Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Some students trying to kick their cigarette habits have more incentive after the federal tax on cigarettes raised was raised on April 1. The tax increase ranges anywhere between 39 cents to $1.01.
Alex Abel, Wichita junior, said he had been trying to cut back after four years of smoking.
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Week 1:
Delay. When you reach for a tobacco product, delay usage for 30 minutes.
No early morning use. Do not allow yourself any tobacco products before 10 a.m.
Support. Have friends, family, and coworkers sign your Adopt-A-Tobacco-User form.
Consider helpful products. Decide whether you are going to use a tobacco cessation aid, then purchase that product quickly before changing your mind. To learn more about your options, talk to your doctor or a Student Health Services pharmacist at (785) 864-9512. Follow the instructions carefully when using any product.
Get additional support at the Student Health Services Wellness Fair on Wednesday, April 8th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of Anschutz Library.
Week 2:
Delay longer. Delay usage for 1 hour after your craving starts. No tobacco use before 11:30 a.m.
No tobacco use in any cars. Thoroughly clean your car.
Don’t use tobacco indoors.
Start an exercise routine. Contact Amber Long at ajlong@ku.edu or (785) 864-1822 at the Ambler Student Recreation Fitness Center if you have any questions about fitness or exercise.
Week 3: Quit Week
Throw away all tobacco products. This includes ash trays, lighters or other personal objects that remind you of tobacco use.
Take it one day at a time or one hour at a time. Keep reminding yourself you can do this, so that tobacco will no longer control your life.
Source: http://www.studenthealth.ku.edu/
“For a little while you justify it as a phase, but it’s a disgusting habit,” Abel said. He said that at the peak of his smoking habit he smoked a pack a day but had since limited himself to half a pack a day.
Abel said he had been taking small steps to quit, including not smoking while driving and not smoking between classes. Though he wants to quit altogether, his next step is limiting smoking to weekends only.
The new federal excise tax on cigarettes is part of President Obama’s effort to provide universal health care. The San Francisco Chronicle reported Feb. 5 that the children’s health bill would provide health care for 4 million uninsured children.
Ken Sarber, health educator at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said he had visited with students concerned about the increased price of their smoking habits.
Sarber said most smokers had a difficult time parting with the lifestyle of smoking. He sometimes suggests peeling and eating oranges to satisfy the habit of taking a cigarette to the mouth.
“A lot of students don’t realize how addicted they are,” he said. Sarber visits with students every week to help them quit and runs the KanUquit program at Watkins. The program started last January and has helped 32 students quit out of an initial 35 participants.
Jonathan Freeman, McLouth junior, said he was able to quit within a month and half after beginning the KanUquit program. He said he tried to quit in the past on his own but was never successful.
“It was nice to know someone else expected me to quit,” Freeman said. Freeman met with Sarber once a week to discuss his gradual transition to living a smoke-free life.
Freeman said he knew he wanted to quit when he realized he spent an average of $50 a week on cigarettes.
“It’s amazing how much money students spend on cigarettes, especially considering the other expenses these days,” Sarber said.
One of the students Sarber is currently working with told Sarber he was spending $4 per pack every day and had smoked for the past nine years. Sarber helped the student calculate that he spent more than $1,000 in a year, and in his nine years of smoking he had spent more than $13,000 on cigarettes.
Even under financial stress, some students say they can’t seem to quit.
Ryan Campbell, Olathe senior, said he had been battling cigarettes for 10 months.
“I think for most smokers, our addiction seems to be severe enough that we’re not willing to quit,” Campbell said. He said smoking soothed his stress and the desire to smoke accompanied many of his daily moods.
Campbell said he made some progress in cutting back.
“A lot of students don’t want help and think they can quit on their own, and that’s fine,” Sarber said. “It’s just really hard to do.”
Any students who want additional information about KanUquit can call Sarber at (785) 864-9573 or email him at ksarber@ku.edu. KanUquit is free to KU students.
— — Edited Chris Horn
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Comments
Cigarettes a drag on students’ wallets
Lets have a campus ban on smoking. They have it at other universities. I think this would clean up the place. This sounds selfish, but I wouldn't have to walk behind all these people smoking in front of me. Although it sounds selfish on my part, they are also selfish for smoking in front of me and not being more courteous with their poison thats infesting my body.
Cigarettes a drag on students’ wallets
The cigarette butts that litter campus are definitely nasty. I wouldn't be opposed, but it would be hard to enforce.
UNL has a smoking ban on campus, but my friend who goes there tells me that it didn't have any impact. Campus is just too large to police for smokers.
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