It’s never too late to kick the habit.
Reggie Case, a smoking cessation educator and pulmonary rehabilitation specialist for Lake Health, once worked with a woman who successfully ended a lifelong smoking pattern at age 72.
Along with heavy doses of support, Case said what’s often needed to snuff out that last cigarette forever is coming across new information.
‘You have to get that ‘wow’ in there,’ she said, ‘…that ‘oh, I never thought of that’ piece. Sometimes it’s the pictures (of how smoking affects the body), but not always. ‘
Up In Smoke, an ongoing six-week smoking cessation program offered by Lake Health, focuses largely on medical based-information as well as behavior modification. Case noted that many smokers don’t realize that once harmful elements are inhaled they filtrate throughout the body, affecting the colon, kidneys and other areas many don’t associate with smoking.
On average, smokers die 11 to 12 years earlier than non-smokers, according to the American Cancer Society.
Those extra years are what prompt many to seek specialized programs.
Marianne Vest, a senior clinical nurse and certified tobacco treatment specialist at University Hospitals, said she’s often told by those seeking to end the habit that grandchildren have asked them to stop.
Along with group programs including Beat the Pack and Tobacco KnockOut, UH offers individualized counseling.
During the personal sessions Vest looks at behavior modifications as well as nicotine replacement therapy using such medications as Chantix or Welbutrin.
Assistance with kicking the habit to the curb has proven to be more helpful than counting solely on oneself.
Only about four to seven percent of people are able to quit smoking on any given attempt without medicines or other help, according to the American Cancer Society.
‘If you’re going to go cold turkey the rate of success is going to be very low,’ Vest said.
The medical specialist said taking the first step by walking into the door and expressing a desire to quit is highly significant.
Often they’ll tell of previous unsuccessful attempts. She responds by letting them know the ending the addictive habit is going to take work.
‘It’s not just about having a quit date,’ she said. ‘They have to have an emergency plan ready and they have to have it with them… driving a different way from where you pick up your cigarettes, having something in your fingers like rubber bands (instead of cigarettes).’
Vest noted that the individual counseling is beneficial in that everyone is different. Normally she’ll meet with someone for six or seven visits over a three-month period and then be available for reinforcement afterward.
Telephone-based cessation programs have become a popular way to help those seeking to quit using tobacco.
The American Cancer Society, partnered with Alere Wellbeing, offers Quit For Life.
Via telephone, participants are matched with a quit coach who helps them develop a personalized plan, gives guidance in selecting medicines and provides ongoing follow-up support.
Utilizing modern communication, personalized text messages as well as motivational emails can be sent to participants.
Though programs are plentiful, the overall success rate for those wishing to quit is not as high as medical professionals would like.
Vest said that the Mayo Clinic, often referred to for setting the gold standard in cessation programs, has an overall success rate of about 35 percent.
Typically those reaching the six-month mark are noted as being habit-free, although some return seeking help after falling off the wagon one or two years later, Vest said.
The Cleveland Clinic offers a Tobacco Treatment Center.
While some programs are free, in some cases medical insurance covers the cost of those with accompanying fees.
