A Tobacco Free New Year

  • Published
  • By U.S. Air Force SrA Megan E. Myhre
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
Altus Air Force Base, Okla. --  With the start of the new year, come many New Year’s Resolutions. A common resolution is to quit tobacco use and the 97th Medical Operations Squadron Health Promotion Office is here to help with their tobacco cessation program.

The primary focus of the tobacco cessation program is to be an educational resource and to provide the tools of success to people who are ready to quit. After the holiday season, the Health Promotion Office typically sees a large influx of people seeking assistance with kicking their tobacco habit.

“It’s a fresh new year and people want to start it off right,” said Gayle Kenyon, 97th Medical Operations Squadron health promotion coordinator. “Usually they want to get through the holidays, but after New Year’s in January and February, we get pretty busy.”

For those who want to make the change, there are a few different options available. Individuals can visit the Health Promotion Office for one-on-one counseling, or can speak directly to their primary care providers about medications that may help them kick the habit.

Kenyon, though she cannot prescribe any medications, often acts as a coach and tailors her sessions to every individual. While some may only want to meet with her once, others may want to meet multiple times for support.

“The first thing I do is try to help people start thinking about their plan of action. Success in anything comes down to motivation,” she said. “Motivation is the foundation of your success or failure. Why do you want to pursue this? The deeper your motivation is, the stronger the persistence and rate of success.”

Kenyon says that typically, the most common reason for failing to quit is the result of a stressor, positive and negative.

“The body can’t tell the difference. What usually trips people up are those highest highs and lowest lows,” said Kenyon. “We talk about what people will experience during those early stages of withdrawal and I try to give some tips on how to deal with those rough times.”

The thought is that by helping the individual understand the physiology of what’s going on, they are more capable of recognizing and handling that transition period without relapsing into their tobacco habit.

“It helps them deal with it from a logical standpoint. By knowing what’s going on, they can better understand that it’s going to pass. It’s just a short time, and if you make it through that, you’re good,” she said.

Some might argue that New Year’s resolutions never stick, but Kenyon has an argument to the contrary.

“For most people, quitting takes multiple attempts before they actually succeed. People who have had multiple attempts in the past can use that as a tool to identify what some of their triggers are,” said Kenyon. “How did you go through the process before, and what made you start again? By identifying this, you can come up with ways to prevent it from happening again.”

Additionally, Kenyon suggests trying to think about quitting in a different light.

“Lifestyle changes are the hardest to make. Rather than thinking of it as not being able to do something you enjoy, try thinking of it as what you’re getting and the positive things you’re choosing to incorporate into your life instead. It’s like you’re giving yourself a gift,” she said.

When making hard lifestyle changes, having a good support system is vital, said Kenyon.

“Friendships and relationships are very valuable, so I don’t take it lightly when I say this, but sometimes when you’re going through the quitting process you may need to put a little distance between yourself and people you might normally hang out with,” she said. “If they’re smoking or using any type of tobacco that might be a hindrance to you, you may need to make a tough choice to remove yourself for a while.”

In 2010, Altus Air Force Base went from 28 percent of Airmen using tobacco products to 17 percent in 2016 showing roughly an 11 percent decline in the amount of Airmen who use tobacco, not including e-cigarette or vapor use.

Altus AFB statistics show that 83 percent of the active duty population is tobacco-free and that 60 percent of tobacco users want to quit.

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. To help facilitate overall wellness, Air Force tobacco policies encourage “de-normalizing” tobacco use by expanding tobacco-free environments while at the same time ensuring barrier-free access to tobacco cessation interventions.

It is never too late to quit. People are often discouraged with multiple quit attempts, but this is normal. A lapse or relapse does not mean failure. People only fail when they quit trying.

The smoking cessation program is available to anyone affiliated with the base. For more information call 580-481-5647. The Freedom Quitline is another tool available to all active duty, dependents and retirees and can be reached at 1-844-426-3733.