Quit smoking and win a car

Get a head start on a healthy 2014 this holiday season. Today the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit celebrates the launch of the Canadian Cancer Society Driven to Quit Challenge, presented by McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a division of Johnson & Johnson Inc., the makers of Nicoderm and Nicorette.

The Challenge is a health promotion campaign that invites Ontario tobacco users to register and break their addiction for a chance to win their choice of a new Dodge Avenger or Dodge Journey. Other incentives include seven regional prizes of $1,000 cash, as well as eight prizes for registered “buddies” who sign up as a supporter of a smoker who registers for the Challenge.

The last time Driven to Quit was presented, it inspired more than 350 people from the Chatham-Kent area to make a quit attempt. As it takes the average smoker five to seven attempts to successfully beat tobacco addiction for good, every quit attempt is important to the health of our community.

Participants are encouraged to call Smokers’ Helpline for non-judgemental cessation support, and to find out about other quitting resources available in their community. New this year, all Challenge participants will receive discount coupons towards the purchase of Nicoderm or Nicorette nicotine replacement therapy products.

Registration is open until February 28, 2014. To register and for more details about The Driven to Quit Challenge, go to www.DrivenToQuit.ca.

To claim a prize, selected winners must show that they have remained tobacco-free for the month of March 2014.