Tobacco Cessation Program
Tobacco Cessation Program
Our Approach
We offer an integrative approach to help tobacco users quit. This includes cigarette,
cigar and hookah smokers, electronic-cigarette smokers, and spit tobacco users.
Our cessation clinic and classes use evidence-based methods to help you and the people
you care about live a healthier life without tobacco!
Let us help you and the people you care about quit tobacco for life!
The public, patients, area businesses and the Augusta University community can participate.
Cessation clinic and classes:
- Available to the general public 18 years of age or older
- Access to the Augusta University Health System Pharmacy
- Convenient with easy access and parking
3 Easy Steps
Questions?
Email us: stoptobacco@augusta.edu
Call for an appointment: 706-721-0456
Tobacco Cessation Class
Cessation services are open to the public, patients and the Augusta University community.
Cessation classes are led by a trained cessation coach and are designed to meet your
needs. By actively participating in the classes you will develop your quit plan and
gain skills to cope with nicotine addiction and tobacco-use habits. The classes will
help you achieve your quit goals and a healthier lifestyle.
Registration
After your initial visit and health assessment, a clinic staff member will register
you for your class. Registration is required to attend the class.
Class Overview
- Each class consists of a one-hour group session each week for four weeks
- New cessation classes are offered every two weeks
- Classes are tailored to the participants' needs and are led by trained cessation counselors
- Convenient locations and hours convenient
Electronic-Cigarettes
At the Georgia Cancer Center's cessation program, electronic-cigarettes or e-cigarettes
are not recommended as an alternative to conventional cigarettes nor as an aid to
quitting. They contain toxic chemicals and metals including: propylene glycol, formaldehyde,
cadmium, lead and nickel. The nicotine in electronic-cigarettes is especially harmful
to the developing brain of youth. They pose a health risk to the brain of a developing
baby, so pregnant women should avoid electronic-cigarettes.
Other health consequences of e-cigarettes include:
- airway irritation
- asthma
- impaired lung function
E-cigarettes do not emit "harmless water vapor." The secondhand aerosol contains nicotine,
ultra-fine particles that lodge deep into the lungs, and low levels of chemical and
metal toxins that are known to cause cancer.
Get Ready to Quit
Our cessation coaches make every effort to tailor our Tobacco Cessation Program to
your needs and will assist you throughout your quitting process. You can take critical
steps to get ready to quit. When you make a plan and enlist the support of family
and friends, you increase your chances of quitting tobacco for life.
Electronic-cigarettes are not an evidence-based method for quitting smoking and reducing
your dependence on nicotine. E-cigarettes also contain chemicals and heavy metals
known to cause cancer and their long-term health effects are not fully understood.
For these reasons, we do not recommend e-cigarettes nor use them in our cessation
program.
Effects of Tobacco Use
Nearly every organ in the body is harmed by smoking and it is the leading cause of
preventable disease, disability, and death.1 About one-third or 30% of cancers could be prevented if people did not use tobacco
products nor breathe secondhand smoke. At least 14 cancers are associated with tobacco
use including:
- Acute myeloid leukemia (Bone Marrow)
- Bladder
- Cervix
- Colon and Rectum
- Esophagus
- Kidney and Ureter
- Larynx (voice box)
- Liver
- Lung
- Oral cavity (mouth)
- Pancreas
- Pharynx (throat)
- Stomach
Did you know...?
- 8.6 million people in the USA currently suffer from illness caused by smoking
- 90% of all lung cancers can be directly related to tobacco
- There has been a 20% decline in US cancer death rates since the early 1990s due to
cancer awareness and tobacco cessation
- In addition to cancer, tobacco-use is a known risk factor lung disease, cardiac disease,
and stroke.
- According to the CDC, More than 16 million people living in the USA currently suffer from illnesses caused
by smoking.
- Smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers. Learn more.
- More than half of adult smokers, 68% or about 7 in 10, want to quit smoking. Learn
more from the CDC.
- You can quit, we can help
Tips for Quitting
- Set a quit date.
- Get active! Incorporate exercise into your daily routine before you quit.
- Start calculating how much money you’ll save with a tobacco-free life
- Start drinking the suggested amount of water every day: 1/2 of your weight in ounces
of water daily.
- Being a non-tobacco user provides health insurance or benefits advantages; check with
Human Resources.
