Chris Puglia
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 24/03) - Two Northerners will be leaving Yellowknife in the smoke after winning the first NWT Quit and Win contest.

Dolly Ablit will be heading to sunny Mexico. She was a big winner in the Quit and Win Contest. - Chris Puglia/NNSL photo

Dolly Ablit of Yellowknife and Tyra Moses of Fort Simpson were awarded the contest's adult and teen prizes respectively.

The announcement was made during a public ceremony held in the Great Hall of the legislative assembly Wednesday.

The event coincided with Non-smoking Awareness Week's Weedless Wednesday.

Ablit, whose buddy for the contest was city councillor Ben McDonald, will be heading to Mexico as part of her grand prize winnings.

A smoker for "too many years to count," Ablit said she has tried to quit a number of times.

"I think that is one of the major things to quitting. It may not happen the first time," she said.

She feels the time was right this go-around and believes she will remain smoke-free.

"Over the last couple years I have quit more frequently and for a longer period of time. I made the decision I was going to quit," she said.

Unlike previous attempts, Ablit quit cold-turkey this time.

The method was difficult and it was that difficulty that made her know she will not smoke again.

"It's an addiction and I had to quit. It really drove it home for me how much power nicotine had over me," she said.

Instead of the patch or Zyban, Ablit used journal writing and crochet and a little metal ring to fight her cravings.

Albit isn't the only one happy about her kicking the habit. Her 14-year-old daughter Frances is also happy.

"I think it's good. It doesn't smell around the house any more and she doesn't cough a lot," said Frances.

Teen winner Moses has been smoking for four years, since she was 12.

One day, she said, she made the conscious decision to stop.

"I was talking to my friend and I said, 'I don't really want to smoke any more, I really don't like it,'" she recalled.

On advice from that friend to stop smoking, she entered the contest and threw away the cigarettes. "At times it was really hard. All my friends were smoking around me." Lots of gum and really hard finger nails helped her through her cravings, Moses said.

"I will never touch a cigarette again," she added.

Moses is now excitedly waiting for July when her prize, a trip to the Calgary Stampede, kicks in.