World Smoke Free Day Today – “Don’t Give Up On Giving Up” Says Local Artist
Quit now – it’s about whānau is the message for this year’s World Smokefree Day on Wednesday 31 May, and it starts in Southern homes and communities.
The Smokefree team at Southern DHB is encouraging people who smoke to make the most of the occasion and stop for good. It’s a message local artist Carolyn Edmonds is quick to support.
Carolyn started smoking at the age of 12 and smoked until she was 43, when a back injury forced her to think about her smoking and make a decision to quit.
“A back injury forced me out of work and gave me lots of home time and lots of time to smoke. I was sick of smoking and every day I was waking up tired. I just wanted to stop,” said Carolyn.
In collaboration with the Cancer Society and WellSouth, the Smokefree team are asking people who smoke to “Fuel Your Way to Being Smokefree” and be in with a chance to win MTA vouchers. The promotion, running mainly through the Smokefree South Facebook page asks people who smoke to ‘like’ the page and then contact the team for a referral to the Southern Stop Smoking Service.
“We’ve had a great response so far,” said Southern DHB Smokefree Co-ordinator, Debby Newton. “The promotion on our Facebook page has provided people who smoke who want to stop with support, and an incentive to do so. It has also sparked many conversations about stop smoking success stories.”
The Smokefree South Facebook page prompted Carolyn to share her smokefree story.
“I had my last cigarette on the 7th of January 2017. I downloaded an App called Cessation Nation and by 22 May it showed that I’d not smoked 2688 cigarettes.
“Stopping smoking has been quite significant for me and I’ve had a lot of support which I am grateful for. It’s hard to give advice to people wanting to stop smoking, but I would say don’t give up on giving up.”
To read Carolyn’s full story click
For those who decide the time is right to stop, there’s free help available. Nga Kete Matauranga Pounamu Charitable Trust provide the Southern Stop Smoking Service, a free service offering community group clinics and one-on-one support with nine mobile coaches operating across the Southern region. They also provide free nicotine replacement therapy resources.
To get in touch with them, phone (03) 214 5260 or free phone 0800 925 242, email the service [email protected], or refer online at www.kaitahu.maori.nz/online-referrals
“We know that stopping smoking isn’t easy, it takes courage to do it but in the end it’s worth it. The benefits of not smoking and leading a healthy life make it all worthwhile. There is free support out there to help people so they don’t feel alone and to encourage them along the way. We want to connect people with the Southern Stop Smoking Service who can provide them with the tools and strategies that work best for them,” said Ms Newton.