Did you know most tobacco users want to quit? Or that smoking tobacco is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death? Yikes! This week, let’s work on helping to prevent young people from starting to smoke or chew tobacco and helping the tobacco users in your life quit so we can protect everyone from the harms of second- and third-hand smoke.
There are free provincial resources to help people quit – they can quit for a day and work towards a long term quit plan! Interested? Here’s three quitting resources you should check out now.
Three resources to quit smoking today:
- QuitNow: get free counselling and support by visiting QuitNow or calling 1 877-455-2233. They even text! Text QUITNOW to 654321.
- Free quitting products through the BC Smoking Cessation Program: all British Columbians can access FREE Nicotine patches, gum, lozenges, or inhalers through the BC Smoking Cessation Program to help reduce cravings while trying to quit. Talk to your pharmacist. You may be eligible for help to buy smoking cessation medications such as Varenicline (Champix) or Bupropion (Zyban).
- Make a plan and find a friend: if you smoke, plan to quit; if you don’t smoke, help a tobacco user quit!
In this story, as in most public health messages, “tobacco use” refers to the use of commercial tobacco products like cigarettes and chewing tobacco as opposed to traditional uses of tobacco. Northern Health supports the cultural and ceremonial uses of tobacco and recognizes that the benefits of traditional uses can outweigh the potential harms.
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