Most ex-smokers quit unassisted. Up to three-quarters of ex-smokers have quit without assistance ("cold turkey" or cut down then quit), and unaided cessation is by far the most common method used by most successful ex-smokers.

See: Chapman, MacKenzie, Uni of Sydney "Unassisted Cessation Neglect" ››more

Because of this we think that it is important that when we mention assisted services and products we keep it in proportion to their use. We hope this gives us a more balanced and informed approach during our awareness campaign.

Positively Quit Manual
All sponsored members get the "Positively Quit Manual".
Cassius Cheong's "Positively Quit Manual" is a guide to quitting smoking for people who need a fresh, new perspective. The advice seems to be extremely relevant to beginning the behavior modification that it requires to finally quit. The manual looks at all the reasons why people smoke including the cognitive and emotional Influencers rather than focusing on nicotine and its replacements. A simple to understand 50 page manual that cuts to the core of why people started to smoke, what kept them smoking, how to quit and stay quit. ››more

Newsletter and Forum
We will be providing a daily email newsletter throughout Quitober with quitting tips
vox pops, forum and interesting articles. And all the while reminding smokers that ultimately it is up to them quit and to stay quit.

Some of the topics in our newsletter, in our Quitober Pack and on the site leading
up to the Quitober Challenge are:

• The quitting process and tips
• Avoiding other smokers and alcohol
• Reasons to smoke or to quit
• Addiction: Chemical, emotional and habitual
• Quitting methods in proportion to success rate
• Coping with negative experiences
• Deep breathing products & techniques

Useful Sites

• Tobacco Control Supersite - By the Uni of Sydney
  An excellent site that promotes unassisted quitting
  
  
• WhyQuit - Quit smoking using cold turkey methods
  An excellent site that does not take any funding from pharmaceutical
  companies so as to remain objective.
  
  
• Smoking Cessation on Wikipedia
  A good start to getting a good balance of information on quitting.
  

Useful Products Aeror Deep Breather Deep breathing is recommended as part of the recovery for smokers after quitting. All sponsored Quitober members receive this product in their Quitober Pack.

Useful Activities Take up walking during Quitober Friday, October 1 is National Walk to Work day, why not make the whole of October a special effort to quit smoking and get into a new walking routine.

Walktober 2011 During the month of October 2010 there were 205 community events held across Australia, 353 schools participated in the Walk-to-School event and 1,255 employees in 328 Workplace Teams in the Workplace Challenge..

Other Options
NRT - Nicotine Replacement Therapy, other prescribed pharmaceuticals, and professional counselling or support such as quit lines may help many smokers, but are certainly not necessary for quitting.

Below we have a list of various providers that our members can contact to assist them during the Quitober Challenge and beyond. They include:

• Your local chemist and supermarkets have a supply of over the counter NRT Patches or gum.
• Smokers may wish to see their doctor to get more information as to what is available.
• Quit smoking consultants are also available like Quitline, Allen Carr consultants.
• Hypnotherapy and NLP consultants