Today (Jan. 23) is Weedless Wednesday and it is an important day for both smokers and non-smokers alike.
For those who have kicked the nicotine habit, it is a day to celebrate their healthier lifestyle and likely having a little more coin to jingle in their jeans.
These are the folks who may have been smoking since their teen years because that’s the time in our lives when smoking was considered cool by our peers and, perhaps, portraying a bit of a bad boy or wild child image.
Regardless of how they started, these people have followed through on the promise to quit smoking (likely after some failed attempts) and stuck with it.
They are to be congratulated because it takes a tremendous will power, as well as family and a group of families and friends who have provided a lot of support in the attempt to butt out.
We all know smoking increases health risks, such as lung, throat and oral cancer, as well as heart disease, stroke and emphysema.
During the past decade or so, we have been hearing more and more about the complications second-hand smoke causes for innocent victims who are associated with heavy smokers.
At the same time, we have been given the facts and figures that show medical treatment for those affected by smoking or second-hand smoke is taking a big chunk out of our provincial health-care budget.
While the smoking numbers continue to go down, tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of disease and death in British Columbia.
However, it is estimated that 70 per cent of those who do smoke want to quit.
With that in mind, the B.C. Liberal government launched the BC Smoking Cessation Program in 2011 to give those British Columbians who want to kick the nicotine habit an opportunity to get off to a good start.
The government is offering assistance through nicotine replacement therapies and doctors have been writing prescriptions for cessation drugs.
British Columbians who register with the Smoking Cessation Program can also receive web, text and telephone support from QuitNow Services (www.quitnow.ca).
Folks looking for information on quitting smoking can go to www.health.gov.bc.ca/pharmacare/stopsmoking/.
Jan. 20-26 is National Non-Smoking Week and it’s a perfect time to take that step forward into the future of a healthier lifestyle.
We wish everyone the best of luck in their search for a breath of fresh air in 2013.
