Quitting smoking is the single best thing you can do to improve your life and health. You may smoke for many reasons, but there are even better reasons to quit. If you have become addicted to vaping, we can help with that too! Think about your reasons for quitting and what you want to achieve, whether it be health, relationships, or finances. If you are ready to quit, we can help.
Our Programs and Services
HPEPH offers:
- Trained quit specialists and low-cost nicotine patches & gum. These are available to the public by calling HPEPH’s Tobacco Talk Line at 613-966-5500 ext. 600.
- School health clinics for local high school students. Contact your guidance office or school Public Health Nurse to learn more.
We also recommend:
- Online resources, which can be found at smokershelpline.ca where you can chat with a trained quit coach.
- The STOP on the Net program, which offers online support and 10 weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy nicotinedependenceclinic.com.
For more information about any of these support resources, you can contact HPEPH’s Tobacco Talk Line at 613-966-5500 ext. 600.
Why Quit Smoking?
Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in Canada. If they don’t quit, half of all smokers will die of a smoking related disease. There is no safe level of tobacco use or exposure to second-hand smoke.
The burning of tobacco produces smoke that contains more than 7000 chemicals, including nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide. These chemicals are harmful to the person who is smoking, but also those exposed to smoke.
Nicotine is an addictive drug that affects the brain and nervous system. It acts as a stimulant and increases heart rate and breathing. Smoking cigarettes and using other forms of tobacco is both physically and mentally addictive.
Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas formed when tobacco is burned. Carbon monoxide lowers the amount of oxygen carried in your blood, and therefore limits how much oxygen your body gets.
Quitting smoking improves the quality and length of your life and the lives of those around you. You start to become healthier the day you quit.
Benefits of Quitting
- Your blood pressure and heart rate drop within 20 minutes of quitting.
- The amount of oxygen in your blood improves within eight hours and carbon monoxide levels normalize within 12 hours.
- Within two weeks to three months, your circulation improves, and your lung function begins to improve.
- Your risks of heart attack, stroke, and cancer all decrease.
- You will also save money, avoid smelling like smoke, be able to skip trips outside in the cold to smoke, be able to participate in more physical activities, notice improved taste in food, and be a good role model to those around you.
