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Kick the habit with Tobacco Cessation Program
by Spc. Armando R. Limon
10th PCH
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photo by Spc. Armando R. Limon/10th PCH
Karen M. Goepfrich, a nicotine dependence center tobacco treatment specialist, manages the Tobacco Cessation Program at Womack’s Wellness Center. This program provides various medical and behavioral services to individuals who participate. |
Soldiers, military retirees and Family members who have difficulties quitting tobacco and need help can find assistance with the Tobacco Cessation Program located at the Wellness Center inside Womack Army Medical Center.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking causes 443,000 deaths a year in the U.S.
The TCP assists individuals in not only kicking smoking habits, but with all types of tobacco usage.
“We purposely call it tobacco cessation and not smoking cessation because you not only have cigarettes, but you have chew, dip and other smokeless tobacco products,” said Karen M. Goepfrich, a nicotine dependence center tobacco treatment specialist at Womack.
According to Goepfrich, the rate of smoking in the Army is much higher compared to the civilian population.
“The civilian rate is 20.8 percent compared to 38 percent active-duty Army,” Goepfrich said. “So you can see where tobacco use may be seen as acceptable, but we have to change that.”
According to Army Regulation 600-63, the use of tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco and other tobacco related products, harms a Soldier’s readiness by impairing physical fitness and increasing illness.
“We try to point out readiness factors for Soldiers as a strong reason to quit using tobacco products,” Goepfrich said.
The Wellness Center provides various services, medical and behavioral, for those want to quit tobacco usage.
“We offer numerous options on Fort Bragg for people who want to quit,” Goepfrich said.
Every Thursday at noon, a Ready To Quit class is offered that discusses the hazards of tobacco use, benefits of quitting, withdrawal and reviews the different medications available, Goepfrich added.
Soldiers may also enroll in the Wellness Center’s four-week program to help them break their tobacco habit. The four, one-hour classes are held once a week.
“The first class is the planning class,” Goepfrich said. “Just like planning a vacation, you want to get ready so you’re not tempted to go outside with everyone and smoke a cigarette.”
The second TCP class helps participants handle tobacco withdrawals and learn how cope without it.
“They have to quit by the second class,” Goepfrich said. “In the group they can discuss what withdrawal symptoms they have and share their experiences with each other.”
During the third class, participants learn how to deal with stress management.
“A full class is spent on that subject,” Goepfrich said. “Participants learn how to cope with stress without using tobacco.”
The final class allows the participants to learn to manage weight gain and relapses.
The first half of the class deals with weight gain and prevention.
The second half of the class is relapse prevention, Goepfrich added.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, less intensive interventions can produce cessation rates of five to 10 percent each year. More intensive interventions that combine medication and behavioral treatment can produce 20 to 25 percent cessation rates in a year.
“A combination of medication and behavioral change therapy are the most effective methods for tobacco cessation,” said Geopfrich.
Medication has to be individualized for each participant to see what works best for them to increase their chances of cessation, Goepfrich added.
The TCP has proven to be successful for many of those who have participated in it.
“Thirty-five percent of our patients were tobacco free after completing the four-week program,” Goepfrich said.
Anyone who wants to know future class dates and times for the Tobacco Cessation Program may call the Wellness Center at 907-9355.
Those who want to use online resources may visit www.smokefree.gov, www.hnfs.net/bene/healthyliving and www.militaryonesource.com. The telephone quit line 1-800-QUIT-NOW is also available.
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