EX-SMOKERS TO FIND HELP IN SUPPORT GROUP HERE

A new Community Smoke Free Support Group has been created to help ex-smokers truly kick the habit.

The support group is designed to reinforce ex-smokers' resolve to "stay quit," said Debbie Leoni, director of Southeast Missouri Hospital's Fitness and Wellness Center and a registered nurse. The biggest deficit in smoking cessation programs is a lack of follow-up, she said.

"We've found that program participants want and need follow-up phone calls and opportunities to get together," Leoni said. "Since it's logistically impossible for one organization to meet such a need, the Community Smoke Free Support Group was established."

To accommodate participants' work schedules, the support group will meet on two different days and at two different times, Leoni said.

The evening group's first meeting will be Jan. 12, at 7 p.m. The daytime group will meet for the first time on Jan. 28 at noon. Both meetings will be held in the Community Room of the Cape Girardeau Public Library.

Subsequent meetings, Leoni said, will be held at the Public Library at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month and at noon on the fourth Thursday of each month.

The guest speaker at the January meetings will be Dr. Richard A. Martin, an ear, nose and throat specialist. He will discuss positive physical changes that occur when people give up tobacco. Those planning to attend one or both meetings are encouraged to call 334-9355. There is no charge to attend.

Leoni emphasized that the support group is open to all ex-smokers and individuals who have used other forms of nicotine, regardless of the method they chose to help them quit.

She said: "They may have quit Jan. 1 or several years ago. The `new' quitters may wonder if it's normal to feel nervous, or have a slight sore throat or feel a little nauseous. This group is here for them.

"Then there are also those who still miss a cigarette with their morning coffee or who fear that stress may push them off the smoke-free wagon. This group is here for them as well. We don't want the `I ought to quit,' but those who have taken the step to become nicotine free and want to remain that way."

Statistics show that by 1987, more than 38 million Americans had quit smoking cigarettes, nearly half of all living adults who ever smoked.

Statistics also show that 85 percent of smokers would like to quit and a great many have tried to quit at least once. On the average, it takes three tries before a smoker successfully kicks the habit for good.

"The statistics are encouraging," Leoni said. "What we hope this support group will do is help ex-smokers stay off nicotine. The challenges don't end when a smoker puts out his or her last cigarette; the challenges are just beginning."

Leoni said individuals who still use nicotine but would like to break their dependence are encouraged to take part in Freedom From Smoking classes offered through both St. Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital. St. Francis has a class beginning in January and the next Southeast class will start in March, she said.

The Community Smoke Free Support Group has an informal format that emphasizes group exchange, she said.

The group is sponsored by the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, Homedco, St. Francis Medical Center, Southeast Missouri Hospital and Southeast Missouri State University.