Tobacco Free Florida offers help to smokers
Published: January 8, 2013
By Susan Hemmingway — Herald Health Correspondent
If you've tried to quit smoking and failed, don't give up. The stop-smoking coaches and educators at Tobacco Free Florida are there to help through on-site classes, or 24/7 support by phone or online. The program's "quit-kit" even supplies over-the-counter nicotine substitutes, such as gums and lozenges, according to supply.
It's a free-to-smokers service, paid for with money from the late-1990s court settlement between Florida and major tobacco companies.
Tobacco Free Florida's premise is that quitting cigarettes isn't powered by individual willpower but through readiness, knowledge and tools.
One of the first things smokers learn is they don't have to feel like wimpy failures when they can't stop for long. On average, smokers aren't successful until after eight to 11 attempts.
"Many believe smoking is a habit when it's really an addiction," said Edna Apostol, head of the education center for Tobacco Free Florida that offers stop-smoking classes in Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and DeSoto counties.
Withdrawal symptoms and cravings are real, along with a conundrum of mental and emotional states that trigger the urge to light up.
"Nicotine is a very powerful drug," said Apostol.
Meanwhile, 70 percent of smokers say they want to quit, according to surveys.
To help them be successful, Tobacco Free Florida is driven by four ideas: Smokers trying to quit are more successful when they go at their own pace and get support when the need it. Skills and tools will help them conquer the urge to smoke. Nicotine substitutes such as lozenges and gums can assist quitting. Smokers who quit can learn how to prevent relapses.
With the assistance of stop-smoking counselors, smokers set their own "quit dates." The program's "quit kit" includes information about the health hazards of smoking and how quitting tobacco has both immediate and long-term effects from blood oxygen levels returning to normal to heart-disease risk plummeting.
If that knowledge isn't enough, there's an additional boost for the cost-conscious. An interactive calculator on the Tobacco Free Florida website reveals the finances of smoking over the years.
Here's an example via the calculator: You started smoking at age 14, are now 47 and smoke a pack a day. In 33 years, you've spent nearly $42,000, adjusted for inflation. The chart also tells what you could buy if you stopped smoking now and saved the money. In six months, your piggy bank could fund a 55-inch flat screen TV.
The challenge of quitting is influenced by the age smoking started and the number of years the habit has been in place.
"Many smokers started as teenagers," said Apostol. Decades later, the habit is deeply ingrained in daily life, making quitting more of a challenge.
Even so, it's not impossible, according to Tobacco Free Florida.
The anti-smoking arsenal includes change of thinking and practical tools. Smokers are taught how to reframe thoughts and how to boost self-confidence about whether they will be successful.
"Very few are successful in the first or second quit," said Karla Brody, one of the program's smoking-cessation counselors in Manatee and Sarasota.
"That's why going to class or finding support is important."
Stress is the most common obstacle for smokers who are trying to quit, said Brody.
"In their life circumstances, many have come to rely on tobacco as a stress reliever. It's almost like a friend," she said.
"The notion of giving that up is hard for them and they can feel a temporary sense of loss."
The Tobacco Free Florida quit kit offers some practical tips, some routine -- increase water consumption and exercise -- and other
ideas that aren't as obvious to prepare for quitting. For example:
n Get your car cleaned, inside and out, to get rid of the smell of cigarettes.
n Have your clothes cleaned to remove any lingering tobacco odors. While you're at it, clean and deodorize carpets, curtains, bed sheets and fabrics.
n Have your teeth cleaned and/or whitened.
n Stay away from smoky bars, nightclubs and the outdoor smoking sections of restaurants.
And, if you aren't successful the first time, keep trying. Tobacco Free Florida quit-smoking coaches are standing by.
Susan Hemmingway, Herald health correspondent, can be reached at shemmingway@hotmail.com.
IF YOU GO
To reach Tobacco Free Florida quit-coaches, create a personalized stop-smoking plan and get support:
Phone: Call the Florida Quitline at 1-877-822-6669.
Online: Go to www.quitnow.net/florida
Classes: Visit the Florida Area Health Education Centers website, www.ahectobacco.com, to locate group classes, or call 941-552-1280.
Information and tips to stop smoking also can be found on the Tobacco Free Florida website, www.tobaccofreeflorida.com.
Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2013/01/08/4342012/tobacco-free-florida-offers-help.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2013/01/08/4342012/tobacco-free-florida-offers-help.html#storylink=cpy
By Susan Hemmingway — Herald Health Correspondent
If you've tried to quit smoking and failed, don't give up. The stop-smoking coaches and educators at Tobacco Free Florida are there to help through on-site classes, or 24/7 support by phone or online. The program's "quit-kit" even supplies over-the-counter nicotine substitutes, such as gums and lozenges, according to supply.
It's a free-to-smokers service, paid for with money from the late-1990s court settlement between Florida and major tobacco companies.
Tobacco Free Florida's premise is that quitting cigarettes isn't powered by individual willpower but through readiness, knowledge and tools.
One of the first things smokers learn is they don't have to feel like wimpy failures when they can't stop for long. On average, smokers aren't successful until after eight to 11 attempts.
"Many believe smoking is a habit when it's really an addiction," said Edna Apostol, head of the education center for Tobacco Free Florida that offers stop-smoking classes in Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and DeSoto counties.
Withdrawal symptoms and cravings are real, along with a conundrum of mental and emotional states that trigger the urge to light up.
"Nicotine is a very powerful drug," said Apostol.
Meanwhile, 70 percent of smokers say they want to quit, according to surveys.
To help them be successful, Tobacco Free Florida is driven by four ideas: Smokers trying to quit are more successful when they go at their own pace and get support when the need it. Skills and tools will help them conquer the urge to smoke. Nicotine substitutes such as lozenges and gums can assist quitting. Smokers who quit can learn how to prevent relapses.
With the assistance of stop-smoking counselors, smokers set their own "quit dates." The program's "quit kit" includes information about the health hazards of smoking and how quitting tobacco has both immediate and long-term effects from blood oxygen levels returning to normal to heart-disease risk plummeting.
If that knowledge isn't enough, there's an additional boost for the cost-conscious. An interactive calculator on the Tobacco Free Florida website reveals the finances of smoking over the years.
Here's an example via the calculator: You started smoking at age 14, are now 47 and smoke a pack a day. In 33 years, you've spent nearly $42,000, adjusted for inflation. The chart also tells what you could buy if you stopped smoking now and saved the money. In six months, your piggy bank could fund a 55-inch flat screen TV.
The challenge of quitting is influenced by the age smoking started and the number of years the habit has been in place.
"Many smokers started as teenagers," said Apostol. Decades later, the habit is deeply ingrained in daily life, making quitting more of a challenge.
Even so, it's not impossible, according to Tobacco Free Florida.
The anti-smoking arsenal includes change of thinking and practical tools. Smokers are taught how to reframe thoughts and how to boost self-confidence about whether they will be successful.
"Very few are successful in the first or second quit," said Karla Brody, one of the program's smoking-cessation counselors in Manatee and Sarasota.
"That's why going to class or finding support is important."
Stress is the most common obstacle for smokers who are trying to quit, said Brody.
"In their life circumstances, many have come to rely on tobacco as a stress reliever. It's almost like a friend," she said.
"The notion of giving that up is hard for them and they can feel a temporary sense of loss."
The Tobacco Free Florida quit kit offers some practical tips, some routine -- increase water consumption and exercise -- and other
ideas that aren't as obvious to prepare for quitting. For example:
n Get your car cleaned, inside and out, to get rid of the smell of cigarettes.
n Have your clothes cleaned to remove any lingering tobacco odors. While you're at it, clean and deodorize carpets, curtains, bed sheets and fabrics.
n Have your teeth cleaned and/or whitened.
n Stay away from smoky bars, nightclubs and the outdoor smoking sections of restaurants.
And, if you aren't successful the first time, keep trying. Tobacco Free Florida quit-smoking coaches are standing by.
Susan Hemmingway, Herald health correspondent, can be reached at shemmingway@hotmail.com.
IF YOU GO
To reach Tobacco Free Florida quit-coaches, create a personalized stop-smoking plan and get support:
Phone: Call the Florida Quitline at 1-877-822-6669.
Online: Go to www.quitnow.net/florida
Classes: Visit the Florida Area Health Education Centers website, www.ahectobacco.com, to locate group classes, or call 941-552-1280.
Information and tips to stop smoking also can be found on the Tobacco Free Florida website, www.tobaccofreeflorida.com.
Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2013/01/08/4342012/tobacco-free-florida-offers-help.html#storylink=cpy
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario