AURORA, Colo. — With the new year around the corner, some people will set resolutions, like to quit smoking. Numbers from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show only 8.8% of adults who smoked in 2022 were able to successfully stop smoking in the past year.
But UCHealth’s free Tobacco and Nicotine Cessation Program is here to help. The program allows you to set up a free appointment, though depending on insurance coverage, some drugs may come with a price.
Coloradan Nancy Smith is one of the people who has taken advantage of the program. She lights up if you ask about her two grandchildren, but is straightforward when she talks about her addiction to cigarettes, which started when she was a teen.
She said she remembers stealing them from her parents, standing in a group of friends and passing a cigarette around.
“And then we got addicted to it, and then it grew. You know, it was a gradual process,” Smith said.
As Smith grew older, she said that she started smoking less but never stopped. Then, a doctor gave her an ultimatum: She needed a surgical procedure, but doctors would not perform it until she quit smoking.
“I'm up against a wall now,” Smith remembered thinking.
With only one option left, Smith sought out help to quit smoking, and turned to UCHealth’s Tobacco and Nicotine Cessation Program. She was able to get the drug Chantix to help her quit smoking.
Today, Smith has been smoke-free for almost three years.
Essie Fleischmann, a treatment specialist with the program, said it is a nicotine tobacco treatment team, which is separate from the addiction team at the hospital.
"And we have an in-patient part, out-patient part,” she said.
She said the program staff can set up a patient all over the phone.
Plus, the free program not only helps patients to medically quit smoking, but also gives patients counseling to help them work through a difficult moment when they are tempted to smoke, chew tobacco, or even vape.
Learn more about the program here.
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