POSTED AT 12:00 AM ON Oct. 17, 2006 | PRINT | Email | SHARE | COMMENTS (0)

Everyone knows the multiple health risks that arise from smoking and second-hand smoke. Many people might also know that smoking is the primary cause of preventable death in the United States.

But did you know that most smokers would like to quit? Many smokers think about quitting every day. If smoking were so easy to abandon, there would be no smoking. Unfortunately, the combination of addiction to nicotine, habit and psychological dependence makes smoking cigarettes one of the hardest habits to quit.

In my work, I have met with students who had successfully stopped using other drugs but could not quit smoking. That said, there are resources for students who want to quit. The IU Health Center offers free, individual sessions for students wanting to stop using tobacco.

In the sessions, students develop individual plans based on their history of smoking. For most, this includes setting up a quit date, reviewing the costs and benefits of smoking, learning to anticipate situations that will be difficult and devising an alternative to smoking, learning and practicing relaxation and stress management, becoming more active and establishing a support system.

Some students also use nicotine replacement. Nicotine replacement truly works for most people today because the proper amount of nicotine and the pattern of use is suggested based on how much you smoke and when you smoke. In the past, individuals would slap on a patch believing that was enough. It wasn't, and most people pulled the patch off and started smoking again.

Another useful tool is Zyban, a medication that improves mood and reduces the number of cravings for cigarettes that many people experience.

An added bonus in Bloom- ington is a group that meets at 6 p.m. Tuesdays and at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays at the Bloomington Convalescent Center, 714 S. Rogers St., second floor. This quit-smoking group is run by the Bloomington Hospital and offers free nicotine replacement patches and gum.

Now for you nonsmokers: If you have never smoked, don't start. While most people start smoking before the age of 18, I have talked with many students who started smoking at IU. Support your smoking friends who are trying to quit. Remember it is normal to average five or six serious attempts before quitting for good. Do not put down your friends who fail to quit. Keep providing support as they go through the process of quitting again (and again).

For former smokers: You might face the biggest task of all -- staying tobacco-free. While most urges to smoke go away over time, former smokers need to remain alert for problem times such as periods of high stress, heavy partying and intense emotional situations.

Most former smokers can never become "social smokers." If they start to smoke again, they will revert to a smoking pattern of heavy smoking.

For everyone, if you enjoy Bloomington being smoke-free, know that this has been a long process that has included student input. Plan to support smoke-free ordinances in the cities and towns you move to after graduation. Support higher cigarette taxes, which are shown to reduce youth smoking. Support smoke-free work places, indoor spaces and restaurants. These things are good for the health of everyone -- smokers and nonsmokers alike.