Cynthia Potvin has been a smoker for 15 years. She is about to turn 30. She has tried quitting smoking several times before. She has been successful, but she always seems to go back to smoking. Now, Cynthia's trying a new approach to quitting.

She's speaking to a pharmacist at a smoking cessation clinic to understand more about her addiction and what to do about it.

Pharmacist Pindy Janda says, "there's actually different kinds of addiction, habitual, social, psychological and even physical need.

After learning how much money she'd save if she quit smoking, Cynthia was given another incentive: a digitally enhanced photo showing how she would age if she kept up her 15-year habit,

But is seeing this going to make a smoker want to quit?

Dr. David Abousaffy, Tobacco Cessation Psychologist, says, "it's not the fact that they want to quit, they don't believe they can."

Last year, the quit attempts of these five smokers were monitored in a reality tv show called Kick Butt. After several months, only one of the five actually succeeded in giving up smoking, that's no surprise to the professionals who were following them.

On average, research suggests 5-7 serious attempts before a smoker is smoke-free for good. The important thing for them is to learn from the experience and keep trying.  After six quit attempts, Cynthia believes this one is it.

There are a lot of resources out there to help you quit smoking. For more information about the clinic, Cynthia took part in, go to www.londondrugs.ca for times and locations. You should book ahead and there is a ten dollar for the 1/2 hour consult. Alternatively, you can go to bc's online program at www.quitnow.ca to help you kick the habit. Whatever you do, don't give up, keep trying, learn from your relapses, so you're next plan does work.

Tuesday January 10, 2006