December 29, 1999 

Contact: Bonnie Widerburg, (971) 673-1282 

QUIT LINE OFFERS BUSY SMOKERS CHANCE TO QUIT TOBACCO FOR NEW MILLENNIUM

(PORTLAND) At the dawn of the new millennium, change is on people's minds. But time is a commodity everyone seems to lack. This can be frustrating, because it takes time to make the changes that many consider at this milestone. As you juggle a seemingly endless string of responsibilities, the hours shrink away quickly.

You know smoking is bad for you and for those around you; you have probably tried to quit a few times. But somehow you just can't find the time to get to a group meeting that can help you kick the habit.

Sound familiar? Well, you're not alone. According to Grant Higginson, MD, state health officer with the Department of Human Services, Health Services, many Oregon Tobacco Quit Line callers have a genuine desire to stop smoking, but they can't break away from their responsibilities long enough to get the help they need.

"Even if conditions were perfect, it would still be hard to quit smoking. Now add your children's after-school functions, dinner, helping with homework, spending time with your spouse, paying the bills and holding down a job, and you can see how finding the time to get to a smoking cessation meeting might be tough. That's one of the reasons for the Oregon Tobacco Quit Line," said Higginson.

Once a specially-trained Quit Line counselor determines a caller is ready to stop smoking, one-on-one telephone counseling begins. Or, if a caller has already quit and is having a hard time, a counselor can help the caller stay on track. And the best part is that the entire conversation can take place from your home or work.

The telephone-based service seems to be working. According to data compiled by the Quit Line, 84 percent of callers quit smoking for some period of time, and one-third of those quit for a month or more.

"One of the nice things about the Quit Line is that you don t have to go to a strange office or meeting room or worry that you won't get enough personal attention. We make appointments to call people at convenient times, and they can talk to us from the comfort of their own homes," said Nancy Clarke, managed care specialist at the Health Services.

Quit Line callers usually begin by participating in a counseling session lasting from 45 minutes to an hour. The sessions are mostly spent analyzing the callers smoking patterns, helping them identify upcoming stressful events and developing non-smoking coping strategies.

Provided by the Department of Human Services, Health Services, the Quit Line offers free quitting information, one-on-one telephone counseling, and referrals either for you or for a loved one. Counseling is offered in English and Spanish and translation is available for a number of foreign languages. To talk to a counselor, call 1-877-270-STOP (English), 1-877-2-NOFUME (Spanish) or 1-877-777-6534 (TTY). Quit Line staff are available Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. until 8 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Oregon's Tobacco Prevention and Education Program is a comprehensive effort to reduce the use of tobacco and exposure to secondhand smoke. It includes programs in local communities, schools, businesses, media and special populations. The program is funded by a tobacco tax increase approved by voters in 1996. Ten percent of the new revenue is allocated to tobacco use prevention and reduction.