News and press releases

Montreal, March 19, 2015 – Since March 1, nearly 19,500 Quebec smokers are taking up the challenge of their lifetime by participating in the Quit to Win! Challenge. They have committed to not smoking for at least 6 weeks, from March 1 until April 11. Year after year, for the past 16 years now, thousands of Quebecers choose the Challenge as their ally in their attempt to quit smoking, which shows the relevance and importance of such a campaign for the population. Furthermore, several studies have proven the effectiveness of the Challenge: the rate of success achieved by participants is excellent!

Support and motivation beyond the Challenge

Dr. Christiane Laberge is delighted to see that the Challenge remains as popular as ever. “Tobacco usage is a dependence that is very hard to break. We can only congratulate all these people for their efforts, whether or not they succeed in their Challenge.” It is well known that support is an essential part of any cessation approach. “I encourage all participants to make use of the range of free support tools offered by the Challenge. They are available during and after the 6 weeks of the campaign, so participants increase their chances of freeing themselves from tobacco, especially by replenishing their supply of motivation,” says Dr. Laberge.

Among other things, the Challenge offers the Jean Coutu to the Rescue Support Kit, the online participant’s file, the series of encouraging emails and the SOS Challenge mobile app.

With over 16,000 fans who help and support each other on a daily basis, the Challenge Facebook page (www.facebook.com/defitabac) is without a doubt the ideal tool for those who want to connect and share their experience with others. Information and tips are also available year-round on the quitchallenge.ca website.

In order to give participants even more motivation, 2 trips to sunshine destinations of Riviera Maya and Punta Cana, courtesy of Transat Holidays and Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts, will be drawn from among those who succeed in their Challenge.

About the Quit to Win! Challenge

The Quit to Win! Challenge, a campaign that provides free support to smokers who want to quit smoking, is an initiative by Capsana, produced in partnership with several public and private organizations, including the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec, the directions de santé publique of the Agences de la santé et des services sociaux du Québec, the Canadian Cancer Society, Jean Coutu and Novartis. Since its creation, nearly 400,000 people of all ages have taken part in it. To learn more, visit quitchallenge.ca.