Will you #CommitToQuit this World No Tobacco Day?
Did you know that tobacco makes you look older faster? Yikes. And that’s not even one of the main health problems associated with smoking.
Today is World No Tobacco Day, and we want to encourage anyone in the Deakin community who lights up – either regularly or occasionally – to quit for good. This is because the health and wellbeing of our students is of the utmost importance to us – and it’s also a crucial foundation of your study success.
This graphic highlights the harmful effects of smoking on different parts of your body, but here’s some of the lowlights:
- 30% of all strokes in individuals under 65 years of age are caused by smoking.
- 80% of lung cancer cases are due to smoking and approximately one-fifth of all cancer deaths in Australia can be attributed to smoking.
- Smokers are two to three times more likely to suffer sudden cardiac death than non-smokers.
- Smoking is a cause of type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes.
Need more convincing? Check out these 100 reasons to quit tobacco. They cover everything from the financial exploitation of poor farmers by big tobacco companies to the fact that lifelong tobacco smokers lose at least 10 years of life on average.
Ready to #CommitToQuit?
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently launched a year-long campaign, #CommitToQuit, to help 100 million people quit tobacco. If you make your pledge now, you’ll join a community of quitters, and have access to a range of digital resources and information to help you along the way.
And the good news is that your body actually reverses some of the damage caused by smoking as soon as you stop. This happens as soon as 20 minutes after your last cigarette, when your blood pressure and pulse start to return to more normal levels. Read about the amazing health benefits that happen in the days, weeks, months and years after quitting.
We know it might be extra hard to consider quitting at the moment, with snap lockdowns still happening, and many people facing ongoing personal, financial or family problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Quit has some handy tips to help you stick to your goal or deal with stress while you quit.
If you feel like giving up smoking just isn’t possible at the moment, perhaps try setting yourself a timeline that may be more achievable. This might be as we head out of winter and the days get brighter, or once you’ve met a study or other personal milestone.
The one thing to remember is that in a COVID-Normal world, it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re protecting your respiratory health as much as possible.
We can help!
We know that quitting isn’t an easy process, but we’re with you every step of the way. To start your smoke-free journey, contact the Deakin Medical Centre. We provide free Quit counselling support, so book an appointment now. According to WHO, your chance of quitting successfully increases by a whopping 84% if you receive professional medical advice.
You can also visit the Quit website for amazing resources, including Quit Plan, QuitCoach and QuitTxt, which provide personalised support for your quitting journey.
And please remember that there’s no smoking at Deakin. This includes all of our grounds, buildings and carparks. Find out more about Deakin’s Smoke-Free Campuses Policy.