Trade smoking for prizes

Ask anyone who has tried: Quitting smoking can be a big challenge. Nicotine is a powerful addiction that can take from three to seven attempts before the dependency is finally broken, say experts such as the Canadian Cancer Society.
But help is at hand. Once again, the Canadian Cancer Society is staging its innovative and proven-successful Driven to Quit Challenge. For the fifth year in a row, the Society, with generous funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion, hopes to make March a province-wide tobacco-free zone.
The Driven to Quit Challenge combines many of the elements needed to successfully make a break with nicotine, says Nancy Korstanje, Senior Manager, Community Integration and Promotion at the Canadian Cancer Society Smokers' Helpline in Hamilton. That includes:
Motivation A chance to win prizes such as a 2010 Ford Escape hybrid, $5,000 CAA dream vacations and $2,000 MasterCard gift cards.
A well-thought-out plan The DrivenToQuit.cawebsite, Smokers' Helpline Online ( www.SmokersHelpline.ca)and specially trained Helpline counsellors can offer the free information, advice and support you need. A support network The Driven to Quit Challenge is organized on a buddy system. The tobacco user and a designated buddy register to participate. Both the entrant and the buddy can access information and advice through websites, Smokers' Helpline and other community based supports. And, if the entrant wins one of the 2010 Challenge prizes, the buddy gets a MasterCard gift card as well.
"Last year, we drew over 22,300 entrants," Ms. Korstanje says. "This year to date, we are on track to exceed that number. We raise awareness of resources that will help participants to be successful, and since 2006, have motivated over 101,000 entrants to make a quit attempt through The Challenge. We help participants start the vital process of quitting -and that is crucial"
Crucial because of the devastation a nicotine addiction can have on smokers, their families and their close friends. Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable deaths in Ontario, killing 13,000 people a year, Canadian Cancer Society statistics show.
Tobacco use contributes to 30% of all cancers and 85% of the lung cancers diagnosed each year. In fact, of the 4,000 chemicals in a cigarette, 69 are known to cause cancer.
One of the astonishing things is how quickly butting out can make a difference in a former smoker's health. Canadian Cancer Society says research shows that within 24 hours of quitting, the risk of a heart attack decreases. Within 72 hours, lung capacity increases and after two weeks, blood circulation improves.
The great challenge, however, is first making the decision to quit and then organizing life to overcome the temptation to pick up a cigarette, cigar, pipe, snus or chewing tobacco, Ms. Korstanje says, 'That's where The Driven to Quit Challenge comes in.'
To participate, a tobacco user must be at least 19 years of age, have smoked or used tobacco products at least once a week for one year prior to January 1, 2010, and have a buddy willing to support them through their quit. Being a good support buddy can be as simple as having chewing gum or water on hand to share incase a nicotine urge strikes, to be non-judgmental and reassuring and to remind your friend what is at stake and why they want to be tobacco-free.The goal is to have the smoker butt out by March 1, 2010 and stay tobacco-free for the entire month. On March 31, a random draw will be held from among all those registered in The Challenge. There will be seven regional winners, each of whom receives a $2,000 MasterCard gift card, two runners-up for the grand prize -- they each receive a $5,000 CAA vacation package -- and a grand prize, a 2010 Ford Escape hybrid. Buddies of the winners will each get a $200 MasterCard gift card. All prizes for The Challenge have been generously sponsored by McNeil Consumer Healthcare.
Winners must pass a simple urine test to prove that they have indeed been tobacco-free.
To make it easy, anyone wanting to participate in The Challenge can sign up in a variety of ways. They can go online to DrivenToQuit.ca,call Smokers' Helpline (1 877 513-5333) and have an application form mailed or faxed, or drop by any Canadian Cancer Society office or public health unit in Ontario to pick one up. In addition to contacting Smokers' Helpline for help with creating a personalized quit plan, Ms. Korstanje also advises Challenge participants that they can speak with their healthcare professional for tips on quitting and appropriate medication or over-the-counter support product that might ease the process.
"The benefits of quitting are enormous," she says. "Not just from a health perspective but a financial one as well."
To see graphically what every tobacco-free day can mean, the Smokers' Helpline website even provides a personalized Quit Meter. Enter details on how much you did smoke before quitting and it shows how much money you are saving and how much time you have added to your expected lifespan each day you are tobacco-free.
"I know how difficult quitting can be," says Ms. Korstanje. "Both my husband and I are former smokers. We both quit on the same day. It is a decision we celebrate every day of our lives."