Australian smokers are being urged to put their health first and kick the habit on World No Tobacco Day.
This year’s World No Tobacco Day is aimed at raising awareness of the link between smoking and heart and cardiovascular diseases, including stroke.
Federal Member for Forde Bert van Manen MP said smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable death and disease in Australia.
“Smoking only 10 cigarettes a day doubles your risk of dying from a smoking related disease and the risk increases four-fold for pack-a-day smokers,” Mr van Manen said.
“If you smoke, you’re estimated to die an average of 10 years earlier than non-smokers.
“It’s also a massive dent on your back pocket as pack-a-day smoker will spend more than $10,000 on cigarettes every year.
“Quitting smoking is hard, and most smokers want to quit.
“It might take a couple of tries, but there are some great tools available to help you on the journey, including the QuitLine on 137 848, the QuitNow website and the My QuitBudday App, which can help get you started.”
Minister for Rural Health Senator Bridget McKenzie said the Federal Government has a strong record in reducing smoking rates.
“Smoking rates in Australia have dropped from 27.7 per cent in 1990 to 14.7 per cent in 2015,” Minister McKenzie said.
“However, smoking rates among Indigenous Australians remains stubbornly high, with 41.4 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders over 18 being daily smokers.
“The Coalition is committed to reducing smoking rates even further, investing $25 million since 2016 on anti-smoking campaigns.”
FAST FACTS ON QUITTING:
You will feel the benefits of quitting straight away as your body repairs itself. Depending on the number of cigarettes you smoke, typical benefits of stopping are:
- In twelve hours excess carbon monoxide is out of your blood
- In five days most nicotine is out of your body
- In one week your sense of taste and smell improves
- In one month your skin appearance is likely to improve
- In two months your lungs will no longer be producing extra phlegm caused by smoking
- In three months your lung function begins to improve
- In twelve months your risk of heart disease has halved
- In five years your risk of a stroke has dramatically decreased
- In ten years of stopping your risk of lung cancer is less than half that of a continuing smoker and continues to decline (provided the disease is not already present).
- In fifteen years your risk of heart attack and stroke is almost the same as that of a person who has never smoked
