Quiting smoking is a priority for your health and well-being. Each year tobacco use kills over 400,000 Americans and generates billions in health care costs. Your tobacco use can take a real toll on your family.
Quitting is a challenge, but it can be done. 45 million Americans have quit smoking. That’s more than the number of current smokers!
Healthy Life Services Quit Smoking Program brings together all the latest proven techniques to help you quit. Check with your employer to see if your participation will be sponsored.
The program includes:
Medical consultation
You will have a consultation with a physician or nurse practitioner to develop an individualized program. If medication is appropriate for you, you will receive a prescription.
Medication
Depending on your medical history, you likely will be prescribed one or more of the following medications:
This new medication has just been approved by the FDA for treatment of nicotine addiction. Chantix is specifically developed to block nicotine’s effect in the brain. Studies have found it to be extremely effective in helping smokers quit.
Zyban helps reduce the craving for nicotine by boosting the levels of several chemical messengers in the brain. With more of these chemicals at work, you experience a reduction in nicotine withdrawal symptoms and a weakening of the urge to smoke.
- Nicotine Replacement Products
Nicotine patches, gum and lozenges help reduce the craving to smoke. These products are sometimes used in conjunction with Zyban, but are not recommended if you take Chantix.
Counseling Sessions
Studies have found that medications to help you quit smoking are more likely to succeed when combined with a guided counseling program. The Quit Smoking Program includes 3 individual telephone counseling sessions and 4 group sessions based on the American Lung Association curriculum, “Freedom from Smoking,” and the “QuitSmart” program developed at Duke University.
| Week 1 |
Group Counseling session 1: Thinking about quitting
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| Week 2 |
Group Counseling session 2: Preparing to quit
Assessment by medical professional; start medication
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| Week 3 |
Group Counseling session 3: Quit Day
2 days later: Telephone counseling session 1
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| Week 4 |
Group Counseling session 4: Staying smoke free
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| Week 6 |
Telephone counseling session 2
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| Week 14 |
Telephone counseling session 3 |
This program, including medication as appropriate, may be sponsored by your employer. There is a $50 co-pay by the employee. The $50 is reimbursed to you if you remain tobacco free at the end of the 14-week program.
If you have questions about the program, please contact:
Jefferson County Tobacco-Free Coalition
641-209-2209
tobaccoprevention@hotmail.com
www.chokesmokes.org.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Beyond Smoking Program
How much will the program cost me?
The program, including medication as appropriate, is free to you if you actually quit smoking. There is a $50 employee contribution that you will need to pay at the start of the program. If you attend all the sessions and are smoke-free after 14 weeks, your employer will reimburse you.
What medications are available?
There are three types of medication currently approved to help smokers quit. Youi will be prescribed on of the following options:
Chantix is the latest and the most promising according to research. It blocks the receptors in the brain from being stimulated by nicotine. Chantix is taken as a pill once a day for the first three days, and then twice a day for 12 weeks. If you are prescribed this option, you will receive a 12 week supply. For more information on Chantix, see www.chantix.com.
Zyban (buproprion) is an anti-depressant that has been found to reduce the craving for nicotine. It is often prescribed in conjunction with nicotine replacement products. If you are prescribed Zyban you will receive a 30 day supply plus nicotine replacement in the form of patches, gum, nasal spray, or an inhaler. From more information on Zyban, see http://www.quitsmoking.com/zyban/index.htm.
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products help keep many people from smoking by allowing them to ingest nicotine in another manner. NRTs are taken over a number of weeks so that progressively less nicotine is absorbed. This helps your cravings become less and less.
Do I have to attend the counseling sessions?
The group sessions are an important part of the program. Research has shown that the most effective quit smoking programs involve a combination of medication and counseling. In order to receive reimbursement from your employer you must attend all the sessions.
How can I sign up?
If you are interested in participating, tell your personnel director. Pre-registration for the program is required.
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