VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System
Don't Give Up On Quitting
The VA's tobacco cessation program uses a combination of group sessions and individual counseling, as well as nicotine replacement medications for those who need them.
No matter how long you’ve been smoking or trying to quit, you can be smoke-free. Quitting smoking is a challenge, but it is also the single most important thing that you can do to improve your health. It’s never too late to quit and by quitting you can decrease your risk for heart disease, hypertension, lung cancer, and other cancers as well.
VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System offers smoke cessation classes.
The class is based on the Quit Smart program, which emphasizes setting and preparing a quit date, coping tools to manage withdrawal symptoms and cravings, medical interventions for smoking cessation, and maintaining recovery from nicotine dependence.
Tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke kills approximately 443,000 people in the United States each year. It is the largest cause of preventable illness and death in the United States. Quitting smoking is the single most important thing a Veteran can do to improve his or her health, VA health experts say. Smoking and tobacco use cessation persists as one of the VA’s biggest public health challenges. Many Veterans began using tobacco while in the military. The rate of smoking among Veterans in the VA health care system is higher among the U.S. population.
Talk with your primary care provider to find out what works and get a prescription for medications that are available at VA pharmacies. Using a medication, such as nicotine patches or gum can double your chance of success.
Forty-nine percent of male soldiers aged 18 to 25 smoke and 25.6 percent of 18- to 24-year-old male soldiers dip. Of male soldiers aged 18 to 25, 25.1 percent start smoking and 22.9 percent start using smokeless tobacco after joining the service. And once you start using tobacco, it’s hard to quit. Very few people quit tobacco the first time they try. On average, it takes 8 to 11 attempts to quit successfully.
If you are serious about wanting to quit, the Quit Tobacco—Make Everyone Proud Web site (www.ucanquit2.org) is loaded with great information and interactive support features to help you get ready to quit tobacco and stay quit.
No matter how long you have used tobacco, the benefits of quitting begin just minutes after you stomp out your last cigarette or spit out that dip or chew. Giving up tobacco is a tough process. But with a clear plan and some practice, you can quit and stay quit.
Your VA health care providers are ready to help you by providing behavioral counseling and prescriptions for FDA-approved smoking cessation medications that are available through your VA pharmacy. Talk to your provider today about quitting. Think about your reasons for quitting and how quitting can improve your health and the health of those who care about you. You can do it and VA can help.
Thinking of quitting smoking?
Learn about tobacco cessation, develop a personalized plan for quitting, create a personal or public blog, and get live online help around the clock:
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/smoking/index.asp
http://www.ucanquit2.org/
www.smokefree.gov,
http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/ (800-LUNG.USA)
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/tobacco/smoking (877.44U.QUIT)
http://www.militaryonesource.com (Health and Wellness Coaching Program)
Do you need individual help for Smoking Cessation?
Your Primary Care Provider can give you information on medications and nicotine replacement therapies to help you stop smoking or chewing tobacco once and for all.
Individual sessions with a trained mental health clinician are also available:
• Counseling
• Relaxation Techniques
• Hypnosis (certain clinic locations)
• Mind-Body Bridging (certain clinic locations)
Are you interested in Group Smoking Cessation Programs? (Pre-registration is required)
Contact Kathrine Putnam today at Katherine.Putnam@va.gov or by phone at: (413) 584-4040 ext. 2032
If you are not yet enrolled in VA healthcare, call our Eligibility Office at (413) 582-3091 for information and assistance.
