While 70 percent of smokers will attempt to quit in their lifetime, fewer than 5 percent who try to quit on their own stay smoke-free for six to 12 months.
The Arizona Smokers’ Helpline (ASHLine) has expanded its arsenal of resources to help smokers quit tobacco, with the addition of the “Call It Quits” app, which debuted on Facebook and will appear as an iPhone app later this year.
The app’s features provide proven strategies to help smokers quit, and fuse ASHLine’s personalized approach to coaching with useful and engaging technology. People who want to be among the first to get the iPhone app can sign up at www.callitquitsapp.com.
“Overcoming tobacco addiction is a constant struggle, whether a smoker is making a first attempt to quit, has stopped smoking for a month or has quit for years,” said Wayne Tormala, Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau Chief for Tobacco and Chronic Disease. He continues, “‘The Call It Quits’ app on Facebook is another tool that smokers can enlist in their battle against tobacco use.”
The new app allows access to a combination of tools. First, because a circle of support plays a critical role for smokers, the app users can set up a personal list of people whom they can instantly message when they need encouragement. There is a section on cravings, because the average smoker has multiple cravings a day that last between 30 to 90 seconds. Another feature logs goals, rewards and progress. App users can accumulate stars for their achieved goals and earn “badges,” which can be instantly shared with their community of Facebook friends.
While 70 percent of smokers will attempt to quit in their lifetime, fewer than 5 percent who try to quit on their own stay smoke-free for six to 12 months. Most smokers will quit eight to 12 times before stopping for good.
Source: The ASHLine offers free telephone quit coaching at 1-800-55-66-222 and free online quit coaching services via WebQuit™ at www.ASHLine.org.
Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 30, Number 6, December 2011/January 2012.
August 16, 2012
Counseling therapies, Environment, Health, Life Coaching