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Quit Smoking!

If there is one single, positive step that you can take towards a longer, healthier life, then it is probably to give up smoking. Research has shown that this is the most important thing that you, as a person with diabetes, can do to reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and other complications.

Smoking is the biggest preventable cause of death today. Smokers, on average, shorten their life by one day every week. Smoking has a particularly adverse impact on Maori health with an estimated 31% of Maori deaths being attributable to tobacco use.

But the addictive nature of smoking makes it a habit that’s hard to hit on the head.

Hard, but not impossible…

The Importance of Smoking and Diabetes

The best-known effect of smoking is that it can cause various cancers. However, smoking also significantly increases many of the problems that people with diabetes already face, especially those complications relating to heart and large blood vessel disease (see section on Long Term Complications).

>> SMOKING vs VAPING – the facts

The incidence of smoking in Maori is known to be higher than in New Zealanders of European descent. It is quite possible that smoking is a major contributory factor for noted higher Maori rates* of heart disease, and other adverse outcomes of diabetes

*MOH annual reports provide data for year on year comparisons of Maori vs non-Maori health outcomes.

Why you should stop smoking

Here are just a few reasons why you might consider giving up smoking:

In addition to lung cancer, smoking can cause heart disease, strokes, circulatory disease, and respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and emphysema;
Smoking also increases your chance of developing other cancers such as those of the mouth and throat, the bladder, kidney and pancreas;
Smoking increases your risk of gastric and duodenal ulcers;
Smoking affects fertility in both men and women;
Smoking can cause problems in pregnancy and harm an unborn baby;
43 different cancer-causing substances have so far been identified in tobacco smoke;
70% of the tar inhaled from smoking is deposited in the lungs;
Nicotine is not only addictive, it is powerful and fast-acting; within eight seconds of inhaling smoke your heart rate and blood pressure will rise and small blood vessels will constrict (start to close);
Carbon monoxide in cigarettes reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of blood;
Also contained in cigarettes are numerous other harmful chemicals such as ammonia, formaldehyde, acetone and benzene;
And finally, smoking is an expensive habit – think of the money you could save!

Benefit straight away

It’s never too late to give up smoking. The body begins to repair the damage immediately and there is no doubt that you will feel the benefits. Breathing improves, phlegm and smoker’s cough are greatly reduced, blood pressure and pulse return to normal, and the risk of smoking related diseases is reduced.

After 3 days, breathing becomes easier as bronchial tubes relax, and your energy levels will start to rise.
In a matter of a few months lung function is increased by up to 10%.
After 10 years, the risk of lung cancer is halved, and the risk of heart attack falls to that of a non-smoker.

So What’s Stopping You?!

It’s not easy to give up smoking. The withdrawal effects (‘cold turkey’) can leave you feeling irritable, depressed, restless and unable to sleep.

Here are a few hints which might help you on your way to healthier, smoke-free life:

Choose a specific day to stop. It might be in a few days, or a weeks, time.
Take it one day at a time; if you feel like smoking then tell yourself that you won’t today, but you will take tomorrow as it comes.
Put aside the money that you would normally spend on smoking. It will soon mount up and you can treat yourself to something you wouldn’t have otherwise.
Draw on support from family and friends.
Ask for help from your diabetes care team – be honest with them about your smoking habits, they will be pleased that you are taking positive steps to stop. They will also be able to give you advice which is specific to you, with respect to your diabetes.
Contact your GP surgery – they will have details of locally run support groups which offer help and support and will put you in touch with other people in the same situation as yourself. Groups are usually led by trained workers who will be helpful and sympathetic to your cause.
Combining supports (e.g. using NRT plus counselling / coaching) tends to work better than doing it alone.
Try nicotine patches, gum or lozenges. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about these if you are unsure.
Some people find that ‘alternative medicine’ can be helpful – if it appeals to you then why not try acupuncture or hypnotherapy. Your local GP surgery should be able to point you in the right direction.
Having a quit plan: set a date, anticipate challenges, figure out what to do when cravings hit.
Check out cost savings (how much money you’ll save by quitting) as motivation. Smokefree websites often have calculators.
Finally, If you do find yourself smoking again then don’t despair and don’t stop trying. Not everyone gives up first time around.

Sources of Support

Quitline / Whakarongorau Aotearoa

Free phone support: 0800 778 778 The Quitline offers free telephone support, resources and low cost nicotine patches or gum to New Zealand residents.
Texting support: text 4006
Online / webchat support, quit plans, information, and a “Quit Pack” with patches, gum, lozenges etc (often subsidised or free).
The national Quitline distributes subsidised nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Approved primary care providers and selected hospitals also distribute subsidised NRT through the Quit Card programme.

Smokefree / Health Promotion Agency (HPA)

Smokefree.org.nz provides information, stop-smoking services, local quit coaches, maps of services.
“Quit Coaches” who help you build a plan, offer motivational support, help with NRT, etc.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and Medicines

Free or low-cost patches, gum, lozenges via Stop Smoking Services and Quitline. Health Promotion Agency+1
There are also prescription medicines (e.g., bupropion / zyban, sometimes nortriptyline) – need to discuss with a doctor. Health Information and Services+1

Local Stop Smoking Services

There are many local/district/region‐based services (face-to-face, group or individual) with Quit Coaches. Examples:

Ready Steady Quit in Auckland / Waitematā region.
Te Hā – Waitaha in Canterbury.
Te Hā Aukati Kaipaipa / Te Piki Oranga (Nelson / Marlborough / Motueka etc).

Specialised services e.g. for Māori, Pacific, and pregnancy

There are kaupapa Māori and Pacific stop smoking services. Hpa+2TePikiOranga+2
Services tailored for pregnancy: e.g. Pēpi First within Te Hā Aukati Kaipaipa. TePikiOranga

Online/ Digital / Text Supports

Txt2Quit: motivational texts and check-ins.
Online blogs / community: Quitline blog where people share experiences. Try www.quit.org.nz/blog
ASH – Action on Smoking and Health http://www.ash.org.nz
There are a number of ‘stop smoking’ internet sites which offer help and advice on stopping smoking. The UK-based HEA site is a good place to start and can be found at http://www.lifesaver.co.uk/
Mobile apps: some apps may help (though check for evidence/best practice) e.g. Adiquit.

THE QUIT GROUP

The Quit Group is a charitable trust set up to run quit smoking programmes in New Zealand, including the national free telephone support Quitline. The aim of the group is to reduce the number of New Zealanders who smoke, “with a particular focus on Maori smokers”. They develop and provide innovative quit smoking programmes, television, radio, and print quit campaigns as well as evidence-based tobacco control facts and figures. The programmes are funded by the Ministry of Health.

Goto http://www.quit.org.nz/page/aboutQuit/theQuitGroup.php for more information

Things to think about / tips

Combining supports (e.g. using NRT plus counselling / coaching) tends to work better than doing it alone.
Having a quit plan: set a date, anticipate challenges, figure out what to do when cravings hit.
Having support from whānau, friends helps a lot.
If first try doesn’t work, that’s ok — quitting often takes more than one attempt.
Check out cost savings (how much money you’ll save by quitting) as motivation. Smokefree sites often have calculators. smokefree.org.nz+1

THE QUIT GROUP

http://www.quit.org.nz/page/aboutQuit/theQuitGroup.php for more information

I found some helpful advice some years ago provided by Diabetes New Zealand.

I particularly like the run-down of what’s in cigarettes. (If I hadn’t successfully given up already, then this would really clinch it for me)

What else is inside cigarettes?

Some of the other chemicals and heavy metals inside cigarettes include:

Acetone (paint stripper)
Ammonia (toilet cleaner)
Methanol (rocket fuel)
Naphthalene (moth balls)
Carbon monoxide (car exhaust fumes)
Cyanide (rat killer)
Toluene (industrial solvent)
Arsenic (rat poison)
Butane (lighter fuel)
DDT (insecticide)
Cadmium (car battery metal)

Page updated September 2025

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
Healthy Eating
Healthy Thinking
Physical Activity
Stopping Smoking
Coping with Stress
Sleep and Diabetes
Setting Goals and Making the Changes