Kicking the Habit: Service Members Fight Tobacco Addiction

[Navy for Moms Admin]

From navy.mil - a little late in adding this as this was published a few weeks ago but I still think it's relevant to post for those of you who are not already aware!

Kicking the Habit: Service Members Fight Tobacco Addiction
Release Date: 1/15/2009
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Marc Rockwell-Pate, CNREURAFSWA Public Affairs

NAPLES, Italy (NNS) -- Navy Medicine and Medical Training Facilities around the Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia (EURAFSWA) region are helping military members and their dependents win the battle against tobacco addiction.

According to SECNAV Instruction 5100.13E, tobacco use is the single largest cause of preventable premature morality in the United States among adults. Cigarettes, cigars, chew, snuff, pipe tobacco and any other form of tobacco is addictive and can cause significant health-related problems.

To help those who want to quit, base clinics and hospitals around the EURAFSWA region are offering a variety of programs to stop tobacco addiction including: individual and group counseling, support groups, medication, the National Help Line 1-800-quitnow, as well as several online programs through the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center Web site, www-nehc.med.navy.mil.

Lt. Cmdr. Eva Domotorffy, the community health department head at the Naval Branch Health Clinic on Naval Support Activity (NSA) Naples, Italy, intensifies one program that seems to work the best with military members.

"The Freshstart program was developed by the American Cancer Society," said Domotorffy. "It's a proven program that was developed by experts in the field. The time requirements and content seem to mesh well in our military environment."

The Freshstart program is designed to help participants stop smoking by providing them with all the essential information and strategies needed to direct their worn efforts to stop tobacco use. The program consists of four, one-hour group sessions that take place twice a week over a two-week period.

The program is successful because it is flexible, offered frequently and provides people with the tools they need to stop the use of tobacco added Domotorffy.

According to Mark Long, the health promotion program manager for tobacco cessation at the Navy Marine Corps Public Health Center in Portsmouth, Va., the Freshstart program has been used by the Navy as a group intervention, along with medications, with good results.

"Outcomes vary among the different programs used, but the Navy has obtained success rates of 20-30 percent at the six month follow-up after treatment," said Long.

In 2007, more than 3,000 military members began group interventions, 81 percent of which successfully completed their treatment. At the end of the group sessions, 71 percent, 2,239, people reported cessation of tobacco use.

Long added that according to 5100.13E, The Department of the Navy's vision is to be tobacco free, providing all personnel with a safe, healthy, non-polluted work environment.

For more news from Commander, Navy Region Europe, visit www.navy.mil/local/cnre/.

[Karen Gallagher]

wow this is wonderful!! I quit going on 2 yrs ago now, my guys hated that I smoked. Funny thing is one is on a sub and when they are out to sea or in port they are allowed to smoke in the "smoke pit" (ewww can you imagine on a sub all that smoke?) Well the smoke pit is in the NUKE area!! Well needless to say my son is not happy about that.
I sure hope that these men and women take the time to enroll in these programs, I know it is a hard habit to quit and hope that not only the young men and women do this but the "older" ones too

thoughts and prayers that they all suceed