Fort Simpson (Jan 28/05) - Celine Antoine makes her way through the "toxic tunnel," a 20-foot-long covered nylon walkway filled with sheets of smoking-related statistics and startling images of smokers disfigured by cancers.

Repulsed by the pictures, Antoine, who smokes an occasional cigarette, said she's glad bars and workplaces no longer allow smoking.

The display was part of Alfred Moses' presentation at Thomas Simpson school in conjunction with National Non-Smoking Week.

"I'm so glad this guy is here because these young kids need to see it, the sooner the better," said Antoine.

Moses, tobacco co-ordinator for the Department of Health and Social Services, spoke of the numerous deadly substances - tar, benzene, formaldehyde, mercury, arsenic, carbon monoxide - found in every cigarette. There are 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes and 50 of them are known to cause cancer, he said.

"It's crazy the money you throw away to decrease your life and your health," he said, adding that approximately 45,000 Canadians will die this year from tobacco-related illnesses.

Nola Benwell, who smokes several cigarettes each day, said she already knew of the potentially lethal chemicals she is inhaling, but her nicotine addiction remains unabated.

"I really want to quit but it's really hard," she said, noting that she's gone as long as 15 days without a cigarette. "I guess a lot of will power is the only way."

Moses had some other tips for those trying to break the habit:

• Drink lots of water.
• Gradually reduce your number of cigarettes each day.
• When the craving strikes, delay lighting up for an hour or two.
• If the urge to smoke is really strong, smoke only a couple of puffs and then put out the cigarette.

Virginia Sabourin is proof that a nicotine addiction can be beaten. She smoked for eight years, but by using the gradual reduction technique, she quit 18 years ago. She continued to feel cravings once in a while, particularly at bingo, but she said those yearnings subsided and she feels much healthier without cigarettes.

Moses, who also made a stop in Fort Liard last week, had not one good thing to say about smoking. "Nothing good comes out of cigarettes," he said. "It takes your health, your money and your life even."