Daily Lessons from Life 27 July 2014 - A Summary of My 'I Quit' Volunteer Work on 26-27 July 2014

MH17 Updates - Shelling around the MH17 crash site prevented the Dutch and Australian police to enter the site to provide orders for the international investigators scheduled to perform their tasks!

No news headlines to comment on tonight. Instead I want to share my volunteering experience at the Hari Raya Puasa bazaar area in Geyland Serai over the last 2 nights.

1. What is 'I Quit' campaign?

It is a systematic program championed by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) over the last few years designed to help smokers quit smoking! To get to know more about this, simply google or yahoo 'I Quit' and it will bring you to a trove of information that will fascinate you. :-)

Simple summary is: A smoker is more likely to succeed in quitting permanently if he or she can stop totally for a continuous 28-day. He or she is also more likely to succeed if there is a support group that encourage him or her over the 28-day period. There are also professional 'Quit Counsellors' and medical help available to the Quitters too.

2. It is hard work as the volunteers, known as Health Ambassador or 'I Quit' Ambassador, basically engage in 'cold call promotion' activity at the 'I Quit' stations set up in Geyland Serai. It has massive human traffic during the Hari Raya Puasa month, and some of the volunteers are there for the WHOLE MONTH! I was just doing very little with 2 nights of 3-hrs shift each.

3. Interesting observation over the last 2 nights
3.1 smokers are more like to sign up if the family members or girl- and boy-friends or just friends around with him or her;

3.2 younger group of smokers are less likely to sign up unless I am able to interest the 'de facto' leader of the group. When one expressed an interest, the rest tends to just sign up too. It is powerful peer 'pressure' or group dynamic at work!;

3.3 when I approached the smokers who are walking towards to the 'I Quit' Booth, it has a more natural flow to it as I tagged along explaining and arousing their curiosity about what next at about 10m away from the booth location. As by the time they listened to my explanation, we just arrived at the booth and they can 'experience' the 'breath test to register the amount of oxygen in their lungs' and SEE for themselves for the first time how little oxygen, and how much carbon monoxide, is in their lungs when they smoked! Powerful: "Seeing is believing" impact!;

3.4 some are apologetic when they turned down my approach when they really don't have to. It was nice to get their acknowledgement though as they recognised that smoking is not good for their health and their pockets! It is a classic case of: 'knowing' is not equal to 'doing'!;

3.5 a great deal of learning and refreshing for me as I practiced the approach to stir interest in the smokers with cigarettes in their hands (and those without I started with: 'Sir or Mdm, do you smoke?')and be able to accept all rejections or declination to move further after the initial contacts. It was a great reality check for me. Anyone who signed up must be counted as one more that may help himself or herself to quit smoking. Ultimately, it is the smoker who will really make the difference with their determination and perseverance.

In conclusion, we are merely the spark that rekindle the smokers' desire to quit. Their own wills are the deciding factor! Hopefully couple with the systematic supports and resources made available to them, they will be 'smoke free' soon.

Happy Hari Raya Puasa to all the Muslims in Singapore and around the world.