Smoking
About
We all know that smoking is bad for you.
Firstly, smoking causes a range of health and wellbeing problems. The effects of smoking on your body are widespread and serious. Tobacco consumption is connected to many health conditions including strokes, cancer and diabetes. It can make your skin age prematurely and affect your reproductive health.
Smoking is also a very expensive habit, it can affect the health of your friends and family, and it can compromise your lifestyle, exerting control over your life and your choices.
Deakin has a smoking, vaping and tobacco policy which aims to reduce smoking in our community, provide cleaner air for those who visit our campuses, and promote the evidence for good public health. The policy prohibits smoking, vaping and tobacco products on all our campus grounds, buildings and carparks.
If you’ve been thinking of quitting, there’s no better time to start than now.
What to do
You will feel the benefits of quitting smoking straight away as your body starts to repair itself.
- Within 6 hours your heart rate slows and your blood pressure becomes more stable.
- Within a day almost all of the nicotine is out of your bloodstream, the level of carbon monoxide in your blood has dropped and oxygen can more easily reach your heart and muscles.
- Within a week your sense of taste and smell may improve and you have higher blood levels of protective antioxidants such as vitamin C.
- Within 3 months you’re coughing and wheezing less, your lungs’ natural cleaning system is recovering (becoming better at removing mucus, tar and dust) and your immune system is beginning to recover so your body is better at fighting off infection.
Getting support
Your chance of quitting smoking successfully increases by 84% if you receive professional medical advice.
If you need help to quit smoking, we encourage you to make an appointment with Deakin Medical Centre. We have campus nurses that are trained to give quit counselling, resources and support, and your appointment will be free and confidential.
More help and advice
The Quit website has a wide range of helpful resources.
- You can build a quit plan that will guide and support you through your quit journey.
- You can sign up to QuitCoach, QuitTxt or QuitMail for personalised support.
- You can call Quitline on 13 7848 between 8am–8pm Monday–Friday to talk to someone for advice. Quitline also has Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander counsellors, and LGBTIQ+ counsellors.
- You can use their ‘stick to quitting’ tool to distract you from a relapse.
Smoking rates are higher in LGBTIQ+ communities: the Quit website has tailored advice.
ReachOut has detailed steps on how to break a bad habit.