Hey Smokers, We Love You!

By Tamela Thomas, Wellness Manager

So please let us help you quit. No other single action you can take will better assure your future health than stopping smoking—not exercising, not eating healthier, not even wearing a seat belt! That's why I am devoting this entire column to helping you understand that there is real help.

Statistics show that the reason most people continue to smoke is that they don't know how to quit. Smokenders Plus is a hybrid program created specially for the WAC. This program addresses the three fears of most smokers:

1) Fear of failure—This program has a 92 percent success rate. You only have to attend and do the assignments.

2) Fear of pain—If you've tried other programs you might have felt like you'd lost your best friend or like you were hit by a truck. You won't go through that again. You won't be embarrassed or asked to stand in front of a group to confess anything. And lastly, you won't have to attend support meetings for the rest of your life.

3) Fear of always wanting a cigarette—You will not have to battle a desire for nicotine the rest of your life. This program works. You have nothing to lose by attending a free introduction night, but you will have much to gain. Do it for yourself and your loved ones.

You Will Quit Smoking on March 1, 2001

By Lela Bryan, Smokenders Regional Director

Not only will you stop smoking, you will do it without hypnosis, cold turkey withdrawal, deprivation or self-deprecation

It is said that the challenge may not be easy but it is possible; no matter what the endeavor. That adage is certainly true for those seeking to quit smoking. I'm living proof, for I was a smoker for 14 years before attending a Smokenders class 22 years ago. And since June 4, 1978, I have not had a cigarette or any other form of tobacco. I owe my success in kicking the habit to Smokenders.

Jacquelyn Rogers founded Smokenders in 1969. After smoking for 22 years and trying to quit on several occasions, she developed an effective method to free herself from the compulsive habit. The program she developed has a central principle: You face in the right direction to quit smoking by careful preparation, developing the right attitude and knowing you're worth the benefits.

Smokenders is the largest and most successful smoking cessation program in the United States. With its national network of dedicated professionals, the company has helped more than 1 million people all over the world stop smoking. I attribute the program's phenomenal success to the fact that all of the instructors are former smokers. Who better to teach you how to quit than those who have been through it?

But don't simply take my word for it. Joseph A. Califano, former Secretary of Health, Education & Welfare, wrote the following: "For 28 years—since age 16—I had never gone through a day without a cigarette. I kept postponing the day of the attempt until two good friends of mine told me they were quitting through a Smokenders program. Both of them had been very heavy smokers. Both of them successfully quit through this program. At their suggestion I went through the Smokenders program and successfully quit."

Of course, not all Smokenders' participants are as famous as Mr. Califano or Barry Manilow. But there are thousands of people out there, in every walk of life, faced with the same dilemma. Another Smokenders graduate wrote: "I had a heart attack in February 1982 and then tried to quit smoking with no success. When I saw a Smokenders ad, I joined the program with all the doubts that anyone would have after having smoked the equivalence of a Mercedes Benz, or roughly $40,000 in cigarettes, during a 38-year period. But after going through the program I never took another cigarette and, more importantly, I never craved one either. You cannot imagine how many times I have thanked God and Smokenders for that one thing. In the past year I am just beginning to smell some smells again, 15 years later."

Remember when you learned to smoke? It wasn't natural—coughing and choking as you learned to inhale while observing yourself in the mirror. Not a pretty sight. And just as you learned how to smoke, Smokenders will teach you how to unlearn this complex habit.

So how does the program work? In the Smokenders program, you will be given the concept ideas and simple techniques that will allow you to stop smoking comfortably. We don't advocate cold turkey withdrawal, shock therapy or hypnosis. And we still manage a 92 percent success rate of the people who complete the program.

Participants meet once a week for six weeks, two hours a session. During these meetings you learn:

• Techniques designed to disconnect all smoking triggers for all nicotine products (including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chew, nicotine gum, patches and spray)

• Step-by-step behavior modification

• Solutions for both the physical and psychological addiction

• Weight control and stress management techniques

• Motivation based on self-esteem and a positive experience.

At the WAC, we have complimented the Smokenders program with the Nutritional QuitKit program. The latter, used by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, is a nutritional-based program that helps with the physical preparation needed to quit smoking. For those wishing to kick the habit, join us for one of our free introductory sessions.