As Quebec Tobacco Free Week comes to a close, entries for the Quit to Win! Challenge are in full swing.
Thousands of smokers have pledged not to smoke for six weeks starting on Feb. 5. Registration for the challenge continues on the defitabac.ca website.
For the last 18 years, more than 436,000 people have participated in the challenge, with two-thirds of the participants going smoke-free for six weeks.
Dr. Christiane Laberge, the campaign’s spokesperson, encourages all smokers who want to “écraser” (crush) to register. It’s estimated that about 60 per cent of Quebec smokers, about 780,000 people, want to stop smoking.
As part of the I Quit, I Win! Challenge, participants are supported and encouraged. According to Dr. Laberge, support is the key to quitting, and one of the strengths of the Challenge lies in its collective approach.
Young smokers from age 18 to 25 are particularly targeted by the campaign. To encourage them to stop smoking, they are given concrete, short-term benefits they will enjoy: saving money, improving their appearance and especially their health.
Free support tools during and after the Challenge are available, such as an online personal record, e-mail messages, a schedule to track their progress during the 6 weeks, and a help kit.
According to the challenge’s organizers, a smoker who fails to “re-light” for 6 weeks multiplies by 6 his chances to stop for good.
Initiated in 2000 by Capsana, the Challenge is carried out in partnership with several public and private organizations, including the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services, all the Quebec Regional Directorates of Public Health and the Canadian Cancer Society.