Petoskey Freedom From Smoking Program

It is safe to say that just about everyone knows that smoking is bad for their health. Yet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 28% of adults still use tobacco products.

McLaren Northern Michigan is here to help tobacco users quit with the Freedom From Smoking® program through the American Lung Association® (ALA). This 7 week, 8 session course begins on August 6 and meets on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. at the Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Northern Michigan, 560 West Mitchell Street, Suite 185, in Petoskey.

For over 35 years, the ALA has helped tobacco users quit through the Freedom From Smoking program. The program offers a structured, systematic approach to quitting, using positive messaging that emphasizes the benefits of better health. Because no single quit-smoking method is effective for all tobacco users, Freedom From Smoking:

• Teaches control over behavior to break addiction, using techniques based on pharmacological and psychological methods
• Provides comprehensive cessation techniques supported by evidence-based research
• Offers a curriculum that includes information about nicotine replacement therapy, including gum, inhalers, patches, lozenges, and nasal spray

“At McLaren Northern Michigan, we are invested in our community and dedicated to offering the best cancer preventive resources possible,” expressed Jeanne Melton, RN, OCN, ONN-CG(T), Lung Cancer Nurse Navigator. “Tobacco use is an addiction driven by multiple factors. Providing education and resources to help patients recognize what drives the addiction and develop a plan to overcome smoking is a key part of the Freedom from Smoking program.”

To register, or for more information regarding the Freedom From Smoking program, please call 231-487-3205.