KAWARTHA LAKES-The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPR District Health Unit) is urging area residents to sign up for the STOP on the Net program if they need help to quit smoking. By visiting the STOP on the Net (stoponthenet.ca) website, eligible smokers can get eight weeks of free nicotine patches and gum/lozenges (while supplies last) mailed directly to their home.
Program participants will be asked to take part in follow-up surveys with researchers to see how they are doing with their efforts to quit smoking. Joining STOP on the Net also provides additional quit-smoking resources for participants and self-help supports.
“Smoking is very addictive and hard to quit at the best of times and with the stress from the past two years of the pandemic it has made going smoke-free even more challenging,” says Karen Taylor, a Public Health Nurse with the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit. “Nicotine patches and gum/lozenges can greatly improve the chances of quitting smoking, but some people may not be able to afford them. With STOP on the Net, these supplies are provided free-of-charge, and this has helped many, many people successfully quit their tobacco addiction.”
To date, approximately 600 residents in Haliburton County, Northumberland County and the City of Kawartha Lakes have enrolled in STOP on the Net.
The only way to sign up for STOP on the Net is online by visiting www.stoponthenet.ca. For individuals who do not have access to the Internet, they are encouraged to use a friend’s device or a public computer at their local library. For additional assistance, call the Health Unit at 1-866-888-4577, ext. 2240.
“The road to smoke-free living is not easy, but once you start down it, you reap the physical and health rewards almost immediately,” Taylor notes.