Snuff
‘em if you got ‘em. That’s the
idea behind the annual Great American Smokeout,
the third Thursday in November. For some smokers,
Thursday could be the day they kick the habit.
“Quitting
smoking is a process,” said Rez Seyedin,
founder of the nonprofit Smoke Free Society. “The
most important part of that process is awareness.”
Awareness for Capt. Dave Keller, investigator for
the Pettis County Sheriff’s Department, came
after he lost a close friend and colleague five
years ago. Sgt. Jody Schlittenhart, dispatcher at
the Pettis County Sheriff’s Department, accepted
a newspaper reporter’s challenge five years
ago. She knew that smoking was a nasty habit.
“I’d
come home and my kids would say, “Eeww, you
smell like the jail,’” Ms.Schlittenhart
said. At the time, she said most of the jail employees
smoked. She sipped coffee and puffed cigarettes
throughout her night shift. “I’d go
home and feel sick,” Ms. Schlittenhart said.
“It’s expensive. It’s bad for
you, and it stinks.” Ms. Schlittenhart, 48,
smoked for 22 years before quitting during the 2000
Smokeout. Mr. Keller, 63, smoked for 45 years and
followed Ms. Schlittenhart a few months later in
2001. He quit four days after former Lafayette County
Sheriff Gene Darnell died from lung cancer.
“He
died a short time after being diagnosed,”
Mr. Keller said. Ms. Schlittenhart and Mr. Keller
didn’t quit together, but their reasons and
methods were similar. Both knew the time was right
and that their health was in jeopardy the longer
they smoked. They also quit cold-turkey.
“I
pushed the envelope,” Mr. Keller said. “I
smoked way too long. It was time to quit.”
Ms. Schlittenhart quit on a challenge from Chuck
Orman, Democrat reporter. The challenge was Mr.
Orman would quit smoking starting on the day of
the Smokeout along with Sheriff Gary Starke and
Ms. Schlittenhart.
“You’d
be crazy to smoke,” she said. “It makes
no sense.” The American Cancer Society reports
that one in four Americans smoke. Smoking is linked
to 30 percent of cancer deaths, and 438,000 Americans
die from smoking-related illness every year, according
to the society. Besides cancer, smoking causes heart
disease, aneurysms, bronchitis, emphysema, stroke
and other illnesses. The ACS reports nicotine replacement
therapy with patches, gum and inhalers can help
a smoker deal with the psychological challenges
of quitting.
“Lack
of success is often related to the onset of withdrawal
symptoms,” according to the ACS. “By
reducing these symptoms with the use of nicotine
replacement therapy, smokers who want to quit have
a better chance of being successful.” Mr.
Keller said he finished off his last carton of cigarettes
and quit. He still has cravings, but he knows giving
in means renewing an addiction that peaked at three
packs a day.
“You
can’t take that first one,” he said.
“If you do, you’re done.” Mr.
Keller said he feels healthier now. However, his
next challenge is shedding the 70 pounds he said
he put on after quitting.
Ms.
Schlittenhart was up to a pack and half a day. She
had her last cigarette the night before the 2000
Smokeout. “I don’t miss it,” she
said. “I guess I was just ready. And the best
thing is, when I go to the doctor and he asks if
I smoke, I can say ‘No.’”
For
more information on quitting techniques and free
download of its "Proven Stop Smoking Technique"
(a $40.00 value) the entire month of November, go
to its website at www.SmokeFreeSociety.org
or email them at CustomerCare@smokefreesociety.org
For information, Click
here
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