- Why should I quit smoking?
Tobacco kills 1/3 to 1/2 of all people who use it an average of 15 years prematurely.
The benefits of quitting smoking start immediately:
• Within 8 hours oxygen levels in your body go back to normal
• Within 48 hours the chances of having a heart attack go down and your sense of smell and taste start to improve
• Within 72 hours your lungs relax making it easier to breathe
• Within 2 weeks to 3 months the blood flow through your body and air flow through your lungs get better
• Within 6 months coughing, tiredness, sinus congestion and shortness of breath all improveThe benefits of quitting smoking continue for life:
• Within 1 year the risk of a heart attack from smoking drops to half of that of someone who still smokes
• Within 10 years the chances of dying from lung cancer drops to half of that of someone who still smokes
• Within 15 years the risk of dying from a heart attack becomes the same as a person who has never smoked - What if I’m not ready to quit?
One can always find a reason why now is not the right time to quit. But the reasons to quit, including damage to one’s health, never go away and continue to cause harm as time goes on. Life will always have stress. Quit now and you will reap the benefits sooner!
- What if I have depression or anxiety? Won’t it get worse if I quit smoking?
Evidence has shown that depression and anxiety improve with smoking cessation. Although nicotine may cause a short-term elevation in mood due to the release of dopamine in the brain, nicotine is a stimulant and can actually worsen feelings of anxiety and low mood, and increase stress levels. When someone is smoking daily they experience withdrawal symptoms regularly throughout the day, which affect mood. Irritability, negative mood and anxiety are common withdrawal symptoms, and may be misinterpreted as depressive symptoms among individuals who smoke or who are making a quit attempt. These symptoms can be reduced or eliminated when quitting with medication support or nicotine replacement therapy.
- Can I contact the Smoking Cessation Program for help quitting vaping or another nicotine-containing product?
Yes! Nicotine is a very addictive substance. You may need support to quit these product. The long term effects of newer products are still unknown, but vaping can cause serious lung injury even with short-term use. We can help you quit. Please contact the clinic to set up an appointment.
- Why should I work with a smoking cessation specialist? I can quit on my own.
The success rate for people quitting on their own is 5% at 1 year. Over 75% of unaided quit attempts fail within 7 days. Having the support of a smoking cessation counsellor triples your chance of success and counselling combined with medication or nicotine replacement therapy increases your success rate 6 times!
- How was this Program developed?
Our Smoking Cessation Program is structured around the University of Ottawa Heart Institute’s Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation in Primary Care. This Model has been proven to help people quit smoking and involves a common approach to:
- Identify patients’ smoking status at clinic visits
- Advise patients on strategies to quit smoking
- Provide assistance with quitting
- Ensure follow-up counselling to help patients stay smoke-free
Visit the University of Ottawa Heart Institute’s website for more information: https://ottawamodel.ottawaheart.ca/about-omsc
- I have a friend who is looking to quit smoking. Can they access this program?
Our smoking cessation program is only available to people with a primary care provider at BWFHT. We have listed some great programs above in the Resources section. Here are some ways they can access nicotine replacement products.
STOP on the Net – SOTN provides Ontario residents with an 8 week supply of nicotine patches and nicotine gum or lozenges delivered to your home. Participants that enroll will NOT be eligible to enroll in our regular STOP Program for 12 months and vice versa. Internet access is required for enrolment. www.stoponthenet.com
The Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation (OMSC) Community Program is for Ontarians who want to quit smoking but are not enrolled with a health care provider or cannot easily access smoking cessation support. Eligible participants will receive a consultation, follow-up support, and nicotine replacement therapy. Call 1-888-645-5405 and leave your contact information on the voicemail. A Nicotine Addiction Specialist will get back to you within 2 business days. https://ottawamodel.ottawaheart.ca/community
Smokefreeconnect.ca provides a community of support as well as access to free nicotine replacement products.
Most community pharmacists can prescribe medication for smoking cessation which is covered by many drug plans. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
- Is ‘unsmoke.ca’ a helpful resource?
No. Unsmoke is run by the tobacco company Phillip Morris. It is a marketing ploy to keep customers by encouraging them to switch to electronic cigarettes (vaping products) or heated tobacco products (iQOS, TEEPS) rather than quitting tobacco. The intent is to make profit; it is an advertising campaign disguised as a tool to help people quit smoking. It is misleading and fails to communicate the risks associated with using these products and their addictive properties.
Smoking Cessation
Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do for your health. At our clinic it is a priority to help patients quit smoking, vaping, and other tobacco products (Juul, iQOS, etc.)
Patients with a primary care provider at our clinic can book an appointment with a smoking cessation specialist for an in-depth conversation about strategies to quit or reduce their use of these products. Smoking cessation medication can be provided, often at no cost, to help increase the chances of a successful quit. Follow-up appointments are an important part of the program to help patients get through the quitting process.
All patients with a primary care provider at BWFHT can access our Smoking Cessation program. You may ask your physician or nurse practitioner to refer you, or self-refer by calling the clinic to request an appointment with one of our smoking cessation counselors (613) 564-3950.
Our clinical pharmacists are the BWFHT smoking cessation counsellors. They are trained in smoking cessation counselling to provide non-judgemental support, positive encouragement, and accountability through the quitting process. The counsellor will work with you to tailor a specific quit plan suited to your needs. Counselling includes discussion around triggers, cravings, habits, and associations with smoking, and working with you to develop personalized strategies to manage and overcome them.
The counsellor can offer drug therapy to assist with smoking cessation, as appropriate, including Champix and Zyban. Most patients are eligible for free nicotine replacement therapy through our clinic via the STOP Program (Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients) which includes patches, gum, lozenges and/or inhalers. The counsellor will follow up with you on a regular basis to check in on your progress, adjusting doses and making changes as necessary to find a treatment strategy that is effective for you with minimal side effects and withdrawal symptoms.
No specific preparation is required before your appointment with the smoking cessation counselor. However, you may find it beneficial to reflect on your smoking and routine in the days before your appointment. Are certain habits, activities or people linked to your smoking? You may also find it helpful to let family members or friends know about your intention to explore quitting smoking so they can support you.
Can Quit Program – This program includes smoking or vaping cessation counselling for up to 6 months at no cost. It is run by Sunlife and the Ottawa Heart Institute. You do not need to be a member of Sunlife to participate.
CAMH (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) – provides tips to quit.
The Canadian Cancer Society has 2 booklets available to download from their website. These booklets have been reviewed by independent experts and are based on the best available science about quitting smoking:
Smokefreeconnect.ca – funded by Health Canada, it is an initiative supporting adults in quitting or reducing commercial tobacco use, especially those living in rural and remote communities. It aims to reduce barriers by delivering a long-term support community online and in person, co-designed with people who have lived experience with tobacco use.
Mysmokebreak.ca – offers virtual 2SLGBTQIA+ peer support and free nicotine replacement therapy kits with the option of a FÜM device.
Not An Experiment – is an online source of information, tools and resources about the harms of vaping. This youth and educator friendly website discusses health effects, the vaping industry, taking action and quitting. Downloads and resources (including an escape room game) are available on the website for free.
Quash – is a free app co-developed with youth for youth age 14-19 years with Health Canada funding. The Quash app helps participants progress through each stage of their quit journey and make a quit plan that works for them to quit vaping, smoking or both.
Smoke Free – an app that many of our patients have found helpful. Some features require payment.
Nicotine Anonymous runs in-person, online and telephone support groups: 1-877-879-6422
“Easy Way to Stop Smoking” – book by Allen Carr
Virtual Group – Thames Valley Family Health Team offers a free virtual group information session, open to everyone.
Ontario Residents
Smoker’s Helpline – You can call to talk to someone, there is online support, an online community, and text messaging. Online discussion groups allow you to connect with other people who are quitting. The text messaging has been shown to increase quit success. Simply text iquit to the number 123456 to sign up for interactive texting. Ontario residents are eligible to receive 2 Nicoderm Step 1 patches (21 mg), a sleeve of 4 mg Nicorette Gum, and a discount coupon for $10 off the purchase of any two participating products. To register visit the website or call 811.
The Smoker’s Help Line – runs The First Week Challenge contest. The contest is open to residents of Ontario age 19 and over and runs every month. Participants must not smoke for the first 7 days of the month and could win $500.
Talk Tobacco aims to create and deliver culturally appropriate and accessible commercial tobacco cessation telephone and online services with and for Indigenous populations. The Talk Tobacco line is 1- 833-998-8255 (TALK). Interpretation services in many Indigenous languages can be requested in advance. This program is from the Canadian Cancer Society.
Indigenous Tobacco Program – works with First Nations, Inuit, Métis and urban Indigenous and non- Indigenous partners to reduce and prevent commercial tobacco addiction.
Quebec Residents
Quit Smoking Centres Several CLSCs and Family medicine groups (GMFs) provide support to people who want to quit smoking.
I Quit Now Helpline – Call or email to reach a smoking cessation specialist. 1-866-527-7383
SMAT – (Short Messages Against Tobacco) Receive French text or Messenger messages for up to 24 weeks. Text messaging has been shown to increase quit success. Register online or by texting “SMAT” to 20202. It is linked with the I Quit Now Helpline so you can speak with someone if needed.
RAMQ – Quebec patients on RAMQ can receive up to 12 weeks of nicotine patches and up to 840 units of nicotine gum or lozenges annually. A prescription from a physician is required. Zyban and Champix are also covered up to 12 weeks. An extension of an additional 12 weeks of Champix can be granted for patients who have stopped smoking at the end of the first 12 weeks.
