I've smoked for 35 years. I don't know how to quit. But I sure would like to. I am sick so much." "I learned to smoke in high school. Now that I am finishing college and planning to get married, I want to quit before we have a baby, so it will be healthy."
These two statements represent smokers who are of particular concern to public health officials. They represent tobacco users:
1. Who cannot remember what it is like to be a nonsmoker, who are known as "hard core" because they have tried numerous times to quit smoking without long-term success, and who contribute to the high cost of health care because of their unremitting chronic dis eases; or
2. Young women in childbearing years who not only bring harm to their own bodies, but put their unborn babies at risk for interrupted pregnancy, premature delivery, respiratory or heart problems, susceptibility to allergies, and asthma.
A history of concern mixed with disappointment
Pastors and health professionals want to help these individuals to have victory over nicotine addiction and the culture of smoking. Other members of the general and church community share that desire.
For decades there have been stop-smoking classes or support groups conducted in churches or other community venues, among Seventh-day Adventists, usually led by a physician and or the pastor. Depending on the advertising, the support of the laity in recruiting smokers who are interested in quit ting, the community will, the credentials or charisma of the presenter, and the format of the programming, attendance ranges from being miniscule to monumental.
Those involved in smoking cessation pro grams tend to get discouraged when the group is small; and the frequency of the effort diminishes until another surge of concern motivates us.
In some busy churches, when the responsibility of conducting a Breathe Free or 5-Day Plan falls to the pastor(s), an inconsistency might prevail. It happens when the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which is known to be the most dependable religious entity to be involved in tobacco cessation intervention, fails to offer the community-at-large services that are reliable.
Further, in churches where no health professionals attend, laymen who are skilled when it comes to leadership may recognize the role of their church iri this ministry of reclamation, but they require training.
Why Adventists are concerned about smokers
But why are we concerned about smokers? Aren't there many commercial and public health aids already in existence that are designed to help those who want to quit smoking? There are the patches and chewing gums that a smoker can now purchase with out a prescription. There is at least one nose spray and the pills one can obtain by prescription. Then there is acupuncture and hypnotism, herbs and biofeedback, and an array of gadgets, such as the small computerized messaging and prompting devices that are available. There are also helplines and online tutorials. The list goes on.
Seventh-day Adventists are concerned because there is nothing more effective than the divine-human factor in facilitating health behavior change. We must continue to provide this kind of education and support to individuals who desire to quit smoking.
Society is telling smokers that they need something (sometimes a little too crutch-like) to help them cope with the smoking urge. Health care is telling them they must quit to preserve their quality of life for them selves and others.
We need to persuade them that eliminating tobacco and the drug nicotine from their lives gives them the power to excel in other health-promoting changes. We need to lead them to the true Source of that power so that they will realize the value of their body and appraise their life in terms of eternity.
How a church can participate
Research is supporting what we have believed for some time: that those addicted to nicotine (smoke or smokeless tobacco) need long-term support to be successful. Churches can do that better than any commercial or public health program because churches volunteer their services.
But isn't that an over demanding commitment of time and effort? It could be, but it doesn't have to be. Here's a proposed method that pas tors can establish in their spiritual communities.
There is a self-help program that I have authored that increases the effectiveness of intervention for members as they reach out to help tobacco users quit. It is now available on CD or as a download from my Web site (see below).
Under this program the participant learns from 14 days of audio messaging how to end tobacco addictions under the influence of a holistic approach.
He or she is instructed in exercise, relaxation, nutrition, diet, and through the help of dynamic spiritual principles. Under this program, the audio messages are supplemented with printed guides. The program is called Taking Control. Here is how your church can set up a consistent, bur den-free tobacco cessation program:
1. First of all, you must understand that there are five stages individuals may process through in changing their health behavior:
Pre-contemplating—hearing mes sages about change even when they may not be interested in change.
Contemplating knowing/being convinced that a change is necessary but not yet ready to commit to a change.
Preparation—experimentation with small changes and considering how to change.
Action—now ready to quit and taking the quitting step.
Maintenance in a quit stage and holding steady, but maybe still requiring periodic encouragement and support.
You must determine what you want to do for tobacco users under any of these stages. For pre-contemplators, for example, you may integrate information about the benefits of a holistically healthy lifestyle in communications to the community or in other lifestyle programming you present, while announcing that you are a resource for tobacco cessation as well. You may run a regular ad or column in the local newspaper.
For contemplators and those in preparation you may hold regular, scheduled (quarterly) meetings entitled "Let's Begin to Quit," in which you may explain the accepted strategies for quitting and the benefits enjoyed. Here you explain what your tobacco addiction intervention is like and what commitment is required of the participants. Or, for this group you may wish to hold a social event such as a potluck or dinner in the context of promoting health and inform them of your resources for quitting tobacco.
2. If your church has a Health Committee, choose members from it to form a tobacco subcommittee of at least three people. Decide from the ideas above, or from those you dis cuss, how often and when you will schedule events. Recruit other church members to assist and give them specific duties with orientation to their responsibilities.
3. Utilize the self-help training course described in my Web site, <www.resources-for-better-living.
com> especially the section entitled "The Health Professional's Guide to Tobacco Addiction Intervention." This is especially helpful in preparing a team so that it has an understanding of the tobacco issues, the nature of addiction, the health consequences of tobacco use, and ways to design strategies for cessation.
4. Acquire at least one kit of Taking Control from the above Web site, either by purchase of hard copy and CDs or by downloading it from the Web site. The printed guides are color illustrated in PDF format for easy printing and the audio files can be downloaded to your own CDs.
The attendees at your quit-smoking class or support group may purchase their own copies from the Web site or you may do so and include it in a fee for the program. (Yes, there should be a fee to cover expenses.) By using this self-help pro gram, you do not have to be trained in giving formal quit-smoking class es; you only need to provide loving, patient, and understanding support.
5. Prepare a team of facilitators to conduct support sessions on a regular basis to those you are helping. With the Breathe Free, the 5-Day Plan, or the self-help program outlined here, you need to provide long-term sup port for at least a year. It should be frequent in the first two weeks, and then you may wean off with less frequent meetings during the rest of the year.
However, keep in tune with your participants and be flexible to their needs to meet together. Plan social events and invite them to other health-related events your church is offering. Make them a part of your spiritual community.
You don't have to be an expert to help people quit tobacco use. But you should have organization and consistency in your programming. If you have questions or comments, email me through the Web site.
