Research has also found that exposure to other people’s tobacco smoke (second-hand smoke) causes between 174 and 490 deaths in New Zealand every year.
Quitting
There are a number of reasons to quit smoking:
- For the health of your whānau - Very few smokers want their tamariki to start smoking.
- To save money - Giving up smoking is like getting a pay rise. In a year you save over $5,000 if you smoke 20 a day.
- Improve your appearance - Smoking starves your skin of oxygen making it dry and grey. You develop wrinkles around your eyes and mouth much earlier, and the tar stains your teeth and fingers.
- Increase your fitness - Smoking makes it harder for you to exercise and reduces the benefits to your body.
- Taking control of your life and kicking the habit!! Quitting smoking is a challenge. Once you have set the goal to quit and succeeded, you will feel really proud of yourself. Quitting helps you take on other challenges.
And there is help available!
Aukati KaiPaipa is a free kanohi ki te kanohi service that is delivered locally within most communities.
This programme offers Māori and their whānau, the opportunity to address their smoking addiction through a range of services.
Services include free nicotine patches or gum, motivational counseling and ongoing support.
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The Quitline is a free quit smoking telephone help line.
The Quitline website offers support and information, and free telephone support and low cost nicotine patches and gum through the Quitline (0800 778 778).
Other features include online quitter blogs and a quit calculators. There is also information on the site about becoming a Quit Car provider.