Tobacco Help Line Expects More Calls

Source from:  By The Associated Press January 02, 2008 - Bangor Daily News 01/03/2008

The Maine Tobacco HelpLine is preparing for a surge in calls with the arrival of a new year and people making resolutions to quit smoking. Since 2002, the line has been getting 300 to 350 calls a week in January, which is 40 percent higher than a typical month, said Ken Lewis, director of the Maine Health Center for Tobacco Independence. Calls usually increase during the first three months of the year, he said. Tobacco treatment specialists who answer the help line help callers build a personal quit plan. Smokers are two and three times more likely to quit when they have support, Lewis said. "They don't have to do it alone," he said. The tobacco quit line is funded by the state's Healthy Maine trust fund, which gets its money from a multistate settlement with tobacco companies. The call center is staffed by tobacco treatment specialists who give support and quitting strategies. Donald Volz, 46, credits the program with helping him quit a year and a half ago after smoking for more than 25 years. The Brewer man said it took him 10 tries to finally kick the habit. Volz and his wife, who also quit, are saving more than $300 a month now that they don't smoke, and they don't "huff and puff" anymore when climbing the stairs to their apartment, he said. "My lungs are healing. We're much better now," he said. Most callers to the help line are 30 to 60 years old, and many have chronic illnesses such as asthma, heart problems or high blood pressure. Quitting can reverse some of the effects of long-term addiction, Lewis said, by improving oxygen and blood pressure levels and increasing lung function. Many people try quitting over and over before becoming smoke-free, Lewis said. "We tell people, 'Never quit quitting."' Enditem