Grant Helps New Tobacco Cessation Program Succeed in Richland County

Source from:  sidneyherald.com 10/18/2007

A new tobacco cessation program may have out-of-the-ordinary roots, but the impact it is having on people's lives is not just about blowing smoke. Richland County Coalition Against Domestic Violence, under the direction of Helen Schmitt, has started the Quit It! Smoking Cessation Program to help local residents fight the hold tobacco has over their lives. Schmitt said the coalition wanted to implement a program to help those in their support group quit smoking, so a VISTA volunteer did some research and applied for a grant from the American Legacy Foundation. "(The support group) was a good place to think about it," Schmitt said, noting a lot of the people involved were addicted to tobacco. They hoped to receive $5,000, so it was a pleasant surprise to learn they had been awarded $18,000. Thus Quit It! was born. What is unique about this grant is that it not only pays for education and advertising, it also funds tobacco cessation aids. Certified Natural Health Consultant Cyndee Brown, who facilitates the program, said the grant can help pay for aids to help in the battle to quit using tobacco as prescribed by the participants' physicians, if not covered by their insurance. One aid in particular, a prescription drug called Chantix, has drawn the group's attention with high success rates and minimal side effects. "It's amazing how much success people have been having with it," Schmitt said. According to the drug's Web site, www.chantix.com, Chantix contains no nicotine, but it targets the same receptors that nicotine does. Chantix is believed to block nicotine from these receptors, and is the only prescription treatment of its kind. The site claims a 44 percent success rate after 12 weeks, with the added benefit of helping to reduce the urge to use tobacco for those who did not quit completely. Schmitt said group members have found the drug takes away the nicotine urge, leaving only the behavior symptoms to overcome. "Changing a behavior is much easier if you don't have the nicotine urge," Schmitt noted. The group isn't just about quitting smoking, either. "It is open to anybody who would like to quit any type of tobacco," Brown said, including smokeless tobacco or cigarettes. So far, 12 people in the group have quit smoking with Chantix. Two others have kicked chewing tobacco habits, and still others have drastically reduced their tobacco usage. Schmitt said they have worked with people who went from two to three pack a day habits down to two cigarettes a day. "Even for someone that was such a heavy smoker, to go down that much is a huge step," she noted. "It is exciting, because it changes people's lives so drastically." The good news for those not already involved, Schmitt said, is that funding remains to help others. Anyone who wants to quit using any type of tobacco is encouraged to check the group out. "While we have this money, if people want to try Chantix, now is the time," she said. "You wouldn't believe how good people feel." In addition to the expertise of Brown, others involved in consulting for the program are Tim Anderson, addiction specialist, nurse practitioner Charlene Pontoriero and area pastors. The group is getting close to 20 participants, Brown noted, and she encourages more participation in the meetings which go along with the program. It isn't about sitting around talking about how bad smoking is for you, she said. "Everybody knows that." Instead, the group focuses their time together on stress management, progressive relaxation and other techniques to help make quitting easier. Quit It! meets at 7 p.m. Thursdays at Central Elementary School. Call RCCADV at 433-7421 for more information. Enditem