“Even though I quit many years ago, I sometimes find that I get cravings. Especially when I’m in social situations or stressed. I have to remind myself how good I have felt since giving up. My health is more important that a cigarette when times get tough. I just find other ways to cope. Walking or talking it out with a friend is helpful” - Community member In This Issue From the team: Helping you quit Special feature: E-cigarettes,: friend or foe Food for thought: Spring starter recipe: Programs in Term 4 We are well and truly into the swing of spring! The team have welcomed the change in weather as we’ve celebrated a number of events with community in our region and surrounds. Congratulations to all teams that participated in the Canberra Knockout last month. Grand Pacific Health’s Butt Out Boondah campaign was the official partner of the knockout and TIS Officers Luke and Malcolm thoroughly enjoyed meeting members of community and sharing important messages about their health. September was a busy month for NAIDOC events for the team. We have supported both Yass and Queanbeyan NAIDOC events, with close to 1200 students from 11 local schools engaged in activities celebrating Aboriginal culture and promoting optimal health and wellbeing at the Yass event on Sep- tember 15. It is well documented that individuals who begin smoking as children or adolescents are much more likely to continue smoking into adulthood; similarly individuals who do not smoke during adolescence are unlikely to commence in adulthood. Butt out Boondah’s engagement with school-aged children, through attending events such as this, is therefore essential in denormalising smoking and contributing to lower smoking rates within the region. The team continues full steam ahead to deliver our successful quit programs in community in Term 4. There are three new service offerings in the works, with a maternity, playgroups, and a Breathe Easy: chronic disease and pregnancy group commencing this month. These pilot programs will run firstly in Queanbeyan before expanding into Goulburn, Yass, and Cooma in 2018. Breathe Easy Women’s Group will continue in Term 4 at the Queanbeyan Showgrounds. This program is growing by the week and it’s encouraging to see so many members of community coming on board to improve their health and butt out boondah. More information on these groups is contained in this newsletter and on the Butt Out Boondah website: www.gph.org.au/BoB. Our team are establishing a Breathe Easy group in Goulburn to commence during Term 4. More infor- mation related to this group will be advertised in newsletters in the near future. If you are interested in participating, please contact one of our friendly TIS officers for more information. Contact details for the teams in Goulburn and Queanbeyan can be found on the back page. Recently, the team trained the Aboriginal Health staff of Grand Pacific Health in Brief Intervention and caring for clients who wish to butt out boondah. One recurring theme we have noticed, is the idea that e-cigarettes are a useful and safe tool for reducing or quitting smoking. This month we will explore e- cigarettes and bust some of the myths around the safety of these devices. Remember, quitting can be tough and you don’t need to suffer alone or in silence. There is help available to you. If you are thinking about quitting or are ready to quit, please contact our team, or the Aboriginal Quitline (13 78 48) for assistance. From the team October 2017
Transcript
“Even though I quit many
years ago, I sometimes find
that I get cravings. Especially
when I’m in social situations
or stressed. I have to remind
myself how good I have felt
since giving up. My health is
more important that a
cigarette when times get
tough. I just find other ways
to cope. Walking or talking it
out with a friend is helpful”
- Community member
In This Issue
From the team: Helping you
quit
Special feature: E-cigarettes,:
friend or foe
Food for thought:
Spring starter recipe:
Programs in Term 4
We are well and truly into the swing of spring! The team have welcomed the change in weather as
we’ve celebrated a number of events with community in our region and surrounds.
Congratulations to all teams that participated in the Canberra Knockout last month. Grand Pacific
Health’s Butt Out Boondah campaign was the official partner of the knockout and TIS Officers Luke
and Malcolm thoroughly enjoyed meeting members of community and sharing important messages
about their health.
September was a busy month for NAIDOC events for the team. We have supported both Yass and Queanbeyan NAIDOC events, with close to 1200 students from 11 local schools engaged in activities celebrating Aboriginal culture and promoting optimal health and wellbeing at the Yass event on Sep-
tember 15.
It is well documented that individuals who begin smoking as children or adolescents are much more
likely to continue smoking into adulthood; similarly individuals who do not smoke during adolescence
are unlikely to commence in adulthood. Butt out Boondah’s engagement with school-aged children,
through attending events such as this, is therefore essential in denormalising smoking and contributing
to lower smoking rates within the region.
The team continues full steam ahead to deliver our successful quit programs in community in Term 4.
There are three new service offerings in the works, with a maternity, playgroups, and a Breathe Easy:
chronic disease and pregnancy group commencing this month. These pilot programs will run firstly in
Queanbeyan before expanding into Goulburn, Yass, and Cooma in 2018.
Breathe Easy Women’s Group will continue in Term 4 at the Queanbeyan Showgrounds. This program
is growing by the week and it’s encouraging to see so many members of community coming on board
to improve their health and butt out boondah. More information on these groups is contained in this
newsletter and on the Butt Out Boondah website: www.gph.org.au/BoB.
Our team are establishing a Breathe Easy group in Goulburn to commence during Term 4. More infor-
mation related to this group will be advertised in newsletters in the near future. If you are interested in
participating, please contact one of our friendly TIS officers for more information. Contact details for
the teams in Goulburn and Queanbeyan can be found on the back page.
Recently, the team trained the Aboriginal Health staff of Grand Pacific Health in Brief Intervention and
caring for clients who wish to butt out boondah. One recurring theme we have noticed, is the idea that
e-cigarettes are a useful and safe tool for reducing or quitting smoking. This month we will explore e-
cigarettes and bust some of the myths around the safety of these devices.
Remember, quitting can be tough and you don’t need to suffer alone or in silence. There is help
available to you. If you are thinking about quitting or are ready to quit, please contact our team, or the
If you believe vaping is are better than smoking cigarettes, you aren’t alone. Most of us know the truth about the dangers of cigarettes. Unfortunately, when it comes to vaping, many smokers aren’t aware of the risks. Learn the truth about the dangers of e-cigarettes.
The Basics
E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that can look like a real cigarette
or pen. Some with refillable tanks look a bit different. There are hundreds of brands, and they're sometimes marketed as a way to get your nicotine fix without the danger of cigarettes.
They all work the same basic way:
They have containers filled with liquid that's usually made of nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals.
A heating device turns the liquid into vapor that you inhale when you take a drag.
Using an e-cig is called "vaping."
Are They Safe?
Most contain the chemical nicotine, which is addictive. When you stop using it, you can go into withdrawal and feel depressed and crabby. Nicotine isn't good for people with heart problems. And some initial research shows it may hurt your arteries. There's some evidence that e-cigarettes can have a sub-stantial effect on blood vessels, and may increase people's heart attack risk.
It can also:
Harm the developing brains of kids and could affect memory and atten-tion.
Damage unborn babies. Pregnant women shouldn't use anything with nicotine.
What's more, nicotine is poisonous in its concentrated, e-liquid form, and there have been an increasing number of cases of infants and young children accidentally ingesting it. But the concerns go beyond nicotine alone.
Some brands contain chemicals including formaldehyde -- often used in building materials and embalming dead bodies in preparation for funeral and burial, and another ingredient used in antifreeze that can cause cancer.
Flavours in e-cigs also raise red flags. Some use a buttery-tasting chemical called diacetyl, which is often added to foods like popcorn. When it's inhaled, it can be dangerous.
Diacetyl and other chemicals in vaping devices destroy the lungs' tiniest airways, leading to scar tissue buildup that blocks airflow. They can result in a permanent, sometimes fatal, lung condition known as ‘bronchiolitis obliterans’, perhaps best known for its links to injuries and deaths in microwave popcorn workers.
Myth: E-cigarettes are safe and regulated like any other cigarette
Truth: E-cigarettes are not regulated and little testing has been done!
Because they are not regulated in Australia, the use of e-cigarettes by kids of
high school age has soared. Studies indicate that 1.5 percent of high school
teens had tried e-cigs in 2011, compared with 16 percent in 2015. The rise
has occurred even as researchers are finding more evidence that nicotine
can be toxic to a young person's still-developing brain and body systems.
Studies have also shown that kids who use e-cigarettes have more
respiratory problems and take more days off from school.
There are no requirements that manufacturers test their e-liquids, nor are
there any standards to meet. What testing is done is driven largely by the
desire of e-liquid makers to market the safety of their products.
In recent years, many vapers have turned to e-cigarettes to aid in their effort
to stop smoking conventional ones, with nicotine a common ingredient in
the products.
Myth: Vaping helps people quit
Truth: Vaping does not help you quit smoking
There is no evidence to suggest that vaping helps people give up smoking. In-fact two recent studies in the United States of America suggest a link between eventual cigarette use and e-cigarettes amongst teens.
A 2016 study in the journal Pediatrics found that American teens that never smoked but used e-cigarettes were six times more likely to try cigarettes compared to kids who do not or had never vaped.
A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2015 found a similar connection. Researchers surveyed 2,500 Los Angeles high school students who had never smoked. They found that kids who used e-cigarettes were more likely than non-users to smoke cigarettes or other tobacco products over the next year.
Because e-cigarettes are relatively new, there are no studies or evidence to
understand the long-term health impacts of vaping
Doctors and researchers have not been able to study the long-term health
effects of vaping. Therefore, the full extent of e-cigarettes effects on heart
and lung health, as well as their cancer-causing potential, over time is not
known at this time and is unlikely to be understood for some time to come.
The short-term impacts of vaping are both shocking and acute. It is also unclear whether propylene glycol, a known irritant to the respiratory tract and ingredient in e-cigarettes, could result in lung problems after decades of vaping.
Doctors therefore recommend that those who wish to quit smoking use nicotine replacement therapies such as patches, gum and inhalers in place of e-cigarettes.
The Reality
E-cigarettes can blow up.
There were many reports of e-cigarette batteries overheating, catching fire, or exploding between 2009 and January 2016. Some people were seriously hurt. Action is required in Australia to review the safety of e-cigarette batteries and eventually take action to protect the public.
E-cigarettes can poison people.
Liquid nicotine is especially dangerous to young children and reports of poisonings are on the rise.
Follow these easy tips
from our resident
dietitian Emily for
keeping you feeling
refreshed and energised
as you give up smoking:
Carry a drink bottle with you
wherever you go and don’t
wait until you’re thirsty to
have a drink: sip away all day!
Try sprucing up your water by
flavouring it with a slice of
lemon, orange or lime.
Choose water as your main
drink instead of sugary drinks
like soft drink and juice.
Water is one of nature’s most wonderful gifts. Given that our body is made up
of about 60% water, we need it every day to function properly. Without
enough water, we can be left feeling tired, weak and irritable. It is essential we
get enough water every day for our brain to function properly; promoting good
concentration and focus where we need it. Furthermore, water helps digestion,
can help us manage our weight if that’s something you are aiming for, helps
keep our skin healthy and staves off those nasty dehydration headaches. The
amount of water you need each day can vary greatly depending on things like
the weather and your activity levels, but on average, healthy adults should aim
for 2-3 litres per day. This can come from cups of tea and coffee as well.
Quitting smoking is an important time to be looking at your water intake. It’s
common to feel poorly when you first quit smoking, especially if you have cho-
sen not to use NRTs. Don’t make things harder on yourself by feeling tired and
irritable from a lack of water. Below are some suggestions of how saying Hello
to H2O can help you farewell your smoking habit:
Water as a distraction: keep hands and mouth busy by holding onto your
drink bottle and sip away! Feeling thirsty is actually a sign of mild dehydration,
so rather than waiting until you’re thirsty, get into the habit of drinking water
regularly throughout the day.
Dehydration makes us tired: when we’re tired we may feel less motivated
to stay smoke-free and not feel we have the energy to prepare healthy meals.
Improve alertness and concentration: staying hydrated throughout the
day helps keep your willpower strong to fight off the craving to smoke.
Reduce unwanted weight gain after quitting: often we eat snacks to re-
place cigarettes in those early stages of quitting where we still experience those
strong cravings. Try drinking water first to avoid over-snacking and unwanted
weight gain.
Roast pumpkin salad
Roast pumpkin salad is the ideal spring recipe: the weather’s getting warm enough to enjoy that summery salad crunch, but it’s not too warm to
have the oven on roasting some delicious pumpkin. Nothing goes together quite like pumpkin, spinach and feta—a delicious way to boost your
daily vegetable intake!
You will need:
Olive oil
Pumpkin
Spinach leaves
Cherry tomatoes
Feta cheese
Pine nuts or walnuts
Salad dressing (e.g. balsamic)
Method:
Peel and chop pumpkin into cubes. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and roast in 200°C
for about 40 minutes, until cooked and a little crispy.
Toss together the pumpkin, tomatoes, spinach and nuts. Crumble feta over the top and
drizzle with balsamic dressing (or your preferred salad dressing).
How easy is that?! ENJOY!
ATTENTION: YASS RESIDENTS
If you’re contemplating quitting and need someone to
talk to, please call Aboriginal Quitline on 13 78 48
