Smokers advised to wait until after New Year to quit

Smokers determined to quit the habit have been advised to wait until after the New Year before finally butting out.

According to Quit, an organisation which offers help to smokers who want to stop, smokers intent on making a New Year's resolution to knock the habit on the head should hold off for two weeks into the new year if they want to succeed.

Quit says otherwise there is a danger there best intentions will fall asunder among holiday festivities, and delaying the start of their campaign will give smokers extra time to prepare themselves for quitting.

Quitting smoking is the perfect way to kick off 2009 says the organisation but sometimes waiting a few weeks makes all the difference and offers more likelihood of success.

Quit provides free support and guidance to smokers aiming to quit and warns it can often take multiple attempts to quit successfully.

Health groups in Victoria have welcomed a new 5-year plan to tackle smoking in Victoria, saying it will prevent thousands of young people from taking up deadly habit, and help those that already smoke quit.

New research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has revealed that lung cancer has overtaken breast cancer as the cause of the most cancer deaths in Australia and other research from Finland has found that teenage girls who smoke are more than twice as likely to become overweight.

In the UK there are plans to ban and restrict where and how tobacco is advertised and there have been calls for Australia to follow suit.

While there has been a dramatic drop in Australian smoking rates over the last quarter of a century and smoking rates amongst Australian adults have dropped 15% over the 25 years, Quit says smoking still exacts a huge toll on families and on public health.

Data from The Cancer Council Victoria shows that every week 4 Victorians lose a parent under the age of 50 to a smoking-caused illness.

New research has shown that plain cigarette packs have the least appeal prompting calls from tobacco control groups for Government action on the issue along with an increase in tobacco taxes and the extra funds used to prevent diseases such as heart disease and cancer and overwhelming support exists to protect children from tobacco.

Experts say getting help to quit will give a much greater chance of success and Quit is able to provide that help and advice.

A free Quit pack is available along with a confidential telephone service providing information, support and advice for quitting for the cost of a local call.

Quit courses have made a difference for many smokers trying to quit along with Quit Coach a free interactive web site that provides advice to suit individual needs.

Patches, gum, hypnosis and other methods and products, sometimes in combination, will increase the chances of quitting successfully.

In Denmark, where in 2007 5.5 million people were estimated to smoke daily, smoking is on the decline according to a new survey.

The survey by the National Board of Health, the Danish Heart Foundation, the Danish Lung Association and the Danish Cancer Society found a record number of Danish smokers want to quit the habit and there is considerable support for increasing the price of tobacco.

Legislation restricting smoking in workplaces that was adopted two years ago has also reduced the risk of second-hand smoke.