Highland Medical Center To Hold Second Tobacco Cessation Program

Quitting tobacco addiction is a daunting task, but there are group programs available for assistance, which can improve the odds of success. The Highland Medical Center in Monterey hosted a tobacco cessation group this spring, and is planning another this fall. Jeanne Flinn, Behavioral Health Coordinator for the Center explained more.

“We no longer call it smoking cessation because there’s things other than cigarettes that can cause lung cancer and other health problems. So we’re talking about cigars, pipes, snuff, chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes. If you are using any of those tobacco products, then you’re at very high risk. There were 480,000 people that die every year that die every year just in the United States with a disease that’s directly related to tobacco products.

“Our first meeting is on October 4^th. It’s on a Tuesday, and it’d from 4:00 – 5:30, and we’ll be meeting at The Highland Medical Center. To sign up, you need to call Vicki Hoover at 540-468-4635.

“The very first session, before we take any money, we talk a little bit about the program, and really try to get a gauge on what the commitment is for quitting. And when I say money for the program, the only thing that you’re paying for is the book that you get from the American Lung Association. It’s a $25 fee for the book, but it’s your workbook, so you do have homework to do each week.”

Ms. Flinn also brought a program success story with her – Tony Stinnett of Monterey, who was able to kick a habit that started when he was a youth.

“That was a well spent $25 in my opinion, for me at least. I had tried to quit, with just pills or different things, and didn’t have success, but once I was in Ms. Flinn’s program, it just gives you extra stuff to look at, and the book was wonderful and hearing repetition. And like she was saying here just a minute ago, you weigh your pros and cons, and there’s just not many pros that I could find in smoking. I found out that it’s a lot of money; that it’s just working on killing you.

“I think a person needs to really be mentally ready, and to take all these tools that they were giving us. I have a reason – I had two little grandkids, and the daughter-in-law, she doesn’t like smoking around grandchildren, little grandchildren. Well, I was missing out on a whole lot of time, because it was like, I’d play with the grandkids, and if I wanted to go smoke, then I’d come in, I’d have to be like a doctor, I’d have to scrub up and change my shirt – and it make sense, you don’t want little ones to be breathing all that smoke off of a person. So I said, my gosh, I’m missing an awful lot of time playing with these little grandkids, and the times were limited anyway. So that was one big incentive for me to work on the not smoking, as well as, like I say, it’s a lot of money that could be used for something other, and with the tools that they gave us, I just enjoyed it, and I’d recommend it to anyone that’s serious about wanting to stop smoking.

The money I’m saving, and the things I’m able to do with grandkids, and the reasons I had, and can start breathing better and smelling better and tasting food better – so, I’ve had enough. I’ve had enough.”