"What we are hearing from callers is people take this time of year to focus on setting a New Year's goal to be smoke free. Also the tax increase provides an opportunity to really reflect on the fact that smoking is becoming more expensive."
Quitline senior quit adviser Dave Lowe said when quitting there needed to be work on all parts of the addiction.
"Patches, gum and lozenges are a great help because they take the edge off cravings, but they can't change habits. That's something smokers need to do for themselves."
Mr Lowe said a Quitline adviser would work with someone to create a "quit plan", which was a big help. This is a personally tailored strategy to change habits and routines related to smoking.
He said stress was the most common trigger talked about at Quitline and tips he had to combat this included to exercise and do something you enjoyed, which could be as simple as listening to your favourite music or getting out in the garden.
"The simplest strategies can often be the best."
He said it was also important to reward yourself for the good work you were doing when quitting.
"Treat yourself by using some of the money you are saving on cigarettes as a regular way of staying motivated."
Mr Lowe said to always take advantage of any support available, whether from Quitline or other stop smoking services, family and friends, or community and church groups.
Gold's Health and Fitness manager Anaru Hurihanganui said people had been coming in since early December and now was a "real peak time".
The gym had been overly busy all week, he said.
Mr Hurihanganui said New Year resolutions definitely played a role while the gym also had New Year promotions.
He said a 12-week challenge starting on Monday had brought a big response and there had been a lot of couples coming in together with goals, such as getting ready for their wedding.
The main advice he had for people on reaching their fitness goals was committing to their plan.
Profiles Gym manager Faith Marsters said they been seeing a lot of casual customers come in.
She said people were coming in with New Year's resolutions - which were sometimes the same resolutions as last year.
She said her advice for sticking to resolutions was to make sure you started off with realistic goals and time frames.
Quitline Details:
- Call Quitline on 0800 778 778 for free
- Quitline's website: www.quit.org.nz
Five main reasons people who contacted Quitline gave for wanting to stop smoking in 2016:
1. To improve their health - 45%
2. Quitting for 'me' - 13%
3. Because of the cost - 11%
4. Family/Whanau - 9%
5. To be a role model for my kids - 6%
Cravings strategy - "The Four Ds":
-Delay acting on the urge to smoke. Don't open a pack or light a cigarette. After a few minutes, the urge to smoke will pass.
-Deep breath. Take a long, slow breath in, then breathe out slowly again. Repeat three times.
-Distract Yourself. Do something else to take your mind off smoking. Put on some music, go for a walk, ring a friend and keep your hands busy.
-Drink water. Sip it slowly and hold it in your mouth to savour the taste.
