Don’t Smoke ‘em If You’ve Got ‘em
Beth Mays RN and coordinator of Health Services and other employees have stress releasing Ziploc bags filled with rubberbands, cinnamon hard candy and Big Red gum for people who are trying to quit.
November 25, 2014
In an effort to promote a healthier student body, AACC’s Health Center is offering tobacco cessation sessions in anticipation of the school going smoke-free next year.
“We definitely want to be open and nonjudgmental,” said Beth Mays RN, coordinator of Health
Services. “We want to make sure people aren’t offended.”
The Health Center will be offering tobacco cessation sessions for students free of charge. Students can visit the Health Center from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Monday through Friday. Three nurses are trained in tobacco cessation at AACC’s Health Center.
According to a study by the Journal of the American Medical Association devoted to tobacco research, a third of college students are currently using tobacco products.
“It seems that the unifying theme among smokers is stress,” said Mays.
Although smokers often report that cigarettes help relieve feelings of stress, the stress levels of adult smokers are slightly higher than those of nonsmokers. Adolescent smokers report increasing levels of stress as they develop regular patterns of smoking, and smoking cessation leads to reduced stress, according to the American Psychological Association.
In addition to cessation sessions with a trained nurse, AACC’s Health Center will offer free
nicotine patches, gum, counseling, and lozenges.
Everyone sees the anti-smoking commercials. Everyone knows it’s bad for you. So why don’t people just quit smoking?
Mays and the Health Center realize that quitting smoking is no easy task. Smoking becomes a habit; it becomes something you do in your car, something to do while you do homework, or even seems to be a social event of sorts. Students gather outside of the cafeteria to smoke together, as well as under the gazebo on the Quad.
“It’s definitely an uphill battle,” said Emily Gove, Art History major at AACC. “If I was a really heavy smoker I would definitely use [tobacco cessation sessions]. It’s a great idea and I hope people utilize it.”
No appointment is needed for these sessions. Stop by the Health Center, located at SUN 120 on the Arnold campus, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to participate in a session.
Beth Mays RN and coordinator of Health Services and other employees have stress releasing Ziploc bags filled with rubberbands, cinnamon hard candy and Big Red gum for people who are trying to quit.
For more information, contact the Health Center at 410-777-2480.
