PRESS RELEASE:
Did you make a New Year’s resolution to quit smoking, chewing or dipping tobacco for good? Or, just
interested in making a big impact to your health?
Quitting tobacco is one of the best things you can do to improve your health. Tobacco use is known as a
major risk factor for lung, oral and other cancers. Cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco and
snuff contain toxins (poisonous substances), carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) and nicotine (an
addictive substance).
If you’re ready to begin the journey of going tobacco-free, you don’t have to do it alone. Tanner Health
System’s Get Healthy, Live Well initiative has a free program that can help tobacco users quit for good.
Fresh Start, a tobacco cessation program designed by the American Cancer Society, provides support
through the first few weeks when quitting is the hardest.
Fresh Start classes teach participants how to overcome any cravings for tobacco that may come later.
Participants also learn the lifelong benefits of quitting tobacco and how to avoid a relapse. Classes are
held at Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton, Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica and Higgins General Hospital
in Bremen.
New sessions begin monthly.
“Quitting tobacco is hard, but Fresh Start classes make it a little easier,” said Abby Sutton, a community
outreach coordinator for Get Healthy, Live Well. “If you’re ready to kick-start the new year with a
healthier you, these classes will help you on your journey to a tobacco-free lifestyle.”
All materials for the class, which meet one hour a week for four weeks, are provided. The group sessions
include education on approaches to quitting, skills for coping with cravings and motivational support.
“The American Lung Association estimates that 50 million adults have successfully quit smoking, and you
can become one of them by quitting today,” Sutton said.
Class size is limited, and registration is first come, first served, so don’t wait. To register for a Fresh Start
class, visit www.GetHealthyLiveWell.org or call 770.812.9871.
