WHEN Mount Isa smokers want to kick the habit they go to reformed smoker and Mount Isa cardiac nurse practitioner Haunnah Rheault for the best pathway to success.
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The price of smoking is about to rise by another 12.5 per cent this September, the second in a line of tax hikes introduced on cigarettes sales to deter people to take up smoking.
A recent study from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare showed the daily smoking rate in Australia has halved since 1991, but Mrs Rheault said smoking rates amongst adults and children in the rural and indigenous population in the North West were still quite high.
Apart from re-tracing the steps of how each patient’s smoking started and why it became a habit, the Smoking Cessation Program coordinator also has plenty of tools to show people exactly how their beloved cigarettes affect their body.
“We do carbon monoxide monitoring, and they love it because it’s a measurable thing they can see,” Ms Rheault said. “It’s not about shaming them, it just shows where you are today and where you can go from here.”
“It also shows the level of carbon monoxide attached to their haemoglobin, or red blood cells, and that’s quite shocking for them,” she said.
Mrs Rheault said 50 people had already taken advantage of her Smoking Cessation Clinic so far, with at least 35 of those patients giving up completely.
“I’ve had people in the clinic who have been smoking for over 50 years,” she said.
“It’s like ending a relationship with someone, cigarettes are often their go-to thing and when they have to break that relationship up and they get quite emotional.”
Mrs Rheault will be centre stage this Saturday at the Mount Isa Health Expo to share her top five tips to stop smoking.
If you’re thinking of quitting or just want to get some advice, a free Smoking Cessation Clinic is available at the Mount Isa Base Hospital outpatients ward for people 18 years and older.
