The benefits of quitting smoking are obviously enormous. Quitting smoking is often not easy and may take more than one attempt. Quitting smoking means breaking one’s addiction to nicotine—and breaking one’s addiction to smoking itself. Quitting may be further complicated in people with multiple addictions. The most important factor in successfully quitting is the willingness to quit.
Addiction to nicotine can result from use of any form of tobacco, including smokeless. Nicotine addiction has proven to be one of the most difficult to break. Many smoking cessation programs include some form of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) that provides nicotine to the body in a form other than tobacco, providing low doses of nicotine without exposure to the other harmful compounds in tobacco/smoke. Quitting is successful more often if it is combined with counseling.
New York State and New York City have determined that smoking cessation programs are cost effective. There are a number of free- or low-cost smoking cessation programs at NYC Hospitals and Healthcare Centers. These smoking cessation programs offer the nicotine patch or gum at no cost, issue prescriptions for other smoking-cessation medications, and offer individual and group counseling. Lehman students can receive counseling and referrals for NRT at the College's Student Health Center (T3 Building, Room 118, 718-960-2585 and the Counseling Center (Old Gym Building, Room 114, 718-960-8761). Free Smoking Cessation programs are being offered near Lehman College at:
Jacobi Medical Center
1400 Pelham Parkway South
Building #4, Room 5N16 and 5N23
Bronx, New York 10461
Contact: Pauline Archer: 718-918-3927, Nadia Corporale: 718-918-3784
North Central Bronx Hospital
3424 Kossuth Avenue, Room 13A25 and 13A26
Bronx, New York 10467
Contact: Sangim Park: 718-519-2425, Sara Rios: 718-519-2490
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