Smoking Help at Your VAMC
Smash that cigarette out for the final time. Let us help you on the road to good health.
When you smoke, you cause harm to nearly every organ of the body; Indiana has the 2nd highest smoking rate in the nation. The adult population (age 18 and up) has more than 1.2 million smokers, according to Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2011). Across all states, the frequency of smokers among adults ranges from 9.3% to 26.5%.
Non-smokers exposed to second hand smoke also take in the same nicotine and toxic chemicals. Second hand smoke is linked to an increased risk for heart disease and lung cancer among adult non-smokers.
The medical center began the SmokeLess Initiative in September 2013. Employees brainstorm how they can improve the lives of Veterans and assist them to quit smoking. This initiative also improves the campus environment for our visitors, volunteers, and employees. We began by dramatically reducing the smoking options available for both patients and employees on the Roudebush campus. Almost all healthcare facilities across the country have already moved in this direction, many of them having outright bans on smoking anywhere on their properties. Indiana University School of Medicine, our academic affiliate, does not allow smoking on the campuses of any of their healthcare institutions.
Next, we expanded smoking resources for Veterans, volunteers, and employees by collaborating with SmokeLess Champions and Marion County Public Health Department. We offer nicotine replacement therapy, smoking cessation groups, and community counseling/classes.
The New Year is here so let’s get a head start in getting healthier. Take control of your health and KICK THE HABIT - cigarettes have a mixture of 4,000 chemicals, over 60 of which are known carcinogens. In order to change your mental addiction, you have to change the way you view cigarettes and learn new tools to cope with whatever life throws your way. Your desire to quit smoking will change throughout the first few weeks of smoking cessation. Everyone has his or her own reasons for smoking, just as everyone has his or her own unique reasons for quitting. It is important to identify and remind yourself of those reasons when you are trying to quit smoking for good.
A healthy lifestyle is far better than a life of diseases that result from unhealthy practices. The VA is dedicated to help you with this, and our SmokeLess Iniative specifically help you adopt a new healthy life. If you are having trouble with kicking the habit, please contact your Primary Care Provider for ways to help you quit.
PUT IT OUT! Waste the cigarettes not your life. You can refer yourself to the smoking cessation program. We can give you tools such as nicotine replacement medication, behavior modification techniques and other methods to quit smoking. Ask your doctor about nicotine replacement products and prescription medications that can help you quit. We are here and ready to help.
