Smoke Free Detroit Initiative

Smoking Cessation Classes

The Bureau of Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention and Recovery, in partnership with the Department of Community and Supportive Services at the Karmanos Cancer Institute, offers Smoking Cessation classes several times a year to Karmanos patients, family members, staff, and community members.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

These classes are free of charge and open to anyone committed to quitting smoking. The classes are based upon the gold-standard model for smoking cessation created by the American Lung Association, and are led by a trained Karmanos staff facilitator.

Classes are held typically once a week for 8 weeks, and guide each participant through an individualized quit process with support from other people who truly understand the ups and downs of quitting smoking.

Contact communityed@karmanos.org or call 313-576-8129 for details and a current schedule of classes.

The BSAPTR Program Coordinator for the Tri-Cities Tobacco Reduction Coalition is:
Rev. Kenneth T. Jackson, Sr.
(313) 876-0280 - office
jacksonkenn@health.ci.detroit.mi.us

Course Preview:
Statistics (Local Data)
Reasons To Quit Smoking
Tobacco Facts
Process of Cessation
Cessation Tools
Smoking Calculator
Tip of the Day

Statistics to Consider

Usage and Prenatal Smoking Rates

Health Care Costs

Figure 1-3: Infant Mortality Rates

Figure 1-4: Smoking Cessation Enrollment

Reasons to Quit

1. Alzheimer's Disease: Smoking Speeds Up Mental Decline
In the elderly years, the rate of mental decline is up to five times faster in smokers than in nonsmokers, according to a study of 9,200 men and women over age 65. Participants took standardized tests used to detect mental impairment when they entered the study and again two years later. Higher rates of mental decline were found in men and women -- and in persons with or without a family history of dementia or Alzheimer's disease, the researchers reported in the March issue of the journal Neurology. Smoking likely puts into effect a vicious cycle of artery damage, clotting and increased risk of stroke, causing mental decline, writes researcher A. Ott, MD, a medical microbiologist with Erasmus University Medical Centre in the Netherlands. The bottom line: The study provides substantial evidence that chronic tobacco use is harmful to the brain and speeds up onset of Alzheimer's disease, Ott says.

2. An Increased Risk of Impotence
Guys concerned about their performance in the bedroom should stop lighting up, suggests a study that linked smoking to a man's ability to get an erection. The study of nearly 5,000 Chinese men showed that men who smoked more than a pack a day were 60% more likely to suffer erectile dysfunction, compared with men who never smoked cigarettes. Overall, 15% of past and present smokers had experienced erectile dysfunction, more commonly known as impotence. Among men who had never smoked, 12% had erection problems, according to the study, presented last year at the American Heart Association's annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention in Miami.

3. Snoring: Even Living With a Smoker Raises Risk
Smoking - or living with a smoker -- can cause snoring, according to a study of more than 15,000 men and women. Habitual snoring, defined as loud and disturbing snoring at least three nights per week, affected 24% of smokers, 20% of ex-smokers, and almost 14% of people who had never smoked. The more people smoked, the more frequently they snored, the researchers reported in the October issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Even nonsmokers were more likely to snore if they were exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes. Almost 20% of these nonsmokers snored, compared with nearly 13% who had never been exposed to secondhand smoke at home.

4. Acid Reflux: Heavy Smoking Linked to Heartburn
People who smoke for more than 20 years are 70% more likely to have acid reflux disease than nonsmokers, researchers reported in the November issue of the journal Gut. Roughly one in five people suffer from heartburn or acid reflux, known medically as gastro esophageal reflux disease or GERD. The researchers based their findings on two major public health surveys conducted in Norway in the 1980s and 1990s. Just more than 3,100 people who complained of having heartburn and 40,000 people without reflux symptoms answered questions about lifestyle factors including diet, exercise, alcohol consumption, and tobacco use.