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Transcription of text in the document: Trying to shake her 35-year habit
Son will support mom in bid to win Quit Smoking Contest
By Kalvin Reid - Standard Staff
Linda Dixon is giving up cigarettes Oct 1.
Besides, looking for a more healthy lifestyle, the west St. Catharines resident is hoping to drive away in a new car.
"I have been saying I want to quit for a long time," the 48-year-old said Thursday after entering the third installment of the Quit Smoking Contest. "I feel this is a good challenge for me."
The contest, which challenges daily smokers over the age of 19 to butt out from Oct. 15 to Nov. 15, is offering a new Honda Civic DX-G as it's grand prize, to be awarded from a draw of people who successfully stay away from cigarettes for the month.
Seven Samsung digital cameras will also be awarded on a regional basis.
Dixon, who has been smoking since she was 13, will be using the assistance of "the patch" to help her through the month. She will also be butting out two weeks before the contest begins.
"I'm going to try for the first of October, Tuesday, to quit," she said. "I have to get myself ready."
The content atmosphere is an "excellent motivator" to get people to drop smoking, said Sarah Rose, a health promoter with Niagara Region's a public health department.
"There are better cessation rates in contests like this," she said. "They really work. It's a win-win situation. Not only can you win a car, but you will be healthier and live a better life."
An evaluation of last year's Quit Smoking contest found 74 percent of the registrants quit for a least that month and 31 percent, about 4,000 people were still smoke-free a year later.
The contest also requires smokers to have a buddy to offer support and encouragement through those tough days.
Dixon had 19-year-old son Jay standing by.
Although she has tried quitting before, she hasn't made an attempt since her kids were younger. She is looking forward to the support her son offers.
"I'm going to think positive all the way through," she said. " I have wanted to do this for a long time. It's going to be hard, but I think I can do it."
Rose said having someone providing support goes a long way towards helping people quit and making the contest a success.
"It has a built-in support system right there," she said. "A lot of people going through cessation outside the contest don't have the support and they struggle."
Contest registration forms are available at the public health department, in doctors' offices, walk-in clinics and online at www.quitssmokingontario.ca
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