Quitters Unite Blog Posts

Karla and Pip's Smoke-Free Lifestyle Wins!

lcamenzind@contextresearch.ca — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:44:25 +0000

From 167 entries to 1 - we have a winner! After conducting a thorough review of the votes using all of the information available to us, we are happy to announce that Karla and her daughter Pip are the official Grand Prize winners of the My Smoke-Free Lifestyle Contest.

Karla did an amazing job of using her social networks, including a personal blog, email lists, Facebook and Twitter to share her video with a very wide group of people. Her employer even helped get the word out on her behalf to thousands of followers.

Amy, Jane and all of the finalists did such a great job of sharing their videos and were excellent ambassadors for Quitters Unite and our smoke-free lifestyle message. As we have said before, our goal from Day 1 was to help people consider all of the things they could do or buy with the money they save by living a smoke-free life. Each of the finalists already won their smoke-free lifestyle, the iPad was just icing on the cake.

We appreciate all of the support and positive feedback that we received since this contest began in October. Thank you for helping us end the contest on the same positive note.

If you have any questions or comments, please email us at info@quittersunite.com.

All five finalist videos can be watched at youtube.com/quittersunitebc.

Smoke-Free Lifestyle Finalists!!

lcamenzind@contextresearch.ca — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:06:49 +0000

We are very happy to announce the five finalists in the My Smoke-Free Lifestyle Contest! After nearly seven weeks and more than 165 entries, judges from the Heart and Stroke Foundation and BC Lung Association narrowed it down to just 20 entries. This was not an easy task with so many amazing ideas!

After a 10 day voting battle and more than 1500 votes, five people emerged victorious. Amy, Jane, Jaclyn, Consuelo and Karla now get the opportunity to live their smoke-free lifestyle while we film it!

Over the next month, the five finalists will be filmed while they fulfill their $300 smoke-free lifestyle entry.

In January, these videos will be uploaded to Facebook where they will compete against one another for the last time. On January 21, the contestant whose video recevied the most votes will be declared the grand prize winner and take home an iPad2!

So if you didn't win this contest, don't despair because we have more contests heading your way and even some consolation draws coming up. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for details and drop us a line from time-to-time!

Thanks again to all those who entered! You really did open our eyes to all of the amazing things that people can do with their smoke-free savings.

Feed Me Your Cigarettes!!! My Day with the Smoke Eater

erin.treloar@gmail.com — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:06:42 +0000

Last Friday I got to hang out with something that I've been looking forward to for a long time: the Smoke Eater. Over the course of the day I got to know the big guy pretty well and he became a part of the team.

The Smoke Eater looks like a vending machine, made out of metal, covered in graffiti with a big "Smoke Eater" scrawled across the front. The idea was that we'd place him on street corners and other busy areas, and get people to put their cigarettes into the holes where you'd normally put change. When they did, lights would go off, bells would ring, and prizes would fall out of the dispenser.

Even better, we programmed the Smoke Eater with phrases that he could yell at people as they passed by like: "Hey you, I can see you smoking", "Feed me your cigarettes" and "Nice pants". You should have seen some of the reactions that we got from that last one!

We started out on Broadway outside of the Blenz near Cambie street at 8am. The Smoke Eater was hungry that morning and we were hoping to get a lot of people excited about feeding him right way. Unfortunately for him, it turned out that there just aren't that many people heading to school and work in the morning who smoke.

Lots of people stopped to check the big guy out, but no one had any cigarettes on them, so The Smoke Eater stayed empty and our pile of prizes stayed the same.

The staff at Blenz were amazing - they hooked us up with coffee, a place to get out of the cold and a bunch of giveaways for the Smoke Eater.

Next, we went over to Granville street to catch the lunch crowd while they were out for their lunchtime smokes. Good news / bad news = it's hard to find smokers in BC, even at lunch time in the heart of downtown Vancouver. We did however, meet some awesome foreign students. They were excited to get rid of their cigarettes and mentioned that they felt out of place smoking here because none of the interesting people they had met so far were smokers. Amazing!

We spent the rest of the afternoon travelling around, meeting people and getting some footage at some of the most incredible places around. Stay tuned for our video to see more shots.

At about the same time that people were getting off work and heading out for their Friday nights, we went back to Granville street. This time the streets were bustling with energy. We still didn't see hardly any smokers but we could barely get set up because people were so excited to see the Smoke Eater.

Once we finally did get things going, people started to flock almost immediately. Restaurant workers were rushing away from their tables, only to find that the Smoke Eater was barking out demands for cigarettes. Suddenly the one or two individuals at each business who actually did smoke became the centre of attention as everyone else helped them to get rid of their cigarettes in exchange for prizes like badminton sets, snacks, bouncy balls and flowers.

The crowd continued to swell and the energy rose to the point that everyone up and down Granville street was craning their necks to see what was going on.

Finally, we had collected so many cigarettes that we were completely out of prizes, and the dozens of people slowly dispersed. It had been a crazy day! We had been all over the place, checking out some of the coolest spots that BC has to offer and we developed a pretty strong relationship with a big ugly machine. The best part was hearing from so many people that they had been thinking about quitting, and they had decided to throw their last cigarettes ever into the Smoke Eater.

Here's to hoping that all of those people are successful in their effort to quit. Thanks to everyone who helped us out that day - I had a blast!

Want to get involved yourself? Click below to enter to the Smoke-Free Lifestyle contest:

Weekly Smoke-Free Giveaway

erin.treloar@gmail.com — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 23:18:29 +0000

The Smoke-Free Lifestyle contest is now rolling at full speed. Watching all of the entries pour in has been an incredible experience - some that I want to see win because they'd be hilarious, and others that were so touching that you can't help but want to reach out and help the people, regardless of the contest.

We want to thank everyone who has entered already, and the people who will be submitting their entries in the next few weeks, that's why we're launching the Weekly Smoke-Free Giveaway.

Every week we're going to randomly draw an entry to win a bonus prize. This week's prize is an autographed, unframed Alex Burrows photograph. Here's how to enter this week:

Week 1

All entries received between Oct 19th and Oct 26th automatically receive 1 entry into the draw
Anyone who has previously entered receives 1 entry each for a Tweet with a link to his/her entry and the hashtag #SmokeFree300
Anyone who has previously entered receives 1 entry each for a Facebook Post on the Quitters Unite wall with a link to his/her entry
The winner will be notified via email on Oct 27th. Reply to that email with a mailing address to receive your prize within 72 hours

This giveaway is a part o the Smoke-Free Lifestyle Contest, and therefore subject to the same eligibility restrictions. Fore more information, read the full Terms and Conditions here.

This week's prize is courtesy of the awesome people at The Fan Zoo - thanks guys! Click on their logo to check out their stuff. They've got some of the coolest sports memorabilia you've ever seen

My Day Behind the Scenes of a Music Video Shoot

erin.treloar@gmail.com — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:37:11 +0000

This past weekend we were invited behind the scenes of a Carol Cox music video shoot to talk about her smoke-free lifestyle and see it for ourselves.

Carol (or CC, as she’s now known) had been in contact with us for a while, after she found out that we were going to be talking to people around the province about all of the great things about living smoke-free.

First off, CC is an incredibly positive personality. In person she’s just like she is on the stage: so enthusiastic, and over the top that she’s larger than life. During the shoot though, we got to see that she truly believes in her message of the power of positivity and living a clean, healthy lifestyle.

The set was freezing that morning and the poor girl was dressed in a tiny Goddess costume, so I caught a chance while we were warming up between takes to ask her some questions about her life as an artist:

Me: I’ll start off with the obvious question, what inspired you to get into the music industry?

CC: I never really “got into” music – I’ve been singing all of my life. I’m not kidding about that either, I sang my first word. Since then I’ve just always known that it was my destiny to be an artist. I was recording Top 40 hits on my own equipment when I was 10 years old. I knew all the words to every boy-band song (laughs) Really though, I went every show that I possibly could and met almost all of them.

Me: A lot of people in your industry, especially from a young age, end up leading some pretty unhealthy lives. Did you ever experience any of that?

CC: Oh yeah, for sure. I’ve walked that path. I definitely partied when I was younger, but I’m so glad that part of my life is behind me – I feel ready to do anything.

Me: What do you mean by “Ready to do anything” and how does that relate to your lifestyle?

CC: Since giving up all of the bad things in my life that were numbing me to the incredible experiences that are all around us, I feel so much more focused every day. My mind is clearer, I’m happier every day and I’m present in everything that I do.

This is the happiest and most fulfilled that I’ve ever been, and putting any chemical into my body would do nothing but cloud my vision and hurt my career as an artist.

Me: What advice would you give to young people looking to break into the music industry?

Just that the path is hard, but it can be done. The people who succeed are the ones who can set goals and drive hard to get them. It’s so important to be clear and present when you’re working towards those goals that distracting your body, mind and spirit with something like smoking just seems ridiculous to me.

Just then there was a tap on the glass and CC was rushed back to set where she had to get rid of her furry coat and act like she was as warm as a beach while the wind slashed against her exposed skin.

I spent the rest of the day watching people run around on set, touching up make-up, changing camera locations, clearing sets and adjusting costumes. The energy was incredible – I never realized how many people and how much work went into shooting a single music video.

One thing that really impressed me with CC was her energy and determination throughout the whole day. She was always full of positivity and set to go for another take, shot, location, whatever the director threw at her. Even as the crew was starting to wind down, she was encouraging them: “We’re making art here! It’s worth it!”

CC told me later that she didn’t think that it would be possible to keep up that kind of pace if she didn’t live the healthy lifestyle that kept her mind clear and energy up all day. I hadn’t been doing anything more than taking notes and watching all day, but even I was exhausted by the end. She was heading back home to talk to all of her Facebook and Twitter fans before getting up at dawn the next day for day 2 of the shoot.

Look for the new music video coming out in November titled “I Love You”, and check out our behind the scenes shots below:

A $300 Conversation: Out and About with Quitters Unite

erin.treloar@gmail.com — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 17:54:16 +0000

The Smokefree video shoot was a blast, and the people on the streets of BC couldn’t wait to get in front of the camera and tell the world what they’d do with the money that would otherwise be wasted on smoking. I’m Erin, the girl you may have seen in the recent Smoke-free Lifestyle video.

If you’ve been chatting with us on Twitter or Facebook, then we’ve already met! Last week I got to go wander around, talking to people about the money that is wasted every month on cigarettes, and the personalities that I got to meet were incredible.

We talked to smokers and non-smokers, guys and girls, a student with a broken phone, travellers who needed money for a hostel, and a guy who had a long list of things that included chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and some less than PG items (I don’t think that he made the final cut).

I spent a lot of my day laughing along with the people who were sharing their ideas with us. BC is filled with such talented, creative people. The whole day wasn’t filled with smiles though – we met a few people who had been impacted by the negative effects of smoking, and their stories really touched the team.

Even the people who had experienced tragedy were able to find a positive spin on things, though, and they ended up with some of my favorite ideas. One in particular was an insanely talented guitarist who was strumming on the steps of Victory Square. You could see the expression on her face change as a wave of realization washed over her. At that moment it seemed that a light went off and for the first time she was thinking about the things that she was sacrificing to be able to smoke every day.

What was incredible was that nearly everyone seemed to have something right on the tips of their tongues that they’d do with the money. I guess that shouldn't surprise me, but what is pretty shocking is how much money smokers spend on such an unhealthy habit when they have so many other things they would rather spend that moola on. I guess it just goes to show you how hard it is to quit once you start.

Shooting the video also got me thinking about what I would do with an extra $300 and like most people, it came to me surprisingly quickly. Towards the end of the contest when all you beauties have submitted your entries I'll tell you what I would do with my $300.

I challenge you to take 5 minutes and spend it brainstorming ways you could spend $300. Then find a picture, visit the Quitters Unite website or Facebook page and enter the My Smoke-free Lifestyle Contest today! Get creative and speak from your heart because you might win a $300 day out on us and an iPad 2.

The contest is open to smokers and non-smokers over the age of 19. Enter today! Good luck!

Quitters Unite Rocks!!

erin.treloar@gmail.com — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 05:07:21 +0000

The homepage looks great :)

Chew on this

lcamenzind@contextresearch.ca — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 07:00:00 +0000

I always find it interesting that chew or spit tobacco is so synonymous with sports. We've all seen the professional baseball player with a cheek full of the stuff, spitting onto the field every 30 seconds or the rodeo cowboy stuffing a wad of chew under his lip.

Perhaps chew is the tobacco of choice for athletes because it doesn't impact lung function or because they can't really be seen sucking back a cigarette while in left field. Although not as prevalent in sports as it once was, I still see athletes, both professional and recreational using the stuff. This includes a guy or two on my softball team and a few of my golfing buddies. These are guys who don't smoke and don't chew unless they're playing a sport...I just don't get this.

First of all it's just sick. My friends are a pretty considerate bunch of guys. They wouldn't ever spit in public regularly, but when they chew, they're having to rid themselves of a disgusting, brown wad of saliva every 20-30 seconds.

Second, smokeless doesn't mean harmless. Chew is every bit as dangerous as smoking cigarettes. It's got 28 cancer causing chemicals that may not lead to lung cancer, but significantly increases your chances of cheek and gum cancer as well as other lesions and mouth sores.

I've asked my friends why they chew, and only when playing a sport. Interestingly, they don't really have an answer aside from, "I don't really know, it just seems to go with golf, baseball, whatever."

Is it really so ingrained in our culture that chew and sports go together? Many people think so. In fact, many people see the use of chew by professional athletes as the main reason why kids continue to pick it up. Kids are especially impressionable during their pre-teen and teenage years. This is also the time of their lives that they are most likely to first try chewing tobacco.

There are even some myths about chewing tobacco among teenagers and young people. Some popular myths are that chewing tobacco makes someone play better, or that tobacco is cool because the professionals do it. So when these adolescents enter into high school, they will most likely try tobacco because they have seen their favorite professional athletes do it.

For this reason many people think chewing tobacco should be banned from professional sports like Baseball. Would my friends have ever started using chew when playing sports if they hadn't seen this on TV growing up? Maybe, maybe not. But, personally, I believe this does have an impact on kids and think it should be banned in professional sports.

What do you think?

Got ideas for a good contest? We want to hear 'em

lcamenzind@contextresearch.ca — Thu, 26 May 2011 23:56:06 +0000

We’re going to let you in on a little secret, we love contests! We love planning them, hosting them, talking to others about them, and most of all, awarding prizes to the winners.

Last year, we held two contests:

A province-wide photo contest; and
A share your story contest

Both contests were amazing in their own ways. The photo contest allowed us to go on a province-wide road trip where we got to meet hundreds of awesome people along the way, see some beautiful parts of BC and hand out free swag. We also got to dress people up in some pretty ridiculous outfits and snap some funny pictures. Now, who doesn't like that?

The Share Your Story Contest created an opportunity for people who had a story about smoking to share it online for a chance to win a bunch of prizes. The best part about this contest was reading / watching all of the incredible, powerful and inspiring stories that people shared with us.

Now it’s 2011, the Canucks are making their run at the cup and we’re thinking of contests for this year. Since we don’t get to participate, we thought it would make the most sense if we open the brainstorming up to everyone who can participate (i.e. YOU).

Ideally the contest has something to do with quitting smoking, but this isn’t 100% necessary. It can be any kind of contest you can think of, as long as it helps to achieve the following objectives:

Increase awareness of Quitters Unite
Drive people to the Quitters Unite website
Promote sharing and online engagement via social networks

Any and all ideas are welcomed - there are no bad ideas here. So if you have creative juices, and we know you all do, get them flowing. You can share your ideas with us on Twitter, Facebook or through our comment box at the bottom. They don’t need to be long or fully developed. Send us whatever you have. Who knows, you may end up winning your own contest.

Go Nucks!

Share Your Story Contest – Round 2 Winners

lcamenzind@contextresearch.ca — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 18:18:20 +0000

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Ya, we know that one’s a bit old, but we’re just so excited to finally announce the winners for Round 2 of the Share Your Story Contest.

With over 24 stories eligible to win this time around, three stories stood out among the rest. Based on a combination of public votes and judge’s picks, the top three stories this round were:

1st: Rest in peace my friend - Armin
2nd: Know when to hold ‘em – Alyssa
3rd: Never thought I would say, “no thanks, I’m a non-smoker” – Shannon

Each of the winners shared a story that presented an honest and personal account of their struggles and success with quitting smoking. It’s this kind of truly open disclosure that we were looking for because we realize that it’s not us that should inspire you to quit, it’s each other.

Congrats to all the winners in 2010/11 and thanks for submitting such inspiring stories!

If you know someone who smokes and may be struggling to quit, share these stories with them and tell them about Quitters Unite. Who knows, maybe all it takes is reading one of these inspiring stories to help them make up their mind for good.

Follow Quitters Unite on Facebook and Twitter for a bunch of new announcements coming later this year.

As always, best of luck to all of you still trying to quit and remember that quitting is easier when done together.