Quitline Releases New Publication to Help Smokers Quit

Media Release

3 November 2011

Quitline Releases New Publication to Help Smokers Quit

Quitline’s new quit-smoking bible will help smokers beat their addiction in five steps.

The Quit Book is sent to all clients who register by phone or online and is designed to provide support throughout the journey to becoming smokefree. “It contains the best advice we know on how to quit,” explains Quitline Chief Executive, Paula Snowden. “The methods are backed up by research and focus groups with smokers have helped us to develop the content and design.” The booklet reinforces the guidance provided by advisors on the phone and on Quitline’s website.

Here’s a summary of the The Quit Book’s five steps:

Step 1: Set a quit date.
Step 2: Know your reasons for quitting. Knowing your reasons can help you stay motivated and give you the focus and determination to become a non-smoker. Step 3: Know your triggers. Cravings to smoke can be triggered by habits and emotions as well as the physical addiction to nicotine. Knowing what these are can help you make a plan to deal with cravings. Step 4: Use patches, gum and lozenges. These have been shown to double your chances of successfully quitting. They are available through Quitline at $3 for an eight week supply of each. Step 5: Stay Quit. Dealing with stress, social situations and set backs is essential for becoming a non-smoker.

“The overall tone is upbeat and positive. We know that feeling guilty or ashamed doesn’t help people to quit. Focusing on what you have to gain by quitting smoking and having faith in yourself is really important.” The Quit Book includes a Q&A section on common issues such as weight gain, pregnancy, diabetes, secondhand smoke and using patches, gum and lozenges. It also contains real-life stories of smokers who have quit and a tear-out diary.

“Every year more than 50,000 of these booklets are sent to New Zealanders who want to quit smoking, so it was important to put a lot of time and energy into getting this publication right,” says Paula.

The Quit Book was designed and edited by Learning Media with funding from the Ministry of Health. Quitline helps New Zealanders quit smoking via telephone 0800 778 778 and on their website: www.quit.org.nz. The Quit Book is available for download at: https://www.healthed.govt.nz/resource/quit-book-beating-smoking-addiction

ENDS