Great American Smokeout encourages Dyess to be tobacco-free

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Carolyn Viss
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Does the date Nov. 15 ring a bell? It might if you're a smoker. It's the day this year that the Dyess Health and Wellness Center has chosen to make tobacco-free. 

In conjunction with the American Lung Association's anti-tobacco push this month, the HAWC is also offering tobacco cessation workshops, stress management classes, and even prescriptions for those who are willing to quit for the long haul. 

"This year, the smokeout isn't mandatory," said Patty McGruder, the HAWC health education program manager. Nor are they offering "incentives," she added. "People who are participating have to want to quit, not just do it for a reward." 

One 30-year smoker who tried it last year and has been tobacco-free for almost 10 months is Patrick Alford, the 7th Security Forces Squadron resource protection manager.
He started smoking because "all the other kids did it," he said, and in the 1970s it was the "big thing." 

But a Department of Defense civilian employee briefing on base caused him to think twice about quitting. 

"I've tried to quit a few times before," said the husband and father of two. "But I didn't really put much effort into it. My family was always bugging me to quit, but last winter ... I just knew it was time to quit." 

The 48-year-old heard about the new prescription the HAWC offers, which uses a non-nicotine replacement and caused his appetite for tobacco to totally change, he said.
"I used to want to smoke, for instance, after a good meal," he said. "But once I started taking (the prescription) I felt like it just wouldn't taste the same." 

Mrs. McGruder said the top reason for smoking is stress - something active-duty members and DoD employees may face. In her program, she emphasizes giving smokers good alternatives to tobacco and avoiding "trigger activities" in order to reduce the psychological struggles many smokers face. 

Because Dyess falls second in Air Combat Command for the highest tobacco use - at 32.2 percent - the Great American Smokeout is highly encouraged. 

"We hope that getting an individual to quit smoking for one day will help them to go two days ... three days ... and maybe even more, eventually leading to a whole lifetime of health benefits," she said. 

On average, it takes a smoker seven to eight tries to quit. The HAWC hopes to reduce that by offering a hotline to call weekly for support and by giving participants plenty of resources, Mrs. McGruder said. 

"Do it because it's the right thing for you to do," she said. "It's part of being fit to fight. Others depend on you to be there and be healthy."