According to a national survey in 2013 on smoking behaviors, the smoking rate in male adults is still as high as 32.5%. To help smokers reduce withdrawal symptoms during the quitting process the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) launched the ‘Five Tips to Quit Smoking’, promoting five simple steps, which are ‘move a little’, ‘think a little’, ‘count a little’, ‘show a little’ and ‘search a little’, as well as a specially designed ‘quitting bag’, in order to help people easily resist the temptation of cigarettes. 

Five quitting tips safeguard your health and money 
HPA Director-General Chiou Shu-ti said that according to British research, for every hundred successful cigarette quitters only five succeeded by relying on their willpower, showing that the success rate of ‘fighting alone’ when quitting smoking was not high. On the other hand, cigarette quitters receiving help from professionals and other assistance achieved a success rate as high as 30% in six months. As a result of this, the HPA has launched the ‘Five Tips to Quit Smoking’ and a set of six designer quitting bags, to quickly help free smokers from the harm of tobacco products. 

First, move a little: During the quitting period, anxiety often occurs that leads to restlessness. During this time, make use of the ‘Healthy Step Watch’ and ‘Happy Elastic Band’ in the quitting bag that provides a pedometer function to help develop good exercise habits to overcome tobacco addiction. 

Second, think a little: Foreign research shows that cigarette quitters who have survived the first 28 days have a five times greater probability of success. The ‘GO-LOHAS Interactive Schedule’ in the quitting bag allows smokers to record their feelings and emotional changes. In addition, a daily uplifting quote gives them encouragement and helps boost their confidence. 

Third, count a little: Make use of the ‘Coin Memo Stick’ in the bag to remind yourself to quit smoking to save your health and money. 

Fourth, show a little: Be brave and take the first step by wearing the ‘Say-It-Loud Quit Bracelet’, showing your determination to quit and relieve yourself from the pressure and embarrassment of refusing ‘socializing cigarettes’ in the workplace. 

Fifth, search a little: In the battle to quit smoking, quitters long for support and endorsement. Apart from calling the HPA’s toll-free quit-line 0800-636363 for professional counseling services, you can make use of the ‘Support Quit-smoking Postcards’, sending them to friends and family for support, so that quitting is no longer a one-person fight. 

Master designer Xiao Qing-yang supports quitting 
The fashionable and practical quitting bag launched in this campaign was designed by master designer Xiao Qing-yang, a four-time Grammy Awards nominee who is regarded as the Ang Lee of the international cultural and creative industry. Inspired by a snapped cigarette, the designer delivered a ‘quit-smoking totem’ design with three elements to symbolize rebirth, and he also designed the bracelet and postcard in the quitting bag. Xiao said, ‘Many people think that designers tend to smoke heavily or rely on cigarettes for inspiration; in fact I don’t smoke at all’. Therefore, he hoped that via the totem he designed, cigarette-quitters will gain the courage to challenge themselves and thus regain their health. 

Xiao Qing-yang explained his main design concept as ‘the snapping point of a broken cigarette giving birth to a variety of positive images’. Below the cigarette is the campaign slogan ‘I Quit’, expressing a new life after quitting. There are three elements of the totem: ‘the sun – I don’t smoke, therefore I am healthier!’, implying a life of much health and warmth, and a positive and proactive life; ‘the bud – I don’t smoke, therefore the air is fresher!’, implying fresh air and a new life full of vitality after quitting; and ‘the heart – I don’t smoke, therefore people love me more!’, implying the warmth and care among people. 

The HPA encourages people who intend to quit smoking to act quickly. So far, businesses including Taiwan Taxi Corp., Vanguard Security Group, and Dubu House Korean Restaurant have organized smoking cessation groups, accepting Director-General Chiou’s quitting bag gifts and responding to her call for ‘quitting bag on hand, no lighting up for 28 days!’ Individuals or groups intending to quit smoking can call the quit-line at 0800-63-63-63 from now until the end of December to get a free ‘quitting bag’ after an assessment by professional advisors to see if the callers qualify for joining the quitting campaign. There are a total of 7,000 free bags available. The HPA urged smokers to facilitate the use of ‘Five Tips to Quit Smoking’ and ‘the ‘quitting bag’ to help free themselves from tobacco products and embrace a smoke-free new life!