Wednesday, December 26, 2001

Kicking the habit tops New Year's resolutions

The tradition of New Year's resolutions dates back 4,000 years to the Babylonians, whose most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment. While today's resolutions rarely involve tractors or hoes, it is a time when Americans swear to forego their favorite bad habit.

A recent informal survey of nearly 100 smokers found that almost half did have at least one New Year's resolution. The number one resolution was to quit smoking. Other resolutions include studying more, making more money and getting a better job.

Many don't tell others about their wish to quit but want to do it on their own terms. To help Georgians kick the habit, a tobacco resource line was introduced in November. Quit Line, 877-270-STOP, is a toll-free resource where callers get connected to a trained counselor who can help them set up steps to quit.

"The New Year provides a chance for all Georgians to kick their tobacco habit and start on a path toward healthy living," said NaTasha Howard, Tobacco Program Coordinator for District Four Health Services. "We hope that Georgians will use the Quit Line to fulfill their New Year's resolutions."

Quit Line is a resource that provides counseling, screening, support and referral services for all Georgia residents age 18 or older and concerned parents of adolescents using tobacco. Quit Line was introduced statewide in November.

"Making a New Year's resolution is a great way to jump-start a long term goal of quitting tobacco," said Howard. "Quit Line helps those addicted to tobacco become non-users. Quit Line is a resource that can be tailored to the needs of each caller."

When a tobacco user calls the Quit Line, a counselor conducts an initial interview to determine substance usage and readiness to quit. In assessing the caller's needs, multiple options are presented that might include: follow-up calls as the individual reaches targeted quit date; literature on successful techniques for quitting; referral to organizations and support groups within the individual's area; and four personal sessions with a Quit Line counselor.

Twenty-four percent of Georgia adults smoke. An estimated 30,000 Georgia children begin smoking every year and another 10,000 begin to use spit tobacco. Tobacco drains $2 billion in healthcare costs from Georgia's economy every year.

A minority of smokers achieves abstinence in an initial quit attempt. More than 70 percent of the 50 million U.S. smokers have tried to quit, and 46 percent of smokers try to quit each year. More than 10,000 people die in Georgia every year from tobacco-related illnesses ­ that's more than all the deaths from alcohol, cocaine, heroin, AIDS, murder, suicide, auto accidents and fires combined.

A panel of 11 professionals from Georgia chose Group Health Cooperative (GHC) to manage Quit Line. GHC currently provides comprehensive Quit Line services to six states. Quit Line hours are (EST) Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Quit Line is closed on Sundays. All languages are available through Quit Line, and Spanish-speaking callers may call 1-877-266-3863.

Quit Line is funded by the master tobacco settlement agreement and is a component of UNITE GEORGIA, a tobacco use prevention campaign jointly sponsored by the state and its 19 health districts to combat tobacco use.

In 1998, Georgia was awarded $4.8 billion as one of 46 states in a landmark settlement against major tobacco companies, receiving the first allocation of $150 million during the 2000 legislative session. Of that, $87 million funded health-related projects and $15.8 million was earmarked to fund tobacco use prevention, including the hiring of TUPS staff members in each of Georgia's 19 health districts to implement community-based prevention programs.

For additional information, please visit us at www.unitegeorgia.com. District Four Health Services is located in LaGrange and includes Butts, Carroll, Coweta, Fayette, Heard, Henry, Lamar, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, Troup, and Upson counties.