Who We Are
AVCA is a NZ registered Charitable Trust Board (Charities Commission Registration #: CC553899)
Our mission is simple: Educate, Inform, Advocate, Community.
All of those involved are doing this out of our conviction that there is a better way for smokers to be rid of the beast of tobacco addiction, once and for all and that is the use of personal vapourisers, also known as E-Cigarettes, ENDS or ENNDS. Quitting smoking is HARD. We know as we have all been there and have succeeded in switching.
What we understand is that smoking is more than just an addiction to any one (or all) of the 4000 chemicals contained in combustible tobacco, it is also a behaviour, for some it provides comfort, for some it provides pleasure.
The use of a PA or E-Cig satisfies those behaviours (and if one uses nicotine, the cravings) without the harmful effects of combustion as is found in cigarettes. Proven, by science. The Royal College of Physicians in the UK, Public Health England – both of which have confirmed that vaping (the act of using a PA or E-Cig) is 95% LESS HARMFUL than smoking.
For us, it is about harm reduction. Harm reduction need not be painful or difficult to either the individual seeking to reduce the harms to their own health and or to the physical and mental health of their loved ones.
Our policy and mission are simple: to help get as many current tobacco smokers as possible the information, guidance and mentoring they need to become smoke free. Far too many people fail in attempts to quit smoking using the usual routes of quitting smoking be it NRT, Prescriptions, Therapy or attempting to quit cold turkey. Not only for the smoker but for those around the smoker going through the suffering involved with the “quit or die” mentality of public health “experts”.
Our mission also includes getting the right, scientifically verified information about vaping and PA’s/E-Cigs out to the wider community through outreach with District Health Boards, Smoking Cessation Providers, PHO’s, GPs and Community Health workers.
We want to “pay it forward” to others through sharing our knowledge, our success and our stories with as many people as we can, and have them join us on the other side of tobacco addiction.
We aspire to do this by building and maintaining relationships within the community, community organisations who work in public health, academic researchers and public health experts, governmental health officers and the vendors of ecigarette and vaping equipment and accessories in New Zealand.
We currently have a network of individuals, from diverse backgrounds and experiences who are working with us to help us drive our mission to educate, inform and advocate and and action our goal of helping people transition from tobacco addiction.