Heading into the home stretch!

Just over a week to go before the world finds out who has Quit Now and Won! I know who I'm cheering for... but unfortunately, I also learned today that a fellow quitters is no longer in the running. I'm hoping he'll climb back on the wagon for the health benefits alone!

I wanted to share the following piece that ran in a recent edition of the Prince George Citizen's "The Scene" supplement... It's aimed at an audience I apparently no longer belong to (that audience being "young people"... when did that happen?), but I was happy to contribute anyway.

Today is the Day to Quit Smoking

by Eryn Collins, Northern Health Communications Officer and blogger

When I was fifteen, if someone had asked me to name one thing that I had done each and every day since the day I was born, my answer would have had to be “breathing”. And I might have realized it’s a big deal to do anything each and every day for that long.

Sometime around twice the age of 15, I realized there’s something else that I’ve been doing, virtually day-in and day-out, for the past decade and a half. It’s related to breathing, I guess - at least, it’s affected my ability to breathe and could eventually stop me altogether.

I started smoking as a teen… and the weird thing is that it took a LOT of effort to really get going! The first few puffs made me want to puke; the not-so-flattering stink of smoke that clung to my hair and clothes didn’t help. I had to work hard to hide my new ‘hobby’ from friends and family who didn’t approve… and I had figure out how to pay for the damn things. And that hasn’t changed – since the cost of cigarettes has doubled, even tripled in price since then.

I’ve never been very good at math but if someone had laid it out for me this way, I might have thought twice about accepting that first puff. You decide to start today. A pack will run you about ten bucks. Keep in mind they’ll only get more expensive. The addiction will eventually take you to around a pack a day. At today’s handy starting price of an even $10 you’re going to spend nearly $55 THOUSAND over the next 15 years. The good news is if you do it long enough, the wasted money will be the least of your worries.

At 7:45am on November 12^th 2010, I smoked my last cigarette. Quitting anything that you’ve been doing for one year, let alone 15, is NOT easy. It takes willpower, and a lot of support. The really good news is that you can find both, in strong supply, when you’re ready to quit.

Northern Health’s Nicotine Intervention Counseling Centre (NICC) offers individual counseling, nicotine replacement therapy to help you through the cravings, and phone or email support to help prevent relapses. For more information on NICC, call 250-565-7344.

I’m now two months smoke-free but it’s still a work in progress. Follow my journey at www.quittingthesocialway.blogspot.com; get alerts for the latest posts by following

 Northern Health on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NorthernHealth or Twitter (@Northern_Health). We also post about other health news and resources that you could find interesting!

It’s never too late to quit smoking!