Host: Quitting smoking is a challenge and while a vast majority of Canadians say they want to quit and have tried, they continue to light up. The good news is that it’s never too late to take the steps needed to quit smoking and World No Tobacco Day provides another great opportunity for smokers to help spread and catch the quit.
Need a true life success story? After more than three decades of smoking, George and Diane Moffat are living life to the fullest, smoke-free which they believe is one of their greatest accomplishments.
George: We both smoked for over 30 years and we did find it difficult to quit. I was up to two packs a day and Diane sometimes a pack a day.
Diane: We’ve been smoked-free now for about two and half years. We, as George had mentioned, we both tried several times during the 30 years that we both smoked and that we’re successful until this time and we found that doing it together making that decision to quit together, we were able to motivate each other and support each other along the way.
Host: An estimated five million Canadians continue to smoke and according to a recent report, 79% of smokers say they have tried to quit, many have tried several times according to the Canadian Lung Association.
Dr. Anna Day is a Respirologist at Women’s College Hospital and a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Anna Day: Just because you’ve tried and it hasn’t worked out this time, is no reason not to try again. It’s World No Tobacco Day and it’s a good time to renew your commitment to stop smoking and the benefits are immediate. The decision to quit can greatly impact those around you in terms of stopping smoking; your family, your friends and even your coworkers.
Host: Quitting takes on going commitment and support. In fact on average, Canadians attempt to stop smoking six times before achieving success but with a wide range of Counseling Services, Self-Help Materials and medicines available today, smokers have more tools than ever to help them achieve their goals of becoming smoke-free.
Dr. Anna Day: One of the ways to start developing a quit plan is to talk to your physician. As physicians, we’re trained to know about various therapies that may help you quit and help you get started. Any plan to quit should also include a strategy to stay smoke-free.
George: We actually decided to quit. There was a couple of years ago a quit smoking challenge through work and the local health department that encouraged us to start to quit and then we had follow-ups through our physician and the local pharmacist. We have follow-up visits once a week and then on our journey to quit; that really helped as well as supporting each other.
Host: For more information about the benefits of quitting smoking or to send an E card to encourage a loved one to quit, visit lung.ca, Sherry Demeterco reporting.
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