A Resolution

Berit Thorkelson, a St. Paul travel writer, quit her 12-year habit last Thanksgiving, when she was 33.

››› The Readiness Moment: “I decided I wanted to be thankful for my health. And I was just getting so sick of being a smoker.”

››› What Worked: Like Shellman, Thorkelson didn’t make an initial announcement, even to her husband, who also smoked. “I just decided, ‘I’m going to try to not have a cigarette,’ and that lasted the whole day.”

A few weeks in, Thorkelson was talking about not smoking—too much, she feared. So she called a counselor at her health plan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota: “It was nice knowing someone was going to call and check up on me in a week or so.” She also registered at Quitplan, which sends regular e-mails to quitters telling them how many hours they’ve added to their life and how much money they’ve saved. That support, she says, made quitting “just a little bit easier.”

››› What Didn’t: Nicorette, Nicoderm, Wellbutrin, hypnotism, and homeopathy. The homeopathic remedy was cat’s milk, in pill form. “The pills had something like one millionth of a part of cat milk, and I would dissolve them under my tongue a couple times a day, which tells you how badly I wanted to quit.”

››› Advice: “Those insane cravings where you can’t go a second without thinking you need a cigarette end, they really do. Knowing the end is in sight can really help.”



By the Numbers

$1.98 Billion 
Health care costs for Minnesota smokers in 2005

5,600
Minnesota deaths caused by smoking every year

20
Cigarettes in a pack

13
Cigarettes most smokers smoke each day

20
Number of dollars it costs to buy four or five packs of cigarettes

18
Percentage of Minnesotans who smoke

14
Age by which most smokers start

10
Average number of years a smoker cuts from his or her life over a lifetime of smoking



Myth Busters

“Light” cigarettes aren’t better for you. A University of Pittsburgh study released in August shows that people who smoke light cigarettes are more than 50 percent less likely to quit smoking than those who smoke regular cigarettes.

Nicotine levels aren’t declining in cigarettes. In August, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported that an analysis of 116 cigarette brands showed that nicotine levels in 92 brands have risen about 10 percent between 1998 and 2004.

 

Resources:

››› Quitplan is a free service for smokers who want to quit: 888-354-PLAN (7526).

››› ClearWay Minnesota, the organization that operates the Quitplan program, also offers workplace quitting resources to employers.

››› The American Lung Association provides a detailed overview of all prescription and over-the-counter smoking cessation medications.

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