Heart Health Leadership Manual

What You Can Do
to Help Quitters in Your Community

• offer to organize a support group
• be supportive and patient with smokers who are trying to quit
• provide a good example for young people by having a smoke-free home, and patronizing smoke-free establishments
• identify smoke cessation programs for local schools and community organizations

• offer smoking awareness seminars with help from non-smoking agencies and heart health groups

The difficulty of giving up smoking is something only an ex-smoker can truly appreciate ... so are the rewards.

Smoking in Public and Smoking in the Work Place

Smoking in the work place is becoming an increasingly important issue. Legislation on smoking in public is changing rapidly; most major office buildings and all government buildings are now smoke free either by law, or by choice. If you would like your work place to be smoke-free talk to your employer. You have a right to breathe clean air; and, as a non-smoker, you are in the majority. Remind your employer that healthy employees are more efficient, and take less sick time. Be cooperative in your approach, and recognize that for many long-term smokers, changes must take place gradually. If you work in a large organization, or are unionized, you may find there is help available -through employee action groups. There are many things you can do to discourage smoking in public. Most important of all, remember that you are in the majority, and you have a right to breathe clean air!

• approach employers and management and request discussions towards a smoke-free work place
• lobby government for legislation which prohibits smoking in public
• encourage smoke-free events at all levels in your community
• request non-smoking seating when you eat out
• make your views known, as a non-smoker you are in the majority