subject: County offers resources to quit [print this page] With January came New Years resolutions and a new smoking ban in restaurants and bars. Residents who have been inspired to stop smoking can turn to the health department for resources to quit.
When people come to the health department with questions about how to quit smoking, workers can provide them with brochures, Web sites, and helplines.
Its important for the health of everybody, said Donna Parks, tobacco free coordinator for the Surry County Health and Nutrition Center.
Parks said she frequently refers people to QuitlineNC, which has a phone line and Web site. Those who want help to quit smoking can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW, a free and confidential service that offers one-on-one support. The line is funded by the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund and the NC Department of Health and Human Services.
With the quit line, each caller gets paired with a coach who helps him or her create a plan for quitting. People can call the line as frequently as they need to for help. The line is open from 8 a.m. to 3 a.m., seven days a week. The Web site, quitlinenc.com, also provides resources.
Parks said, The best thing they can probably do is call (the health center) for information, call the quit line, or look at the Web site.
The Surry County Health and Nutrition Center also offers smoking cessation classes upon request for a fee. Parks said there has to be a group of people for the class. Many businesses partner with the health center to offer the class.
The smoking cessation classes usually take place once a week for four weeks. The instructors use the Fresh Start program from the American Cancer Society (ACS). The ACS Web site, www.cancer.org, also provides tips to quit smoking.
Mothers that come to the health center can receive one-on-one counseling to quit smoking. For those with health insurance, many insurance companies will pay for someone to quit smoking. People need to check with their providers to see if this option is available.
People who are interested in quitting smoking can try several different methods. Parks said they can set a date by which time they want to quit, they can taper off gradually, or quit cold turkey.
The person has to be ready to quit, Parks advised.
She also teaches people in the cessation class to find out what their triggers are. For example, if a person smokes a cigarette every time he or she drinks a cup of coffee, then coffee would be a trigger for that person.
The most recent set of data from the North Carolina Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch, a 2007 report, showed that 30.3 percent of adults in Surry County smoke cigarettes and 22.5 percent of women smoke while pregnant. Also, 57.6 percent of high school and 32.9 percent of middle school students in the region had tried a tobacco product. The report said that 54 percent of adult tobacco users in Surry and surrounding counties made a serious quit attempt in 2005.
Parks said, Surry County, because there have been a large number of tobacco growers, I would say it is a little bit higher of a rate than others.
She hopes the new smoking ban in restaurants and bars will encourage more people to quit smoking.
Its a good start anyway, Parks said.
To promote the new smoking ban, the health department has been visiting a different restaurant each Tuesday. Parks said Tasty Tuesday has gone well so far, and good crowds have turned out. Health department employees will be at The Coffee House in Elkin on Jan. 19 and at Cousin Garys in Pilot Mountain on Jan. 26 from 12 to 2 p.m. each time. They will be handing out free giveaways and educational materials and answering customers questions about the new law that went into effect on Jan. 2.
