To the Editor,
Wednesday (Jan. 19) is Weedless Wednesday, the highlight of National Non-Smoking Week.
The Canadian Cancer Society encourages those who smoke to abstain from smoking for 24 hours. It could end up being the start of something wonderful.
Since helping people quit smoking is a great interest of mine, I would also encourage those who smoke to try and become a non-smoker for the day.
Try a day; what do you have to lose? You have everything to gain. Your body, your wallet, your family and friends and even your planet will thank you with amazing results.
Since 1999, more than one million Canadians have quit smoking.
Quitting smoking is not easy. Many patients I have helped in Nanaimo Regional General Hospital’s smoking cessation clinic have told me that quitting smoking was like giving up their ‘best friend’.
This is merely the illusion of tobacco addiction distorting reality because what ‘best friend’ would take your hard earned money and shorten your life (on average a smoker lives 10 years less than a non-smoker)? This ‘best friend’ turns out to be your worst enemy.
There are a number ways to quit smoking.
There is the free 24-hour smokers’ helpline Quit Now (1-877-455-2233) or online www.quitnow.ca.
All of these community resources are at the clinic’s website at www.CISIC.ca (which includes the free Quit Quitting movie). Nanaimo also has a smoking cessation classroom program at the Integrated Health Network’s Victoria Road office.
May everyone have a healthy and happy 2011.
Dr. Derek Poteryko
Central Island Smoking
Intervention Clinic
