Silver Achievement Award for Smoking Cessation Program with Mental Health Focus
October 22nd, 2009 |
A GoodTherapy.org News Headline
Efforts to advocate smoking cessation nation-wide and around the world have been accelerating in recent years as the understanding of the negative aspects of smoking improves. One program, called CHOICES, has won a Silver Achievement Award for its work with smoking cessation among those with mental health difficulties. As a significant number of smokers are faced with mental health issues, the program, which provides community support and logistics for people hoping to quite smoking, has delivered a valuable service to global efforts to ease addiction, and to serve as a source of caring and resources for people struggling to improve their mental health.
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9 comments so far
Kudos to CHOICES! We need more such programs to rid the nation of the bad habit of smoking.
As if the negative effects of smoking are any less, when coupled with mental health issues, it really turns into a grave-situation. People need to be educated about this through ad-campaigns and street-shows. Organizations like CHOICES and others are doing a laudable job in this sphere and recognition to such efforts will encourage them to continue their good and noble work.
In the wake of so much awareness towards pollution and health hazards of active and passive smoking I think this is a valuable and much needed service. Kudos to all at CHOICES!!
I have always wondered why you seem to see a good many people with mental health difficulties and serious addiction issues who are heavy smokers. Is it just another way to feed that cycle of addiction, or a comfort to some?
Such recognition will go a long way in keeping the spirit high of people who work selflessly. No amount of appreciation is enough for such work and the efforts put in by such organizations.
I have had success with the combination of education, breathing exercises and teaching people how to practice self hypnosis. There needs to be more programs like choices to help people break free of their addiction to somiking.
It isn’t just the nicotine. The tobacco leave is porous and soaks in the fertilizer, the pesticides and the chemicals used in the process between harvesting the leaves and the store shelf.
Thusly, people are inhaling DDT, carbon monoxide, benzate and other toxic chemicals. Other contries actually put on the cig label “Smoking Kills”. My Dad used to call them coffin nails which is very appropriate.
Nicotine is actually a stimulant and the downside of the stimulant is a false sense of relaxation. Hypnosis provides a person the ability to change the channel in their head to both distract them from the urge to smoke, and to teach them how to use thier brain to natually relax the urge response. The more a person practices breathing exercises, self hypnosis and a regular exercise program to more the urge and need to smoke will dissapear. I quit smoking in 1986. It was very difficult but I was almost to emphasema. The question is if I would have kept smoking all these years would I be typing on this blog
If there is a co-relation between mental health issues and smoking, it should be exposed to the maximum extent possible.
If you ask me, smoking should be banned…just like drugs are. There is nothing good about it and the only effects it has are negative ones.
Maybe the huge amount of taxes that governments throughout the world get from tobacco companies is what is preventing from such a ban coming in.
But with the right amount of protests and awareness, even this is not too big a dream to realize. Millions of people die due to smoking every year and saving lives of such a large number of people should be the number one priority.
Congratulations to CHOICES! That’s no mean feat. I gave up smoking a few years ago now and smoked at my heaviest during bouts of depression. I wouldn’t deny anyone the right to smoke anymore than I would deny overeaters the right to eat more than they need to.
Neither smokers nor overeaters have to do what they do. Both are lifestyle choices and in my case it was a crutch. We all have our own ways of finding comfort. This is the first time I’ve went through a serious bout again since then and I admit, I’ve felt like a cigarette more than once but refrained from lighting up.
Well done to CHOICES! You’re saving their lives and their money.
W. Nicholas : Smokers pay plenty in taxes on them too, not just the companies. That’s another reason a ban will never happen. Increased taxes don’t stop people smoking. They just look for where they can buy them cheaper. Where I live I’m only 20 minutes from a state border where the taxes are a fraction of the price of my home state. As soon as they were hiked up, the smokers headed across state lines to buy them. I don’t smoke but can sympathize with them.
The average state cigarette tax rate in a non-tobacco state on Oct 12 2009 was 146.9 cents a pack. In a tobacco state where tobacco growing is a major industry (KY,VA,NC,SC, GA and TN), it’s 40.2 cents a pack. Compare that to 2001 when it was 48.3 cents and 7.1 cents respectively. More here on that. No way is any state going to give up a cash cow like that.
If you want to ban smoking, you’ll need to ban drinking and exceeding the normal weight range for your height. Those are bad for you too.