SIKESTON — It’s nothing for Archie Flint to smoke two or three cigarettes in 30 minutes.
Driving alone to and from work or during a break from manufacturing building wire products, there were always plenty of opportunities for the 14- year smoker to light up a cigarette.
But after the birth of his now 7-month-old daughter, Flint decided he wanted to change and agreed to participate in a free and voluntary smoking cessation at his workplace.
“It’s helped me a lot, coming in here, It’s nice to have someone other than my wife to talk to about quitting smoking,” said Flint, 33.
Flint, along with fellow co-workers at Alan Wire in Sikeston are participating in a Freedom from Smoking classes offered by the Southeast Cancer Control Coalition. The Coalition, which covers 17 counties, received a Missouri Foundation for Health grant to conduct the smoking cessation program in local work sites.
“Quitting smoking is one of the hardest things they’ll have to do. Not everyone in the program will successfully quit smoking. Some are able to quit within that third week but for others, it takes longer. You wake up each day and do the best you can,” said Brenda Freed, public educator for the Scott County Health Department serves as the program facilitator.
Worldwide 3 million people die every year from diseases that result from using tobacco. An additional 53,000 nonsmokers are killed by tobacco.
“Everybody knows that tobacco is bad for us and we really don’t understand the effect it has on our society,” Freed said.
Freed meets with employees who’ve volunteered to participate once or twice a week for eight weeks. The third week into the program is the “quit week,” Freed said.
“What’s unique about the program, which is offered through the American Lung Association, is it has studied people who’ve smoked. We build up to them quitting and also study their habits,” Freed said about the program’s participants.
What most smokers will find is they’re either addicted to the nicotine or smoking has become a habit for them, Freed said.
“For some smoking is associated with stress or is part of a daily routine, such as smoking while drinking a cup of coffee or smoking after a meal,” Freed said.
During the program, an individual’s smoking patterns are studied.
“We analyze those and see what we can do to change those patterns,” Freed said.
Participants also receive a packet of information which includes a workbook and different activities that are conducted throughout the course of the program and other tips and guidelines to help them quit smoking, Freed said.
Nicotine does change the way a person thinks because it creates a chemical imbalance, Freed said. Part of the program is for participants to act as and believe they are a nonsmoker, she said.
“If they believe they’re a nonsmoker, the urge will really pass,” Freed said.
Also of importance is the support co-workers provide to each other, Freed said.
“Since everybody pretty well knows each other, it is kind of a support group for them because they all start with the same common goals. They help each other and rely on support to quit,” Freed said. “Even when I’m gone and the program is over, I will know the support is still there.”
Linda Pattengill, human resources manager at Alan Wire, said the program is a great opportunity for employers and their employees.
“It’s a free service, and we think Brenda’s done an excellent job. If we have one or two employees who quit smoking, then it’s well worth the time,” Pattengill said.
While Alan Wire is the first local work site utilizing the program, there are openings for other employers who want to offer the program for their employees, Freed said.
The program is successful with most participants either quitting completely or drastically reducing the amount of cigarettes they smoke throughout the day, Freed said.
A 24-year smoker, Rusty Greer said he hasn’t completely quit smoking but he’s cut down a lot. He went from smoking one to two packs a day to one to two cigarettes a day.
Greer said he decided to quit smoking — his 10th attempt — to better his health and save money.
“And I’m tired of smelling like a stale cigarette,” said Greer, an Alan Wire employee.
Greer said the program has helped him.
“I fight it every day probably, but it’ll get easier,” Greer said.
With two weeks left to go in the program, Flint is in his third week of being cigarette-free.
“I’ve chewed a lot of gum,” Flint said.
The 14-year-smoker said he’s noticed he’s able to breathe better since not smoking and he looks forward to realizing the other benefits of not smoking. “I still get the desire to smoke and then I think about it,” Flint said. “I think, ‘If I smoke, I’m liable to smoke another one.’ And I also think about my daughter.”
The desire is always there but it all comes down to one thing, Greer said “You’ve got to want it,” Greer said. “If you don’t want to quit, you never will.”
For more information about bringing the program to a work site, contact Freed at (573) 471-4044.
