It's time to QUIT!

Just two weeks out from New Year's Day, a number of leading health organisations including The Cancer Council of New South Wales, Quit Foundations, Action on Smoking on Health (ASH) and the National Heart Foundation, have called on smokers to put quitting smoking on top of their resolution list and see their doctor for advice on how to quit for good this New Year.

Chair of ASH, Dr Matthew Peters, said the organisations are united in encouraging all smokers who want to give up to consult their doctor for their best chance of quitting and remaining non-smokers.

"Traditionally, New Year is a period for making health and lifestyle resolutions. In fact, consumer research shows that one in three smokers have in the past made at least one New Year's resolution to quit smoking," Dr Peters said.

"This is hardly surprising as we know that at any one point in time 60 per cent of smokers will be considering giving up. Nicotine is an extremely addictive substance and people who want to quit need to enlist all suitable forms of help. By doing this they are more likely to successfully quit than if they 'do it alone'."

"Smokers who have relapsed after a quit attempt should be encouraged to try again. This is where a consultation with a doctor regarding the most suitable approach for the individual can be very useful," said Dr Peters.

• Tobacco is one of the most addictive drugs we know
• About 20 per cent of the Australian population smoke
• 2000/01, one in three smokers intended to resolve to quit smoking
• It is estimated that only three per cent of smokers going cold turkey will be successful in the long-term.

Also see article on Natural Quit Smoking Remedies