Other reasons people are telling us that they want to quit are for their families and their health. A lot of people will make a New Year’s resolutions to get fit and healthy. Other things that prompt people are things like lower insurance premiums or just being sick of it.

The next step is to get yourself some support - this gives the best chance of success.

And we encourage anyone who has tried before to Quit and hasn’t made it, to give us a call and we’ll help them to try again. It is really normal to take several attempts to quit smoking and it is important that people don’t feel like they have failed.

It’s hard to reach out when you’re feeling vulnerable, but a Quitline Advisor can suggest things to do in the tough times. Many Advisors are ex smokers and know what quitting is like We also encourage people to join Quitline’s blog community - 24 hour support from people who are going through just the same trials.

Quitline details:

-Call Quitline on 0800 778 778 for free. Quit Advisors work with people make a plan to help beat cravings and send our free quit packs.

-At Quitline’s website at www.quit.org.nz people can see how much money they are saving but quitting - there’s a ‘Quit Stats’ tool.

-As well as the blog on www.quit.org.nz Quitline has a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/quitlinenz

-Register by phone or online for our Txt2Quit service and get sent texts to motivate you as you quit.

-Nicotine patches, gum and lozenges can double someone’s chances of successfully quitting. They are $5 each when you order them from Quitline by phone or online. The team can also give advice on other stop smoking medication options.

-If you’d like to talk to someone in person, Quitline can connect you with someone in your area. You could also talk to your healthcare provider or Aukati Kai Paipa (www.aukatikaipaipa.co.nz).

For more info:

To help support people who would like to quit in the New Year Quitline phone lines (0800 778 778) are open from 8.00am - 9.30pm on New Year’s Day and Quit Advisors are ready to talk to anyone who wants to chat about quitting. By signing up to Quitline’s websitewww.quit.org.nz, people can access a full quit smoking support programme. They can also order subsidised patches, gum and lozenges online.

ENDS

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