Smoking: Put out the temptation

Photo By James Smith | Alma Dickenson, health promotions director, explains the course of the Great American Smoke-out Fun Run here, Nov. 15, 2012. Smokers spend an average of $3,500 a year on cigarettes with a single pack costing between $5 to $7. IronWorks Gym offers several classes to help smokers quit the habit of smoking, including a four-week cessation class.  

IWAKUNI, YAMAGUCHI, JAPAN

11.20.2012

Story by Lance Cpl. James Smith 

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni

IWAKUNI, Japan - The IronWorks Gym hosted the Great American Smoke-out Fun Run here Nov. 15, 2012, as a way to promote smoking cessation.

According to the Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors Among Active Duty Military Personnel Survey, it defines “any smoking” as the percentage of military personnel classified as cigarette smokers in the past 30 days and who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime.

In the DoD Survey of Health Related Behaviors Among Active Duty Military Personnel 2005, 32 percent of active-duty military personnel smoked as compared to just 20 percent of the U.S. population. According to data from the same survey in 2008 survey, 30.6 percent of active-duty military personnel smoke as compared with 29 percent of the civilian population.

Out of the active-duty military personnel who participated in the survey, Marines exceeded all other branches of the military and the civilian population.

“It’s not just a matter of putting the cigarette down and walking away from it,” said Alma Dickenson, IronWorks Gym Health Promotions Director. “They’ve got to come up with a plan on how they’re going to get through it.”

IronWorks Gym offers several programs to help smokers kick the habit, including a four-week smoking cessation class to help smokers get over their first few weeks of quitting.

The class also gives participants an outlook of how many times they smoke as a daily routine.

“People know the health risks that are associated with smoking,” said Dickenson. “What they don’t know is that impacts their ability to PT at the level that they need to.”

Getting in shape isn’t the only benefit of quitting. It can help put money back into their wallets.

According to a December 2009 article posted on Health.com, website for Health magazine, smokers who quit saved an average of $3,500 a year, with cigarettes costing anywhere from $5 to $7 a pack.

As hard as it is, there are plenty of ways to help get over the habit of smoking. According to determinedtoquit.com's 101 things to do besides smoking, running in place is just one thing that may distract the urge to smoke. Support to quit smoking is available on base, whether it’s a class being held at IronWorks Gym, or support from family.

• Date Taken: 11.20.2012
• Date Posted: 11.29.2012 01:53
• Story ID: 98472
• Location: IWAKUNI, YAMAGUCHI, JP