Cessation classes help smokers quit
For more informaiton about when the next Quit for Good class will be held please call 530-24-MERCY or click here.
Mercy Helps the Community Quit for Good
By Megan Loveless, Mercy Medical Center Redding’s Public Relations Coordinator
A smoker for 30 years Kristi Schaible, of Redding, knows all too well what it takes to kick the habit and say no to tobacco use. The starting, the stopping, the wanting to quit so badly when all you can think about is lighting up just one more time…just to ease the stress. On a recent frost bitten February evening the last thing on Schaible’s mind was stepping out for a smoke. With tears in her eyes, Schaible stood in front of a room of 20 individuals looking back at her, proud to say they too have made the commitment to Quit for Good.
Schaible successfully graduated from Mercy Medical Center Redding’s (MMCR)
Quit for Good
Smoking Cessation Program in March of 2006. The experience was so meaningful to her; she attained the proper education to become a Certified Smoking Cessation Facilitator. Her first class was an outstanding success with the highest number of graduates since the MMCR program began. Participants are encouraged to find their reason for quitting. For many, like Schaible, their reason comes from watching people close to them fall victim to the medical complications associated with tobacco use. “I watched my father die from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer. No one should have to go through what that man went through. I want my quality of life to be better than my father’s. I think he would be proud of me today,” said Schaible.
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Participants enjoy the opportunity to share the company of those that are striving to achieve the same goals. “The information is given at a reasonable rate so you don’t feel overwhelmed. No one is judgmental. I just appreciate Mercy so much for doing this,” said
Quit for Good
graduate Anna Cuyler.
Schaible reminds her students to, “think of the process of quitting in reverse. Be afraid of starting again instead of being afraid of quitting. You have to think smoking is no longer even an option,” she said. In the Quit for Good classes, there is an acronym posted in front of the room that reads H.A.L.T. to remind those quitting to halt and remember to never let yourself get too hungry, angry, lonely or tired. Paying attention to your body’s needs and replacing an undesirable habit with a healthy one is key to achieving favorable progress on the journey to becoming tobacco free.
Serving as an example to follow is Derick Anderson, who works in Environmental Services at MMCR, who can now say he is 100% smoke free. After two weeks without tobacco, Anderson noticed an improvement in his life, “My overall health has improved, I feel better, it just feels good to feel good,” said Anderson. Although Anderson never smoked in his home because of concern over his family’s health, he still wants to serve as a role model to his kids. “Being healthy for my family is important. I don’t know why I didn’t do this earlier. I am making a conscious decision to live. I was killing myself and the sad part is that I was making the choice to do it. I want to be there for my kids in the future,” said Anderson. Anderson plans on attending the next session with his mother-in-law who was inspired to quit because his efforts.
“According to 2008 County Health Status profiles: ‘Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable premature death in Shasta County. Shasta County had the fifth worst death rate in the state, 54 out of 58 counties, for both lung cancer and chronic respiratory diseases’. In 2005, the California Health Interview revealed that 22.4% of Shasta County adults were smokers-the fourth highest percentage of any county in the state.” said Oncology Nurse Liaison Michele Woods, RN, MA.
MMCR will continue to do their part in the effort to save lives and encourage others to Quit for Good. To find out when the next FREE eight-session class will be offered, call 24-MERCY/246.3729 or click here to register or for more information.
