New Year Resolution – Be Smoke-free in 2012

The American Lung Association's Freedom From Smoking Program begins Jan. 18 at the Health Center.

Refusing cigarettes (Shutterstock)

Diahann Wilcox, an advance practice registered nurse, will facilitate the Freedom From Smoking Program.
Diahann Wilcox, an advance practice registered nurse, will facilitate the Freedom From Smoking® Program.

Another New Year is here and once again you have made a resolution to quit smoking. You know it’s going to be difficult and you’re not sure you’ll have the willpower to quit. Here’s an opportunity to check the resolution off your list.

The American Lung Association’s Freedom From Smoking Program begins at the UConn Health Center Wednesday, Jan. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Onyiuke Dining Room at the Farmington campus.  The program has helped more than a million Americans end their addiction to nicotine and begin new smoke-free lives.  The program is led by a trained facilitator in a small-group setting and is designed as an eight-session program. The format encourages participants to work on quitting both individually and as part of a group and features a step-by-step plan for quitting; focusing almost exclusively on how to quit, not why to quit.

“The seven-week program uses behavior modification and group support to help individuals quit smoking,” says program facilitator Diahann Wilcox, an advance practice registered nurse. “Participants will get personalized attention and the support of their peers, which they would not get trying to quit on their own.  And since no single cessation technique works for everyone, the program provides each participant with a toolbox of smoking cessation information.”

The $50 fee is refundable to all participants who successfully complete the program.

To meet the needs of different learning styles, each session will include lectures, group discussions and skills practice.

The first three sessions prepare individuals to quit. The fourth session or “quit day” affirms each individual’s commitment to quit smoking. The remaining sessions focus on continued reinforcement, support and tools to manage “recovery symptoms.”

Research shows that people who develop a support system and use programs like Freedom From Smoking have greater success in quitting for good, compared to those who try to quit on their own.  “Quitting smoking is one of the best ways individuals can improve their overall health and this program will provide them with the skills and support they need to stay smoke-free,” adds Wilcox.

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., contributing to cancer, heart disease, strokes, and respiratory infections. However, smoking doesn’t only affect the smoker’s health; second-hand smoke causes 46,000 heart disease deaths, 3,400 lung cancer deaths, and a million cases of childhood asthma, according to the American Cancer Society.

The Freedom From Smoking Program takes place Wednesdays starting Jan. 18 through Feb. 29, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Onyiuke Dining Room at the UConn Health Center, Farmington. The cost of the program is $50, refundable to those who successfully complete all eight sessions. To register or for further information, call 800-535-6232.


Follow the UConn Health Center on FacebookTwitter and YouTube.