Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I quit?

Research shows that half of all people who smoke will die as a result of their smoking. Half of these people will then die between 35 and 69 years of age. People who smoke can also harm the health of those exposed to their secondhand smoke. You can also save a lot of money by quitting smoking. For more reasons visit QUIT Victoria

What is in a cigarette?

Cigarette manufacturers are not legally required to tell people what is in a cigarette or to regulate what they put in cigarettes. The exceptions to this are tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide.

There are 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke. Some of the chemicals are:

Carbon monoxide (dangerous gas)
43 known carcinogens (cause cancer)
Nicotine (addictive drug)
Ammonia (in household cleaners)
Formaldehyde (used to preserve the dead)
Hydrogen cyanide
Metals (including arsenic, cadium and nickel)
Radioactive compounds
Acetone (in nail-polish remover)
Naphthelene (in mothballs)
Methanol (in rocket fuel)
Benzene (very dangerous chemical)

Nicotine is the addictive drug found in tobacco but it is the other chemicals in the tobacco smoke that cause the harm. We say "people smoke for nicotine but die from the smoke".

All Nicotine Replacement Therapy products (nicotine patch, gum, lozenge, inhaler and microtab) do not contain the harmful chemicals in cigarettes and are a safe way of getting nicotine into the body. For more information see Quit Now - The National Tobacco Campaign website.

How can tobacco harm me?

Tobacco can harm you in many ways - smoking affects the health of your whole body. People who smoke have less oxygen reaching their tissues because red blood cells transport carbon-monoxide instead. This makes the body produce more red blood cells making the blood unusually 'thick and sticky' and this can cause cardiovascular disease. For more information check out Quit Victoria.

Smoking Affects Health of Your Whole Body

Can you give me some advice on how to Quit?

Phone the Quitline 13 7848 - Available 24 hours a day for information and support on quitting smoking. Free call back phone counselling is available.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) - You can buy nicotine patches, gum, lozenges, inhaler and microtabs at pharmacies and a limited selection from supermarkets and petrol stations. All forms of NRT are safer than smoking. If you have enough nicotine in your body you will not need to smoke. Using NRT doubles your chances of successfully quitting.
Talk to your doctor
Find a quitting mate - Find someone else who is quitting smoking. Support each other become non-smokers .
If you crave a cigarette, distract yourself - Cravings only last about 3 minutes.
Avoid alcohol in the first two weeks - Do not drink alcohol for the first two weeks of quitting smoking. Drink more water or fruit juice instead.
Drink less coffee/cola/tea - Caffine affects you twice as much after you stop smoking. Drink more water or fruit juice instead.
Work out how to avoid having a cigarette - Think about what might make you start you smoking again and then plan to stop it from happening. If a friend is likely to offer you cigarettes, ask them to help by not smoking near you.
Make your car and home smoke free zones - This helps everybody, including you. We must protect others especially children from secondhand smoke.
Do not despair - It is normal for people to have number of quit attempts (for some 12-14) before successfully quitting smoking. Each quit attempt will be good for your health.

In what ways can secondhand smoke harm people?

Illnesses associated with secondhand smoke exposure include increased risks of bronchitis, pneumonia, lung cancer and other lung diseases. Tobacco smoke also increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and can irritate eyes, nose, throat and airway passages.

Exposure to secondhand smoke has a number of harmful effects on children. These include increased risks of low-birth weight, stillbirth, glue-ear, asthma, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and an increased likelihood that the child will take up smoking in later life.

Does the government make money from smokers?

It is true that the Federal (and state) governments receive money from tobacco taxes. However, reducing the number of people who smoke will save Australian governments more money. For more information see the Tobacco Control Blue Chip Investment Document.

What are the smoking rates in NSW?

In NSW 20.1% of people over 16 years of age smoke. 22.6% of men 17.6% of women smoke. For more information see the NSW Chief Health Officer's Report.

How can we reduce the smoking rate?

Numerous interventions have been used to reduce smoking rates. Successful action requires interventions in all of the following areas:

Providing effective community awareness and education strategies.
Reducing access to tobacco through legislation and price increases.
Increasing the number of environments that are Smoke Free.
Improving access to quality cessation services and products.
Reducing tobacco advertising.

I have a school assignment on tobacco advertising; do you have information that can help me?

Good information about tobacco is available on the NSW Health website. Some other recommended web sites include: OxYGEN and the school student's pages of the ASH web-site.

How can I make sure my children don't start smoking?

The best thing that you can do is to not smoke yourself. Children of parents who smoke are more likely to smoke. Research tells us that teaching children and young people about the harms of smoking in schools probably will not stop them trying cigarettes. Children and young people see smoking as behaviour that makes them more adult so they are more likely to respond to messages that are directed at adults not smoking.