AHS pushes prevention and supports on World No Tobacco Day

Alberta Health Services wants you to butt out, that is to say put out your cigarette and seek help with quitting.
 
May 31 is World No Tobacco Day, observed annually in conjunction with the World Health Organization.
 
AHS staff were at Bower Ponds in Red Deer with a public information display on Wednesday.
 
Tobacco Reduction Program consultant Darryl Melvin says there are various messages to spread the word about, one being the dangers of second hand smoke, the other being that there is help for those who are addicted.
 
“I’m not sure that an individual person’s journey to quit would be easier automatically, but there are certainly a lot more tools to support people to quit,” he says. “When people start smoking, one of the reasons they keep smoking is nicotine. Nicotine is something, the first time you breathe it in, it hits your brain in 10 seconds, and it works in the reward centre of the brain. It stimulates things to make you feel better, to feel relaxed, more confident, more focused, or maybe to energize you.”
 
Melvin says once that nicotine level begins to drop, a smoker becomes irritable, restless or shaky and the only thing to make it go away is another smoke.
 
“What we do to support folks is both medication, whether it’s clean nicotine or a prescription that prevents withdrawal, and then helping them figure out how its woven in [to their life] so we can break the patterns and associations and help them replace those. We do have a lot more available to support people.”
 
Asked if governments should ban tobacco use, Melvin admits it’s not quite that easy.
 
“Part of the reason for that is when Canada and the States tried banning alcohol for a while, people who still had a dependence certainly found a way they could get it. It just went underground,” he says. “Part of it is what can you do to prevent people from starting in the first place, what are the things you can do to reduce exposure and how do you support people to quit?”
 
Melvin says a large portion of people start smoking when they’re just 11 or 12-years-old.
 
For smokers in Red Deer, Melvin recommends the Primary Care Network which offers cessation programming, as well as AHS’ QuitCore program, AlbertaQuits.ca and 1-866-710-QUIT. You can also get more information on the AHS Tobacco Reduction Program by calling 780-422-1350.