Tobacco-Free

RMH recognizes that...

• 70% of tobacco users say they would like to quit.
• People use tobacco for many different reasons.
• Nicotine is one of the most addictive of all drugs.
• Second-hand smoke is harmful to family and friends.
• The tools for becoming tobacco-free are as varied as the people who use tobacco.

There are reasons to quit

• You will have more money available for saving, spending or retirement.
• You will be modeling a positive life change for other smokers or potential smokers around you.
• In addition to a number of other health risks, long-term exposure to nicotine may cause heart problems, increase your risk for a variety of kinds of cancer and result in chronic lung disease.
• Smokers have twice the risk of dying before age 65 than non-smokers.

RMH Programs

Breathing for LIFE                                                                                  
A three-session clinical intervention consisting of two group meetings and one private session that includes hypnosis.  Participants receive an intervention-reinforcing tape for on-going personal use.

• Cost:  $145
• Contact:  LIFE Recovery Program at 564-5629

Thinking of Quitting?                                                                            
 A one-night seminar designed to inform and educate you about your choices related to tobacco use and your options for cutting back or quitting.

• Cost:  $10
• Contact:  Community Health at 433-4438

Ready to Quit?                                                                                        
An eight-week class based on Dr. Tom Ferguson's book, The No-Nag, No-Guilt, Do It Your Own Way Guide to Quitting Smoking.  In this class, you will look in depth at your choices as a smoker and your options for becoming a non-smoker.

• Cost:  $120
• Contact:  Community Health at 433-4438

Individual Sessions                                                              
Individual education and support is available in a number of flexible plans.

• Contact:  Community Health at 433-4438

Some Interesting Facts Related to Quitting

• One key is to remind yourself that you learned to smoke.  You can also unlearn this behavior.
• When you change your thinking about tobacco and realize it is an enemy, not a friend, your perspective on quitting can become one of self-determination, rather than one of self-denial.
• Each time you try to quit, even if you do not succeed, you increase your changes of quitting successfully in the future.
• Not only will quitting benefit your overall physical health, it will also increase your positive feelings about yourself.

Benefits of Quitting

According to the American Cancer Society, some health related changes are almost immediate when you quit smoking.  For instance:

• Twenty minutes after your last cigarette, your blood pressure returns to a lower level and your hands and feet begin to be warmer.
• Eight hours after quitting, the carbon monoxide levels in your blood should be back to normal.
• Between two weeks and three months, you can expect improvement in your circulation and an increase in your lung function.
• By nine months, coughing, congestions, tiredness and shortness of breath will decrease.
• One year after quitting, the excess risk of coronary heart disease caused by smoking is reduced by about one half.

More Info:

For Smoking Cessation Resources on the Internet visit:              www.cancer.org  www.lungusa.org/tobacco/ www.nicotine-anonymous.org www.quitnet.com  www.smokefreevirginia.org www.webmd.com (then search for smoking cessation)

You can also do a basic web search using your favorite search engine and typing in "smoking cessation."