AMA Vice President, Dr Trevor Mudge, today urged smokers to get serious about quitting their unhealthy habit this holiday season, and suggested they need not wait to make it a New Year resolution.

Dr Mudge said Christmas is an ideal time to kick the smoking habit.

"Smokers should join other Australians in trying cold turkey this Christmas," Dr Mudge said.

"A smoke-free environment is better for everyone, especially kids, and smokers will feel better throughout the holidays ? they?ll breathe easier and save considerable money at the same time."

Dr Mudge said the evidence is overwhelming that smoking is bad for your health.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Tobacco Atlas:

• Of everyone alive today 500 million will eventually be killed by tobacco

• Cigarettes kill half of all lifetime users, with half dying in middle age

• Fifty percent of young people who continue to smoke will die from smoking

• Every cigarette takes 7 minutes off your life

• Smoking is responsible for 90 per cent of all lung cancer

• Smoking costs the Australian economy $6 billion each year.

Dr Mudge said the benefits of quitting become evident quickly and significantly.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Tobacco Atlas points out that:

• One day after giving up smoking - heart, blood pressure and the blood show improvements

• One year later - excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a continuing smoker

• Five? 15 years later - risk of stroke is reduced to that of never-smokers

• Ten years later - risk of lung cancer is reduced to less than half that of continuing smokers, and the risk of many other cancers decreases

• Fifteen years later - risk of coronary heart disease is similar to that of never-smokers and the overall risk of death almost the same, especially if the smoker quits before illness develops.

Dr Mudge said that Australia leads the world in tobacco control and reducing smoking rates among its population, but there is still a lot more that can be done.

"One person who smokes is one too many," Dr Mudge said.

"Doctors, parents, partners, children, loved ones and friends don?t want to see more victims of smoking-related illness.

"It is a heartbreaking and unnecessary way for people to lose their health and their lives.

"But we are making real progress in saving Australian lives.

"According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), daily smoking rates among Australians aged 14 years and over are as low as 18.1 per cent in New South Wales ? one of the lowest rates in the developed world.

"Other States and Territories below the 20 per cent mark are the ACT (18.4 per cent) and Victoria (19.4 per cent).

"The highest rate ? 27.9 per cent - is in the Northern Territory.

"Western Australia has 20.1 per cent, South Australia has 20.4 per cent, Tasmania has 21.0 per cent and Queensland has 21.1 per cent."

Other notable smoking statistics supplied by AIHW include:

• Tobacco smoking is responsible for the greatest burden on the health of Australians compared to all other risk factors for disease

• Tobacco smoking contributes to more drug-related hospital separations and deaths than alcohol and illicit drug use combined

• In recent years, the number of deaths attributed to tobacco smoking has declined slightly, but the number of hospital separations has increased

• Approximately 3.6 million Australians aged 14 years and over were smokers in 2001,while over one-quarter (26.2 per cent) of the population were ex-smokers
• For people who gave up smoking in the last 12 months, the main motivator for both males and females who changed behaviour was that smoking was considered to be costing too much (54.0 per cent)

• The second most common reason nominated was that smoking was affecting health or fitness (50.6per cent)

• One-third (33.8 per cent) wanted to get fit. Males (36.7 per cent) were more likely than females (30.5%) to nominate this factor.

• Not only does prevalence of smoking increase with socioeconomic disadvantage, the average number of cigarettes smoked per week also increases with disadvantage

• Smokers in the most disadvantaged quintile smoked on average 122.4 cigarettes per week compared with 86.6 cigarettes by those in the most advantaged quintile.

"Smoking is a huge social problem as well as a health problem, and the best way to cure it is for people to stop smoking," Dr Mudge said.

"As a community we must all do what we can to help people quit the habit.

"We can start by promoting cold turkey this Christmas," Dr Mudge said.

CONTACT:  Dr Trevor Mudge, 0413 733 701
                 John Flannery, (02) 6270 5477 / (0419) 494 761