Quit Smoking! It’s a resolution you can live with!

New Year’s resolutions come and go, but quitting smoking is a resolution you can live with. The Garrett County Health Department has scheduled a series of three Tobacco Cessation Classes to be held at their Oakland office in early 2019.

“I see people smoking now, and I think, ‘I was like that,’ ” said Linda Rodeheaver, a class participant who successfully quit 10 months ago. “Now I won’t have to go outside to smoke in a blizzard, and I can use the money I’m saving from not smoking to buy something for myself, or take my grandkids swimming or out for lunch.”

New classes begin on Monday, January 7; Wednesday, February 27; and Monday, March 25. During these ten-week classes, which meet at 5:30 p.m., participants receive resources to help them change their habits, including a notebook, group support from others who are also trying to quit, and free cessation aids such as nicotine patches, nicotine gum, or the prescription drug Zyban.

Research has shown that involvement in a group increases the chances of success in quitting tobacco. “Meeting with others who are going through similar struggles give you the support you need to keep on going,” said Mike Wilburn, health educator at the Garrett County Health Department. “We really should call it a ‘nicotine cessation program’ because it is great for anyone wanting to stop smoking cigarettes, chewing tobacco, rubbing snuff, or using e-cigarettes.”

For more information about the class or to register, call the Health Department at 301-334 7730 or 301-895-3111. The classes and cessation aids are funded by the Maryland Cigarette Restitution Fund Program.

By Diane Lee, Public Information Officer, Garrett County Health Department

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