Reducing or quitting smoking

Reducing or quitting smoking can be a stressful and difficult process. Western Sydney University supports the efforts of staff and students who make positive changes to their health and wellbeing by reducing or quitting smoking.

Good reasons to quit

Quitting smoking at any age brings major and immediate health benefits:

Within 20 minutes:

• Heart rate drops and blood pressure becomes more stable.

Within 12 hours:

• Carbon monoxide levels in your blood reduces and oxygen can more easily reach your heart and muscles.
• Chances of a heart attack begin to decrease.

Within a week:

• Sense of taste and smell may improve.

Within 6 months:

• Circulation and lung function improve.
• Immune system is beginning to recover.

Within 12 months:

• Risk of life threatening coronary heart disease is halved compared to those who continue to smoke.

Individual counselling service

Staff seeking assistance to reduce or quit smoking can access free, confidential counselling via the Employee Assistance Program. To make an appointment, call 1800 81 87 28 and mention you are from the University of Western Sydney.

Students can contact the University's Counselling Service or Student Welfare Service for advice and assistance. To make an appointment with a Counsellor, call 1300 668 370 or email counselling@westernsydney.edu.au.

Other resources and support

This is always help available if you are thinking of quitting smoking. A list of resources can be found below or have a chat to your Doctor about getting started.

• Are you addicted to nicotine? Take the online test and access a range of resources on the University's Tobacco webpage.
• The NSW Health Quitline is a free, confidential telephone-based service to help smokers quit. Call 137 848 to talk to an advisor and receive a free Quit Kit, or visit the Quit now website (opens in a new window).
• The Cancer Institute of NSW has a range of resources available on the I Can Quit website (opens in a new window), including My Journey, which provides online, guided support.
• There are a range of pharmaceutical products that can improve your chances of success in quitting smoking. These include nicotine replacement therapies, such as patches, gum, lozenges and inhalers. Patches can be prescribed by your doctor and purchased at subsidised rates. Other products include medications such as bupropion (Zyban) and varenicline (Champix). Please contact your doctor to discuss whether any of these options are suitable for you.