If you smoke or vape, the time to quit is now
Do you smoke or vape? Have you smoked previously but decided to quit? No matter your experiences, smoking can affect everyone in various ways.
We all know smoking can cause a range of health and wellbeing problems. Tobacco consumption is connected to serious health conditions like strokes, cancer and diabetes – but it can also make your skin age prematurely and affect your reproductive health.
Vaping is a major health issue we can’t ignore
Vaping – inhaling vapour using an e-cigarette – is a relatively new practice and many people think it’s safer than smoking. Far from being a safer alternative, vaping is extremely addictive and exposes users to a poisonous cocktail of chemicals. Read these busted myths about vaping. There’s also strong behavioural links between vaping and smoking – for example, research shows that people who use e-cigarettes are three times more likely to smoke tobacco, and former smokers who vape are more likely to relapse. Scary stuff.
We want to encourage anyone in the Deakin community who ‘lights up’ – either regularly or occasionally – to quit for good. The health and wellbeing of our students is of the utmost importance to us and it’s also a crucial foundation for your studies. Quitline can help you to stop vaping – visit the Quit website for amazing resources to help you get started.
You should also be aware of the strict vaping laws in Victoria – it’s illegal to:
- buy or sell an e-cigarette or any liquid that contains nicotine without a doctor’s prescription
- sell an e-cigarette or a liquid intended to be used in an e-cigarette (even if it doesn’t contain nicotine) to someone under 18.
You can find more facts about vaping on the UNCLOUD website and the Vape-free Deakin webpage.
Ready to quit smoking or vaping? We can help!
You’re not alone! We know that quitting isn’t an easy process, especially if your friends smoke or vape, but we’re with you every step of the way. Better to quit now and spare yourself problems with addiction and ill health later down the track.
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.
Smoking or vaping is banned at Deakin
Deakin says ‘no’ to smoking and vaping – this includes our grounds, buildings and carparks, and extends to electronic cigarettes. This is to keep our community healthy and ensure a clean and enjoyable campus experience for all.
It’s not just Deakin taking this stance – all Victorian universities have similar policies. So, if you see someone vaping or smoking on campus, politely ask them to stop or butt out!
Thank you to our vape-free designers!
We recently put out the call for Deakin students to submit your own interpretation of vape-free living. This was part of a Inter-University Competition, supported by VicHealth’s Collective Impact Approach to Vaping.
Thank you to all students who took part in this design challenge – we hope you enjoyed stretching your imagination and delving into this important topic!
After careful consideration by our judging panel, our two winning designs to represent Deakin were created by Isabella Parker (I can stop anytime painting, left) and Muhammad Bilal (Vape-free Deakin video promo, below)!
These winning Deakin entries were submitted to the Inter-University Competition, along with the two winning designs from Monash University, Swinburne University, and The University of Melbourne. While our Deakin entries were not represented in the top three winning designs from this larger pool, we are incredibly proud of all our designers for these inspiring and well-crafted contributions. Check out more Deakin entries in the gallery below, and congratulations to all!
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