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`Now is the time to get rid of those “butts,” smoke-filled cars, stinky clothes, and bad breath.
With cigarette taxes rising, the cost of smoking for Pennsylvania residents has crossed the point-of-no-return, into an extremely expensive habit.
Universities nationwide have started to ban smoking within their campus boundaries. This has not only affected students living on campus, but employees and faculty.
The University has decided to provide an outlet for individuals who are deciding to quit smoking. Group sessions as well as individual sessions are being offered through the Wellness and Women’s Center. Both programs are free to students and faculty.
The program first opened its doors in January of this year. Currently, there are four sessions for the large group meetings, and three sessions for the individual meetings. The group meetings started the last week of March. The group sessions are broken into three different time slots. They occur over the lunch break times on campus for the faculty: one from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. and another from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Faculty can attend either group session depending on which fits their schedule. The student group sessions began on March 16.
Overall, the group sessions have 11 faculty members and three students. The individual sessions have seven faculty members and nine students participating.
There is a curriculum for each week, which the Montour House instructor follows. Week one starts with a general discussion of each person’s specific situation. They delve into the triggers of smoking, why they are deciding to quit smoking, barriers of quitting, as well as the pros and cons of quitting. This is where most individuals must decide to quit for themselves, and not for another person. “We are following the session based on ‘Fresh Start’ curriculum,” said Jayme Trogus, coordinator of the wellness and women’s program.
The second session covers options for quitting, postponing another cigarette and nicotine replacement therapy. The program hands out nicotine gum, lozenges and other quitting smoking merchandise for free through the sessions.
Participants are asked to set a quit date between the second and third sessions. This will prepare them to quit.
Session three discusses how to break the habits. Covering what quitters can expect and experience, individuals can receive warnings on areas that will be troublesome with breaking the habit. Alcohol, stressful situations and boredom can all be triggers to reel participants back into the smoking habit. This session tries to keep their minds on the final goal.
Individuals can also find out information on potential weight issues through quitting. Healthy eating information is given out. Most quitters find they gain weight due to the need for something in their mouths instead of a cigarette.
Session four focuses on “staying tobacco free.” Learning to maintain a tobacco-free lifestyle, even during stress, finals week or if someone close to you dies, is important in the end process of quitting.
Follow up meetings are scheduled after one month and then after three months. The center cannot provide long-term treatment, but if the participants are comfortable where they are, the sessions will follow up. Individuals can also rejoin the program at any time after leaving.
“Sometimes they just aren’t ready to quit,” said Trogus. “And sometimes they aren’t aware of the options. But then there are the people that are really ready to be done with smoking.”
The center will not turn anyone away. Even if complete quitting is not an option, any cutting back of smoking is encouraged. The goal is to hold two student groups each year: one per semester, and one faculty session per year. The individual sessions have the opportunity to continue through the summer months, as long as there are staff members present at the Montour House. They will also continue through breaks.
“As a staff we want to work with a person where they are at in quitting,” Trogus said. “It has been very successful, and people are starting to quit. The groups are great because people can learn from other people who have quit, and how they did it.”
Students and faculty will receive a copy of the session outlines upon attending the sessions. They are in-depth activity packets to walk through the quitting process. There are places for goals to be written in, as well as spots throughout to keep track of personal goals being reached.
The Montour House has various packets, lessons, group session information, individual session information, pamphlets and free quitting kits. These are all free resources for students and faculty who want to take the next step in the quitting process.
Most students are happy that the University is offering this program. “It’s great, and it should be taken advantage of by those who are serious about quitting smoking,” said senior Chris Learch.