Happy New Year to all our patients.

Smoking Cessation

A lot of people use the New Year and good old new year resolutions to make an attempt to stop smoking.

Did you know that you are 2-3 times more likely to have a successful quit attempt with medication compared to will power alone?

Smoking is costly

  • To our pockets – smoking a pack a day costs around $8300 a year or $160 a week. Think of what you could do with that money if you managed to put it aside each week.
  • To our health – the benefits of quitting smoking begin immediately and continue the longer we are smoke free. Quitting is beneficial at ANY age and at ANY time in our lives.
  • To our families – did you know if you smoke your children are 7 times more likely to smoke. We see more illness – glue ear, asthma, coughs and colds in our children if we smoke – even if we don’t smoke around our children – the poisonous fumes are still on our clothes. We also have the benefit of still being around to see our children/grandchildren grow and fulfill their lives instead of dying a premature death due to smoking.

Quit line – A fantastic place to start – https://www.quit.org.nz/or call 0800 778 778

Our practice nurse has a wealth of information when it comes to quitting smoking and can provide ongoing support and phone calls to motivate and encourage you during a quit attempt.

There is medication available and options depend various things including; how long you have been in New Zealand, whether you qualify for funded health care, what you have tried in the past and your past medical health.

Options include Nicotine Replacement Therapy ( NRT), Bupropion or Zyban, Champix and Nortriptyline.

Come in and see us to discuss your needs and how we can best help you to achieve your goals.