A hard habit to break
By MARY ANN GREIER, Staff WriterALLIANCE -A registered nurse who tries to help people quit smoking said they don't always succeed the first time out.
They don't necessarily succeed the second time out either...or the third...or fourth...and so on, with the average about seven to 10 attempts before quitting takes hold.
"It is the hardest habit to quit," Pat Thomas of Alliance Community Hospital said recently.
Thomas serves as the hospital's tobacco cessation facilitator and teaches a class on the topic, giving the potential non-smokers a voice of experience since she used to be a smoker herself.
Right about now, people who made New Year's resolutions may have waning will power, but for smokers trying to kick the habit, Thomas said the best advice she can give is "not to get discouraged if you start smoking again."
Many ways exist to quit, such as cold turkey, delaying a smoke from the normal time, tapering down or using medical means in the form of a patch or pill.
"A lot of people think the patches help you quit. The patches are there to help you with the cravings while you change your lifestyle," she explained.
During the smoking cessation course, students learn about their addiction and the psychological part of it. They learn what's available to be used for quitting and they learn different techniques for changing their lifestyles. They also learn about withdrawal, relapse and support issues.
"You need to be around people who are supportive of you," she said, adding "you have to want to quit."
The state of Ohio banned smoking from inside public places, so the hospital was already off-limits for smoking, although people smoked outside. In January, the hospital took an extra step by not allowing smoking on the property at all.
They're also encouraging employees to stop smoking and take the smoking cessation class. In the health industry, Thomas said $160 billion was spent last year because of health consequences from smoking.
For more information about classes, contact the hospital's Tobacco Cessation Department at 330-596-7125.
There are a number of quitlines available to call, such as the National Cancer Institute's toll-free smoking quitline at 1-877-448-7848.
There's also information on a government Web site known as www.smokefree.gov. The state of Ohio also offers a quit line at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669), along with information about the health benefits of quitting on the Ohio Department of Health Web site at www.odh.ohio.gov.
Mary Ann Greier can be reached at mgreier@salemnews.net
