Bin the bad habit with a little help
Nearly half of all HIV positive people smoke, and now they will be the target of a new, upbeat quitting campaign.
The prevalence of smoking in the positive community is nearly twice that of the general population and considerably higher than the general GLBT community.
Antiretrovirals are extending people’s lives but they also increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, making quitting imperative, according to ACON’s manager of positive services and HIV health promotion, Ian Walker.
“If people continue to smoke, they increase their risk of developing smoking-related cancers. Research has also shown the best thing to increase your overall health as a person with HIV is to quit smoking because of the long-term cardiovascular and other problems associated with long-term HIV and antiretroviral therapies,” Walker said.
The campaign has deliberately shifted away from scare tactics.
“People are saying, ‘We know smoking is bad for us’ and that approach doesn’t work,” Walker said. “We’ve tried to create a really upbeat campaign that doesn’t look like a smoking cessation campaign. The messages are all about the positive benefits of quitting rather than the negative consequences of continuing to smoke.”
info: www.nomorebutts.org.au
The young ones of today are so lucky.They can go out clubbing and socializing in a non-smoking environment.Gone are the days when you got ready,looked your best only to arrive home and smelling like an ashtray (although your a non-smoker) because your stomping ground was full of smokers not giving a shit were their blowing their smoke (with bits of lung on it).
Luckily I have never smoked, but I feel very annoyed when othe persons smoke near me.
I am really happy if smoking is prohibited everywhere.
I started smoking when I was 18 because I wanted to see if I would get “carded”. I didn’t know how addictive it was going to be and have been smoking for the ten years since then. I think it important to educate people but in the meantime keep non-smokers away from our habit.
Star Shields
No one deserves to be discriminated against at all. Quitting smoking is very important.
As a gay hiv patient who never smoked and does not enjoy sex with smokers, and given the blatant discrimination against hiv boys by undetected and non-hiv boys out there generally, how many potential partners can be left for guys like me?