The Cobb County Board of Commissioners has officially designated Thursday as Kick Butts Day, a day to quit smoking for good.
If South Cobb Commissioner Woody Thompson gets his wish , smokers in Cobb may have even more incentive to kick the habit.
The American Cancer Society has also created a Freshstart program, which is designed to help participants stop smoking by providing them with all of the essential information and strategies needed to direct their own efforts at stopping.
The program, which is free for all Cobb County and Douglas County residents, focuses on an active pragmatic approach to quitting smoking through active participation and group support. Participants are encouraged to apply what they learn in Freshstart to other aspects of their lives.
The Freshstart program consists of four one-hour group sessions that take place twice weekly over a two-week period. Studies have demonstrated that a program of this length will yield as many successful ex-smokers (assessed on a long-term basis) as will a longer program stretched out over many weeks.
Phase 1: Individual Attention -Understanding How and Why
Phase 2: Strategies and Information- Mastering the First Few Days
Phase 3: Review and Discussion- Mastering Obstacles
Phase 4: Assignments- Staying Quit and Enjoying It Forever
The next two dates are Tuesday and Thursday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Marietta Health Center at 1650 County Services Parkway in Marietta.
For more information and to register, please contact Anne Marie Coleman, Health Promotion Public Health Educator of Cobb and Douglas Public Health at (770) 319-4708 or at amlcoleman@dhr.state.ga.us.
