Seniors Resource Centre NL
Project: Smoke Free – It is never too Late
The Seniors Resource Centre of Newfoundland and Labradorhas a message for adults (50+ and seniors) who are thinking about reducing and quitting smoking. While smoke-free messages are for all ages, there are some facts that might be of interest to older adults.
Research says -
1. Quitting at any age has health benefits, even among adults aged 65 and over, no matter how much or how little they smoke. This is encouraging news for anyone who wonders, “I smoked all my life. The damage is done – so why quit now? It is never too late to quit smoking.
2. The majority of people who smoke are saying, “don’t tell me why I should quit smoking – tell me HOW to quit.
3. Seven or more QUIT attempts over a period of time is normal and to be expected. Quit attempts are not failures – they get you closer to your goal of living smoke free.
The aim of this project is to support adults in their efforts to live smoke free. Support includes -
· Smoke Free Sessions (What do you want to know about tobacco and quitting? Share stories and strategies);
· QUIT Kits with coping tips to help get over the cravings and helpful strategies that are known to increase your chances of quitting; and
· information about the Smokers’ Helpline NL including a CARE referral.
Smoke Free Sessions are designed for one person, a group of friends, groups and community organizations. Smoke Free Teams are set up in Port au Port, Twillingate, HappyValley– GooseBay, St. John’s, Trepassey and surrounding communities. Anyone outside these areas can phone the Seniors Resource Centre NL – ask for Paula.
Addiction happens quicker than you think -
It is hard to believe that two cigarettes smoked as a child or teenager can start a lifetime of addiction. But it’s true. Nicotine, found naturally in the tobacco leaf, is a powerful drug. Once it is inhaled or chewed, it is immediately absorbed into the blood and reaches the brain within seconds. There it alters brain waves, producing pleasant feelings and relaxing muscles. It is easy to understand the initial attraction to a product that, in the early years, makes you feel so good.
Remembering the first cigarette -
Your first cigarette may have been for a bit of fun, the feeling of being mature, or an act of rebellion. Perhaps you were chasing the movie star image of feeling cool or glamorous. Smoking was recommended by some physicians as a way to relax. Tobacco advertising was powerful and sold women slim cigarettes and the message that “you’ve come a long way baby.” Some men identified with a lone cowboy – the Malboro man. Many children and teenagers watched the adults in their life smoke and took up the habit as soon as it was offered or they had access. Whatever the case, the act of smoking quickly turned into an addiction.
Bert Reid, 84, of St. John’sreminds us, “Smoking in those days was the normal thing. Everyone did it. There was smoking in stores, offices, restaurants, homes and vehicles.” Bert’s five brothers were smokers and he grew up in a home filled with smoke. Bert was primed for smoking and found access to cigarettes when he was eight years old, “I will admit that I stole cigarettes from my five brothers and collected tobacco from discarded cigarettes to make myself a rolled one (on one of those cigarette machines). Lots of kids were doing it and I wasn’t going to miss out. The nature of kids is to do things that they aren’t supposed to – to break the rules, so to speak.” As an adult, Bert was 1-2 pack a day smoker until he quit “cold turkey” in the summer of 1965.
Why older adults want to quit?
In a recent study, the Lung Association revealed that 75% of the five million smokers in Canadawant to quit. In Newfoundland and Labrador, 125,000 people smoke; that does not include children under the age of fifteen. If 75 per cent of this province’s smokers are intent on quitting that totals 94,000, and includes 30,000 older adults who want to live smoke free.
The reasons for wanting to quit are varied and unique to each person. Many older adults are now focusing on healthy aging as they move towards retirement and the senior years. Some view the cost of cigarettes as a reason to quit, or the increase in smoke-free buildings (including apartments) as a motivation. Others are acting on the advice of their doctor – quitting smoking is the most important action a person can take when they want to maintain or regain their health.
St. John’sCouncilor Shannie Duff was 64 when she gave up smoking and it was the motivation of wanting to see her grandchildren grow up that helped to see her through. Shannie said that it wasn’t easy and there were 34 quit attempts before she was successful. There is more she adds, “I suffered from a chronic cough. A couple of times a year it would get so bad that I couldn’t sleep and once I actually broke a rig coughing. Within months of quitting my cough disappeared and I haven’t had any respiratory symptoms since.” Shannie has been smoke free for 8 years.
If you have quitting on your mind contact the Seniors Resource Centre NL – ask for Paula.
Tell us - what do you think it would it take for you to quit smoking?
737-2333 or 1-800-563-5599
