Find your why, learn more about the reasons our Mob give up the smokes and vapes.  

Tobacco is not a part of our culture. Introduced to Aboriginal people during European colonisation, tobacco and other rations were used to pay Mob instead of wages. This greatly altered our peoples’ relationship with tobacco, leading to the generational influence and normalisation of tobacco use.

In the Torres Strait Islands, tobacco was introduced by pearl divers and trade routes established to Papua New Guinea. This introduction started an ongoing addiction to tobacco in the Torres Strait.

Helping our Mob to become smoke and vape-free is one of the best ways to acknowledge and respect our culture, traditions and responsibilities.

Your health

Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.1 Encouraging our Mob to ditch the smokes and vapes is important for creating a strong and deadly community for generations to come.

Tobacco use is linked to the increased risk of chronic disease, including forms of cancer, cardiovascular disease and lung disease. There is no amount of tobacco use that is risk-free. Risk does increase with higher levels of tobacco use, so the best thing a smoker or vaper can do for their health is quit - no matter their age!2

Smokes and vapes don't just impact the user, they also harm the people around the smoker or vaper. Smoke and vapour exhaled by the user can then be inhaled by others around them. For those who inhale this second-hand smoke, there is an increased likelihood of developing the same chronic conditions as tobacco users. This is called passive smoke and it can especially harm bubs and jarjum.

Lingering toxins from smoke and vapour can remain in your environment for days after consumption, commonly referred to as third-hand smoke. The chemicals from smokes and vapes are absorbed into objects and surfaces, such as clothing, hair, furniture, walls, carpets, fabrics and toys. These lingering toxins can still be inhaled and cause serious harm.

Quitting and making your spaces smoke and vape-free is the best way to protect your family and keep them safe from the toxins in passive smoke.

Read more about passive smoke here.

In Australia, the cost of cigarettes is constantly increasing. With the average price of a pack of cigarettes predicted to rise to $55 by 2025, smoking not only negatively impacts a smokers’ health, but will have a substantial impact on their budget too.

If someone smokes a packet a day (25 cigarettes) for an entire year, they will have spent more than $18,000.

How much do you spend on the smokes? Find out here!

You can find quit support from a variety of sources.

Local AMS

Your local Aboriginal Medical Service will be able to offer a variety of support for the entire duration of your quit journey. This includes access to NRTs, being able to have a confidential yarn, culturally relevant support, Quitline referrals and quit programs.

Find your nearest AMS here.

Your GP

Your GP is able to give you more information on the benefits of quitting, as well as prescribe and recommend NRTs.

Contact your GP to discuss further.

Quitline

Accessing Quitline is an easy way to access quit support from wherever you are in Australia. Quitline offers free and confidential specialised support programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Access Quitline here or call 13 7848.

1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2022). Australian Burden of Disease Study: impact and causes of illness and death in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 2018. Canberra: AIHW. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/burdenof-disease/illness-death-indigenous-2018/summary

2. National Best Practice Unit Tackling Indigenous Smoking (n.d.). Facts about smoking. [online] Tackling Indigenous Smoking. Available at: https://tacklingsmoking.org.au/facts-about-smoking/.