2008 Woodie Awards
'SmokeStoppers' offers smokers options to quit
By Brittany Cole
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 1/27/06 Section: News
Slippery Rock University will offer a free quit smoking program to students, faculty, staff and community members starting in February.
The program, "SmokeStoppers," is a smoking-cessation program that has been available for more than 20 years and has helped two million people quit or cut back on smoking.
SmokeStoppers will be presented by Community Health Challenge, a local non-profit organization in Butler, and is being offered to SRU through SRU's Pennsylvania Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT). The program consists of eight 90-minute sessions that will begin on Feb 1.
"It's a pretty intensive program," said Catherine Massey, assistant professor of psychology. "People meet for an hour and a half. The program covers stress management and ways to help people change their behaviors and keep themselves away from smoking triggers."
She said that, for example, after most people eat, they smoke. So one thing the program emphasizes is for the smoker to do something after they eat, like take a walk.
Massey became involved with the SmokeStoppers program after she became SWAT's advisor about a year ago. The SRU chapter is one of 17 chapters across the state.
"Most of my research is on smoking and factors that lead to smoking," Massey said. "Most people choose to start smoking, but then it becomes an addiction and is no longer a choice."
"Tobacco is one of the hardest drugs to quit. It's even harder than heroin."
Massey said cigarettes contain a lot of chemicals, like ammonia, which transfers nicotine to the brain very quickly and is the main factor in cigarette addiction. Most people try to quit smoking eight times before being successful.
"It's a very addictive drug," Massey said. "People need to be persistent to quit. When asked if they regret starting to smoke, the majority of people say yes."
The program, "SmokeStoppers," is a smoking-cessation program that has been available for more than 20 years and has helped two million people quit or cut back on smoking.
SmokeStoppers will be presented by Community Health Challenge, a local non-profit organization in Butler, and is being offered to SRU through SRU's Pennsylvania Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT). The program consists of eight 90-minute sessions that will begin on Feb 1.
"It's a pretty intensive program," said Catherine Massey, assistant professor of psychology. "People meet for an hour and a half. The program covers stress management and ways to help people change their behaviors and keep themselves away from smoking triggers."
She said that, for example, after most people eat, they smoke. So one thing the program emphasizes is for the smoker to do something after they eat, like take a walk.
Massey became involved with the SmokeStoppers program after she became SWAT's advisor about a year ago. The SRU chapter is one of 17 chapters across the state.
"Most of my research is on smoking and factors that lead to smoking," Massey said. "Most people choose to start smoking, but then it becomes an addiction and is no longer a choice."
"Tobacco is one of the hardest drugs to quit. It's even harder than heroin."
Massey said cigarettes contain a lot of chemicals, like ammonia, which transfers nicotine to the brain very quickly and is the main factor in cigarette addiction. Most people try to quit smoking eight times before being successful.
"It's a very addictive drug," Massey said. "People need to be persistent to quit. When asked if they regret starting to smoke, the majority of people say yes."
