BULLETIN
Women with disabilities and Smoking

If you would like a copy of PAWN Canada's workbook "A Way Out: Women
with Pisabilities and Smoking", mail the self-addressed return postcard
before March 15.1997, After March 15,1997, call or fax PAWN Canada
at (604) S75-1564 to order your copy.

Isducalion Bulletin 01/14/97

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Tobacco!! What's your point?
Most women have concerns about their health. For women with

disabilities, having the best possible health is very important
Smoking is one of the most serious health concern facing women

today and DAWN Canada: DisAbled Women’s Network Canada
has concerns about smoking.

In 1995, DAWN Canada took part in the National Workshop on
Women and Tobacco. After that workshop, we started a project

funded by Health Canada. It looked at the use of tobacco, alcohol

and other drugs by women with disabilities. In March 1996, the
booklet based on our research, "Relief... At What Cost? -- Summary
of Themes," was sent to members of DAWN Canadas network.

Last year the DAWN Canada researcher traveled across Canada,
talking to groups of women with disabilities. We asked women

questions about tobacco use (and alcohol and other drugs) in their
communities.

In this first ever study of smoking and disabled women, we found

there are few programs or resources available for women with
disabilities who are smokers. Most programs take place in buildings

that are very hard (or impossible) to get into. These programs often

don’t allow for our disabilities.

Education Bulletin 01/14/97

Written information is often hard to understand and very little is
available in alternative formats (E.g. plain language or tape) that
we can use. This current project “A Way out: Women with

Disabilities and Smoking” is a direct result of last yearis research.

We joined DAWN Canada’s research and expertise with ideas from
programs that were specifically developed to meet the needs of

women smokers and the end result was our workbook. Our goal

for this project was to create an easy to use (accessible) workbook
that women with disabilities could use to help cut back or stop

smoking.

This resource will be offered in a coil-bound, large print, easy to
read format It will also be available on audiotape and computer
disc (WP 5.1 & MS Word/text.) A limited number of Braille copies

are available through the Council of Canadians with Disabilities. It
will also be available through the Internet You can find out where

it will be on the Internet through this e-mail address:

kareers@nfld.com

We hope that this booklet will help you understand why you
smoke. We also hope it will give you facts to help you make

choices. We know it is very hard to change but, if and when you’re

ready, this booklet can help you change your smoking habits.

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lîducation Bulletin 01/14/97

Why do many women with PiSABIHTIES USE TOBACCO
AND What stops us from quitting or cutting back?*

Women with disabilities told us that tobacco is the most common

drug used in our communities. So why do we smoke? Women with

disabilities use tobacco for all the same reasons that non-disabled
women do.

Cigarette ads by tobacco companies use whatever means they can
to actively encourage us to smoke.

Women generally have busy lives, taking care of their families,

homes and job, and often smoke to cope with the stress of their

lives.

Many women are afraid they will gain weight when they quit
smoking and smoke to avoid gaining any weight. Women with
disabilities are no different. However, not everyone gains weight

and if they do, it is often only a few pounds. Weight gain does less

harm to your health than smoking. Also, there are things you can
do to limit possible weight gain, such as eating healthy foods and

finding some way to exercise. Try to get help if you need it You will

find tips in our workbook.

’Sources: Relief..At What Co.s/? - SumiiKiry ofl'lieiiies, DAWN (Canada; l'O( us On: Women and Tobacco,
National ('Icaringhouse of lobacco and I leallh; W/ien a W'oinan Smokes, tùinadian Cancer Society.

Women and Smoking, AWARls; (^uilling...'n)al's my choice!, I leart 1 leallh Nova Scotia.

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Jsdiication Bulletin 01/14/97

Society teaches women it is not okay to get angry. Instead women

are taught to think of other people first and be nice all the time.

Sometimes smoking helps women control their anger.

During our research, many of the women said they smoke because
of anger. Women with disabilities are angry that it so hard to do

even basic things that we need and want to do. We are angry with

having disabilities, being unable to work and being poor. Showing
anger may cause us to lose our sources of help and smoking can
to help us control our anger.

Most women say smoking numbs feelings and helps them deal with

stress. Women with disabilities in our research agreed. We who
have disabilities often live lonely, isolated lives. These are even
more reasons to smoke.

These women said that being put down (discriminated against) and
abused are also reasons why they use tobacco. This lowers our self
esteem and many of the women said low self esteem and stress are

the biggest reasons why women with disabilities smoke. High levels
of stress and low self esteem make it very hard to quit or cut back.

Many women with disabilities have to depend on caregivers for the

basics of life. Many reported they are treated like children, not like

women. Smoking can sometimes help us feel like adults.

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Education Bulletin 01/14/97

Women with disabilities want and need to be accepted just like
anybody else. We want and deserve respect as adult women. We
want to be able to aid in our own care. When we aren’t accepted,

don’t get the respect we deserve and aren’t able to aid in our care,

it can increase our feelings of anger and stress. These can then be
other reasons to smoke. Smoking may also help us be accepted in

some groups.

Many of the women said using tobacco gives them time to calm

down and think. It can help us relax and relaxing helps us face our

pain.

During the research, women said that addiction to smoking was
another big reason why many of their friends smoke. The nicotine

in tobacco is a very powerful and habit-forming drug. Yet in the
short term, it makes us feel good. This makes smoking very hard to
stop.

Many of the women thought the reason we don’t stop is because

smoking is too hard to quit, or because we believe smoking isn’t a

problem for us.
They also said that lack of help that they can use and understand
makes it very hard to stop.

In "A Way Out," you will find tips that

may help you deal with these issues.

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Jsclucalion Bulletin 01/14/97

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What can you do to get started?
Plan for success
Women with disabilities told us tlie most important things to help

us quit are to find self worth and to value ourselves enough to
stop. They also said it is important to deal with day to day stress and

feelings of anger. Many of the women reported that it is useful to have
the help of a peer (support buddy) who has dealt with quitting or
cutting back on her tobacco use.

The use of tobacco affects certain medicines and types of
disabilities (E.g. diabetes.). It is very important to talk to all your

health care providers before you cut back or stop smoking.
Although not for everyone, if you are strongly addicted, you may
want to consider using the nicotine patch or nicotine gum. Your

doctor can help you with this.

You can start by talking to your family and friends about smoking.

Ask them, “Have you ever tried to quil? What helped you?" You
may want to tell them you might be thinking of ciuitting or cutting
back on your tobacco use and ask them to support you.

Think what tobacco doe.s for you and what you might get out of
quitting. Try to take a moment to think why you lit that last smoke.

Could you wait for the next one? If you have tried to quit before, sit
down and try to figure out what it was that made you start again.

How could you handle the situation differently next time?

Education Bulletin 01/14/97

You may find help at your local women s or disability centre. Your
local health clinic may be able to help. Talking to an elder or
Medicine person may be helpful. It may be helpful to join a support
group or healing circle.

“A Way Out Women with Disabilities and Smoking'' is written for

women with disabilities. It has tips and helpful information that
most of us can easily use. If you are a smoker, reading it may be

one of the best things you could do for your health.
To Order your copy
Women with disabilities may order one free copy. To order,
send the self addressed stamped postcard to DAWN Canada.

For professionals, there will be a fee of SI5 per book, plus a
$2.50/book, shipping and handling charge. Women with

disabilities who want more than one copy will also have to pay this

fee. Unfortunately this charge is necessary in order to recover some
of the costs of producing this book. To order, please send cheque

or money order with the postcard to DAWN Canada before
March 15, 1997. After March 16, 1997 call or fax DAWN
Canada at (604) 873-1564 to order your copy.

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