Stop Smoking: September 2010

Thursday 30 September 2010

NutriZyme SMOKDETOX -Enzyme Smoke Detox

Stopsmoking Herb Tea is made of licorice mentha (peppermint) with an excellent flavor. Grown on the pollution-free high plateau of northwest China they contain glycyrrhizic acid triterpenoid saponins

Price: $14.99

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Nicotine Step 1 Patch 14-pk. - Original (21 mg)

Nicotine Step 1 Patch are excellent for occasional smokers or for people who've already used the higher step patches. After you're done using them you won't remember why you liked smoking so much in the first place.

Price: $26.09

Click here to buy from Amazon

Nicotine Step 2 Patch 14-pk. - Original (14 mg)

Nicotine Step 2 Patch - Original is a rattling anorectic and uses primary touchable to curb how alacritous nicotine passes finished the skin. It helps turn nicotine cravings.When you place on a patch, nicotine passes finished the wound and into your body.

Price: $26.09

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Nicotine Gum 170-pk. - Original (2 mg)

Zerosmoker helps you quit smoking naturally in as little as 30 days without gum, pills or patches. The two non-allergenic 24K gold biomagnets work on the same principle as acupuncture but with out the needles. Just apply the biomagnets on either side of the ear to activate the neurotransmitters and helpdecrease thenicotine cravings. A large percentage of the users quit after four weeks, and some after just the first week! One kit lasts a lifetime.

Price: $33.09

Click here to buy from Amazon

The NSCI Stop-Smoking Manual: A step-by-step plan to get you stopped forever

The National Smoking Cessation Institute has, since 1991, been the primary UK body researching: 1. Why people smoke 2. How addiction works 3. How to motivate smokers to stop 4. How to help smokers to stop 5. How to help ex-smokers to stay stopped. The NSCI Stop-Smoking Manual is a very readable, structured, step-by-step approach to stopping smoking, based on the unique NSCI Knowledge Base. If you thought there was nothing new to say on stopping smoking, the Manual is going to open your eyes. For example, do you know why it is important not to eat tomatoes when you stop? Well, there is science behind this extraordinary question. Science the NHS and the drug companies do not have access to, because everything they do is predicated on pushing drugs. The Manual will give you inspiration and new hope, it will lead you through the process of stopping, and it will resolve every reason you have failed to stop smoking before now, and then it will give you a structure for staying stopped for the rest of your life. Every reader has unlimited free access, by e-mail, to a specialist NSCI team to ask questions and receive advice as they go through the Manual.

Price: $15.00

Click here to buy from Amazon

Wednesday 29 September 2010

Zerosmoke Smoking Cessation Product

Price: $29.95

Click here to buy from Amazon

Nicotine Gum 110-pk. - Original (2 mg)

Stopsmoking Herb Tea is made of licorice mentha (peppermint) with an excellent flavor. Grown on the pollution-free high plateau of northwest China they contain glycyrrhizic acid triterpenoid saponins

Price: $25.89

Click here to buy from Amazon

NicoDerm CQ

Nicotine Transdermal System. 21 mg delivered over 24 hours. If you smoke more than 10 cigarettes per day; start with Step 1. 10 or less cigarettes per day; start with Step 2. Contains: 14 patches, Committed Quitters Program enrollment form, user's guide, CD and child resistant disposal tray. Not for sale to those under 18 years of age. Proof of age required. Not for sale in vending machines or from any source where proof of age cannot be verified. NicoDerm CQ is a three step program. You start with the highest level of medicine and gradually step down your dose. If you smoke 10 or less cigarettes per day, start with Step 2. To increase your success in quitting: 1. You must be motivated to quit. 2. Complete the full treatment program, applying a new patch every day. 3. Use with a support program as described in the enclosed User's Guide. For your family's protection, NicoDerm CQ patches are supplied in child resistant pouches. What is the NicoDerm CQ Patch and how is it used? NicoDerm CQ is a small, nicotine-containing patch. When you put on a NicoDerm CQ patch, nicotine passes through the skin and into your body. NicoDerm CQ is very thin and uses special material to control how fast nicotine passes through the skin. Unlike the sudden jolts of nicotine delivered by cigarettes, the amount of nicotine you receive remains relatively smooth throughout the 24 to 16 hour period you wear the NicoDerm CQ patch. This helps to reduce cravings you may have for nicotine. Read carton and enclosed User's Guide before using this product. Keep the carton and User's Guide. They contain important information. Tips now on CD to help make quitting easier.

Price:

Click here to buy from Amazon

Monday 27 September 2010

BlueGlass FL : Online Marketing Conference at Ft. Lauderdale's Hard Rock - Search Engine Journal

Search Engine Journal and BlueGlass are proud to announce yet another killer Internet Marketing conference put on by BlueGlass Interactive to follow up BlueGlass LA, but back on the East Coast : BlueGlass FL!

We’re bringing the BlueGlass conference series back home to its roots, where Scary SEO started 2 years ago, and this time we’re hosting the entire conference at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida in Hollywood, FL (basically Ft. Lauderdale).

Just like in LA, we’re focusing on all facets of Internet marketing with an agenda that includes SEO, online PR, Facebook advertising, community building, domaining and even Mergers & Acquisitions. With a line up that basically is full of keynote panels, I pulled in three longtime friends to blow this conference out of the water :

Peter Shankman, a radical thinker in social media and founder of HelpaReporterOut.comDrew Curtis of Fark.com, the popular comedy news website and communityJohn Ferber, a visionary pioneer of the digital stratosphere who sold Advertising.com to AOL for $435 million Dennis Goedegebuure, the force behind SEO strategies of companies like eBay, PayPal and Skype.

But wait, there’s more ;)

Additional speakers and panelists include :

Neil Patel of Kiss Metrics & QuicksproutMonte Cahn – Founder and President at Moniker.comLisa Buyer, CEO at The Buyer GroupIvan Nikkhoo, Managing Director at Siemer & Associates Investment BankingJon Kelly, VP, Insurance at QuinStreetAlan Bleiweiss, Founder at Search Marketing WisdomKris Jones, Founder at PepperJam NetworkAndrew Beckman, CEO at Location3 MediaJohn Andrews, Competitive Webmaster at UpperLeftPlacementKaty Mcdougall, SEO at AOL AutosAnnie Cushing, Director of Search Services at BlueGlass InteractiveBob Rains, Global Director of Search at nZonemedia.comRhea Drysdale, COO at Outspoken MediaBrian Chappell, Social Search Strategist at Ignite Social MediaChris Bennett, Founder at 97th FloorAmy Vernon, Director of Viral Marketing Strategies at BlueGlass InteractiveTamar Weinberg, Author at ‘The New Community Rules’Cameron Olthuis, Director of Audience Development at ClickerJoanna Lord, Director of Customer Acquisition at SEOmoz.orgGeordie Carswell, Co-Founder at Diversion Marketing Inc.Marty Weintraub, President at AimClearChristoph Cemper, CEO at LinkResearchToolsAndrew Shotland, Proprietor at Local SEO GuideDavid Mihm, COO at GetListed.organd Many More…

In addition to discussion panels with industry experts, attendees can expect complimentary breakfasts and lunches, powerful nightly networking events and an intimate forum optimal for building business relationships and exchanging ideas that enable longevity in the marketplace. Register Today : http://blueglassfl.eventbrite.com/

Loren Baker is the Editor in Chief of Search Engine Journal and a Managing Partner at Search & Social. Involved in SEO for more than a decade, Loren launched SEJ in 2003 with the goal to share search marketing information and reporting on happenings in search.

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Online marketing class helps business owners be found online - Ahwatukee Foothills News

Posted: Saturday, September 25, 2010 4:00 pm | Updated: 4:28 pm, Thu Sep 23, 2010.

Internet marketing expert Dr. Ron Marek will present the online marketing class "How You Can ‘Be Found' Online By Your Customers" from 8 to 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 28, in the second floor seminar room at Hotel Tempe, 1660 W. Elliot Road, Tempe.

The following topics will be covered: what it takes for your website to be on the first page on Google and Yahoo, what a blog is and how it helps your business, what videos do for the online ranking of your business, how important keywords are in your website ranking, how to spot a good SEO service provider and one that is a fake, what back linking is and why you need it for your website, how to get more leads from your website, how important footprints are on your website, tricks to saving hundred of dollars each month with Pay-Per-Click campaigns, and current, up-to-the moment information shared on organic online marketing.

The cost is $35 per person, and seating is limited.

For more information or to reserve your seat, contact Christine at (480) 456-4700.

View the original article here

BlueGlass FL : Online Marketing Conference at Ft. Lauderdale's Hard Rock - Search Engine Journal

But wait, there’s more ;)

Additional speakers and panelists include :

View the original article here

Google, MTSU hosting free online marketing seminar - Nashville Business Journal

Middle Tennessee State University and Google will host a pair of free workshops in Nashville next week to help small business owners improve their online marketing efforts.

The events will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 28 and from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 29, and will cover topics such as finding new customers, knowing how customers use your site, and how to get your business feature on Google Maps.

The event will be held at the Scarritt-Bennett Center, Laskey C, at 1008 19th Ave. S, 37212.

For more information, and to register, click here.

Dan Hieb coordinates coverage for nashvillebusinessjournal.com, as well as for the Nashville Business Journal's Open for Business and New to Nashville profiles. He can be reached at dhieb@bizjournals.com or 615-846-4278.

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The basis of Search Engine Optimization in online marketing - FPRD (press release)

Search engine optimization is a kind of complicated methods that help to improve the placing of a website in the search results of the major online search engines. This is because most consumers see the details that they need through the major search engines like those provided by Google, Yahoo, Bing, and AOL, the rank of the online website in the search engine results is a very vital thing in deciding how many searchers will see and look the page.

There are lots of methods that can be used when utilizing search engine optimization. One of the first method that web masters avail search engine optimization is to increase the count and location of keywords on the website that users are possibly to use when browsing for services and goods proffered by the website. Most search engines list a page depend on keyword phrases and many times annex value if the keyword arrive within some concentration level. The warning in this case is that many search engines will reduce the web page ranking if the keyword repeats so many times since it is noticed as a try to cheat the search engine. Keyword SEO utilizes not only keyword concentration but also keyword positioning. Most search engines put higher importance on keyword terms that are positioned in HTML header tags and page titles.

Another way of search engine optimization is to improve the count of links to the website being optimized. Many search engine enterprises outline their algorithms with the belief that a webpage that is greatly linked to be more possibly to proffer quality content than a page that has no links to it. Many webmasters use this technique to increase the search engine optimization of their website. Because of this, many search engines now under estimate to and fro links in favor of one way link. This signifies that a major target of latest search engine optimization is the maintenance and creation of one way links.

Sine one of the major targets of the search engine optimization professional is to improve the count of one way links, lots of techniques have been developed to attain this target. One of the excellent techniques to make one way links is to give testimonials on webpage. These methods will generally produce a link to the testimonial provider’s webpage. Another technique to make one way link is to create posting on internet message boards and place the web page URL in the base line.

SEO is an important factor of any internet marketing plan. By placing a web site rank highly in search engine results, it is likely to improve the count of visitors to the website.

Rohit Walia a India based seo specialist specialising in organic search engine optimisation.For more information about SEO Company India, Hire SEO Expert visit http://www.expertsonweb.com/

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Saturday 25 September 2010

Eastbourne man to sky dive for stop smoking charity - Eastbourne Today

A YOUNG man who lost two of his family to smoking-related diseases is taking on a charity skydive to raise awareness for a UK stop smoking charity.Twenty-five year-old Ben Pike, a sales consultant from Midway Quay, Eastbourne, will be battling his nerves as he plunges from 15,000 feet in the air during a sunset sky dive on Sunday, September 19 at the North London Parachute Club in Cambridge.

He was determined to take on the challenge to help raise money for national charity QUIT, after both his father and grandfather died as a result of smoking.
The independent charity aims to save lives by helping smokers to kick the habit has helped more than two million people across the UK to stop smoking.

"My dad and granddad both passed away in the last two years and that has really spurred me on to do something to help people quit smoking," said Ben.
"Doing a sky dive is something I have always wanted to do because it is something completely different, but more than anything I want to make people aware of how smoking can affect you.

"A lot of my friends smoke and think 'it's my life'. At the end of the day if you have got kids and family that care about you, why do it to yourself?
"Losing my dad affected me for a long long time and I don't want other people to go through that," he said.

To sponsor Ben, visit his fundraising page at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Skydive2

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E-Cigarettes Ads Claiming They Help People Stop Smoking Are Illegal: FDA - AboutLawsuits.com

Published: September 10th, 2010 • Comments: 4

Federal regulators are warning electronic cigarette manufacturers that marketing claims that suggest the devices help people quit smoking are unfounded and illegal.

The FDA issued warning letters to five electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) makers on Thursday, in the latest move in an ongoing battle between FDA and the burgeoning industry regarding the agency’s right to regulate the devices. The letters were sent to E-CigaretteDirect LLC, Ruyan America Inc., Gamucci America (Smokey Bayou Inc.), E-Cig Technology Inc. and Johnson’s Creek Enterprises LLC. In some cases, the companies were also warned that they had poor manufacturing standards as well.

E-Cigarettes are battery-powered devices, usually shaped like a pen, cigarette or cigar, which heat up a flavored nicotine solution when the user inhales. The resulting vapors are inhaled in the same manner as smoking a cigarette.

The warning letters state that all five companies have run ads claiming that their products can be used to help quit smoking. The FDA has determined that the liquid in E-cigarettes is a drug and that the E-cigarettes themselves are drug-delivery devices, which the manufacturers dispute. The FDA says in its letters that it is illegal for the manufacturers to claim their drugs can be used as a smoking cessation treatment without FDA approval first. The agency says the companies have conducted no clinical trials or shown scientific evidence supporting their claims.

The FDA has said that it has not had the opportunity to evaluate e-cigarettes for safety or effectiveness, and that limited laboratory studies have raised concerns about the manufacturing process and quality control processes that the FDA says appears to be “substandard or non-existent.” The federal regulatory agency has also indicated that E-cigarettes contain toxins and carcinogens.

In addition to the warning regarding the claims that the devices can aid people to stop smoking, the FDA also warned Johnson Creek Enterprises that it found significant deficiencies in its manufacturing process, and that the company did not appear to have any quality control or testing procedures as required by the FDA. Johnson Creek makes Smoke Juice, a liquid used to refill E-cigarette cartridges.

The FDA also warned E-Cig Technology that it is marketing the erectile dysfunction drug, tadalafil, and the weight loss drug, rimonabant, illegally as refill cartridges for e-cigarettes. Rimonabant has not been approved for use in the U.S.

The FDA’s jurisdiction has been challenged in court by E-cigarette manufacturers. The agency has been stopping shipments of E-cigarettes, a Chinese invention, at the borders for examination, which has developed into an ongoing legal battle.

E-Cigarettes are sold mostly at mall kiosks and through the internet. The FDA is also concerned that the devices appear to be directly marketed to young people, do not contain any health warnings, and are currently virtually unregulated. They come in flavors such as bubblegum, chocolate, and mint.

Public health experts expressed concern that the cigarettes could increase nicotine addiction in young people, and that they are being marketed as being safer than they really are.

Tags: Cigarette, E-Cigarette, Electronic Cigarette

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Friday 24 September 2010

Medical: Docs find different responses to stop-smoking treatments - Seattle Times

Addiction to nicotine is hardly a one-size-fits-all problem.

Scientists have a growing portfolio of evidence that tobacco smoke impacts the DNA of different people in different ways, that individual smokers inhale differently and, conversely, that tools used to try and break addiction don't work the same in everyone.

One study reported in July that humans have at least 323 genes whose expression levels are affected by smoking behaviors.

Researchers from the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in San Antonio studied white blood cells taken from 1,240 people, including 297 current smokers, to identify changes in gene expression from exposure to cigarette smoke.

"The scale at which exposure to cigarette smoke appears to influence the expression levels of our genes is sobering," said Jac Charlesworth, lead author of the study published in the British journal BMC Medical Genomics.

Her team found significant changes in the smokers' expression of genes that influence immune response, cell death, cancer and metabolism of foreign particles compared to what was seen among nonsmokers.

While the Texas study looked at the impact of tobacco smoke deep inside cells, another study, reported in August by scientists at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found a new way to test the amount of chemicals that individual smokers are taking in each time they puff.

Unlike data gathered from machines smoking cigarettes, the chemical analysis developed by CDC chemist Clifford Watson and colleagues offers an individual profile of "mouth-level exposure to the harmful substances in tobacco smoke,"the researcher said.

The researchers removed filters from cigarette butts and measured the levels of a signature chemical, called solanesol, that occurs naturally in tobacco and is viewed as a good indicator of other chemical compounds in tobacco smoke — there are more than 7,000.

Armed with such personalized data, the researchers say, doctors can better understand the health risks faced by individual smokers based on how they smoke. The information could also help guide health providers in designing treatments and therapy to help a person stop smoking.

DNA variations may also help plot how people can best quit smoking. Researchers at the University of North Carolina reported last spring that they had found three genetic regions associated with the number of cigarettes smoked per day, another tied to smoking initiation and a third one tied to smoking cessation.

While the gene variants reported in the journal Nature Genetics aren't yet ready to use in diagnosing addiction risk or plotting treatment, the researchers believe their findings move closer to customized smoking-cessation treatment.

Surveys consistently show that about 70 percent of the nation's 46 million smokers want to quit, yet long-term quit rates even among those who use patches and other nicotine substitutes are less than 25 percent.

Scientists with the National Institute on Drug Abuse and Duke University have already been trying to match nicotine skin-patch doses to groups of genetic markers to predict a likelihood of quitting and what patch would work best with which variants.

The Duke-NIDA study reported in July involved 479 smokers who smoked at least 10 cigarettes a day and wanted to quit. Each was tested for genetic patterns that other research had shown appear to influence how well an individual might respond to specific cessation treatments and assigned a "quit-success score" based on those markers. A short questionnaire was also used to assess the level of nicotine dependence for each smoker.

The smokers were randomly assigned to wear two nicotine skin patches delivering a high (42 milligram) or low (21 milligram) dose for two weeks before their quit date and gradually weaned from the patches over 10 weeks.

When the patients were checked after six months, the researchers found that the genetic score helped predict successful abstinence. "People who had both high nicotine dependence and a low or unfavorable quit-success genetic score seemed to benefit markedly from the high-dose nicotine patch, while people who had less dependence on nicotine did better on the standard patch," said Jed Rose, director of Duke's Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation Research.

Rose noted that the study needs to be repeated and also include other cessation therapies, but predicted, "Within three to five years, it's conceivable we'll have a practical test that could take the guesswork out of choosing a smoking-cessation therapy."

Contact Lee Bowman at BowmanL@shns.com

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Why America can't stop smoking: 5 theories - The Week Magazine

posted on September 13, 2010, at 6:46 AM

One in five Americans still smoke, a statistic that hasn't changed since 2005. Photo: Corbis

Best Opinion: Time, Wash. Post, BusinessWeek...

Despite the best intentions of the health lobby, smoking rates in the U.S. have now remained level for five years. One in five Americans still smokes, a statistic that hasn't changed since 2005. Before that, the rate dropped every year for four decades. Why has the decline in smoking rates stalled?

1. It's the recession, stupid
The study links greater cigarette use to "poverty and lower educational attainment," says Alice Park at Time. During a recession, those are always going to be on the rise. Not only that, says Rob Stein at The Washington Post, but programs to curb smoking have "suffered in recent years as cash-strapped states [shift] resources elsewhere."

2. The lack of a unified health-care system
You can criticize Obamacare all you want, says Tom Randall at BusinessWeek, but the "health-care overhaul is expected to reduce the number of smokers." The 32 million people currently uninsured will have new access to health programs that help smokers quit.

3. The tobacco industry is getting smarter
After years of losing business to anti-smoking campaigns and regulation, the "tobacco industry has gotten better at sidestepping government efforts to minimize smoking," says Thomas H. Maugh II at the Los Angeles Times. Price discounts and tobacco lozenges help attract children and new customers to the habit.

4. The government is getting lazier
The nation's policymakers need to "take more aggressive steps" in the fight against smoking, says American Heart Association chief executive Nancy Brown, quoted in The Hill. When the government takes "bold action," it gets people to quit. Unfortunately, many of our leaders are too "shortsighted" to see that.

5. Taxing smokers doesn't work
States across America have "experimented with massive cigarette tax increases" to raise revenues and encourage people to quit, says James Ledbetter at Slate. But while revenues have soared, the number of quitters has stayed level. Perhaps that would change if they used that revenue to pay for anti-smoking efforts — but not one of the 14 states that raised cigarette taxes in 2009 is using the extra money on "anti-smoking efforts."

View the original article here

Why America can't stop smoking: 5 theories - The Week Magazine

posted on September 13, 2010, at 6:46 AM

One in five Americans still smoke, a statistic that hasn't changed since 2005. Photo: Corbis

Best Opinion: Time, Wash. Post, BusinessWeek...

View the original article here

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Stop smoking classes slated - Maryville Daily Times

From Staff Reports
Originally published: September 21. 2010 3:01AM
Last modified: September 20. 2010 9:00PM

A series of seven smoking cessation classes will begin at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at the East Tennessee Medical Group Community Room, 266 Joule St, Alcoa.

The classes will continue on Oct. 11, 12, 13, 14, 18 and 25. They will focus on the steps smokers can take to become smoke-free.

The classes will be taught by medical doctors, including Dr. Larry Rahn, Dr. David Saxon, Dr. Lewis Sommerville, Dr. Richard Stanley, and Dr. Fred Tolhurst.

The event is open to the public at a cost of $10 per person; scholarships are available.

For more information and to register, call Faye Beckner at 865-693-3330 or fayebeckner@comcast.net. The class is sponsored by the Maryville Seventh-day Adventist Church and the East Tennessee Medical Group.

This story was edited for presentation on the Web. Additional information and details are available for subscribers only. If you want every word of Blount County's best news and information source you can get home delivery and e-edition subscriptions here. Nobody knows Blount better than The Daily Times, your hometown newspaper for 125 years and counting.

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Thursday 23 September 2010

Salvation Army offers free stop smoking classes - Sheboygan Press

The Sheboygan Salvation Army is starting a new series of free classes to help low-income individuals stop smoking.

The series runs on Sept. 21, Sept. 28, Oct. 5, Oct. 7, Oct. 12, Oct. 19, and Oct. 26. They all begin at 1 p.m. at The Salvation Army, 710 Pennsylvania Ave.

Using the "Freedom from Smoking" model, trained instructors teach individuals who are interested in quitting smoking. The classes take a holistic approach toward smoking dependency. Attendees will learn about the hazards of smoking, be provided with group support, and offered smoking cessation products at no cost to the participants. The program is open to all persons without medical insurance or on medical assistance. It is not available to persons with private health insurance.

This project is made possible with funding from the Wisconsin Tobacco Prevention and Control Program through the Wisconsin Tobacco Prevention and Poverty Network, and it is part of The Salvation Army's ongoing effort to promote a healthy community.

"We are fortunate to be able to offer this program to anyone interested in being smoke free," said Pam Sandee, clinic coordinator of The Salvation Army Red Shield Free Clinic, in a press release.

For more information on the smoking cessation classes go to www.sasheboygan.org, call (920) 458-3723, Ext. 32, or visit The Salvation Army building.

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Texting program aims to help Louisville teens stop smoking - Louisville Courier-Journal

Teenagers may soon be receiving more texts.

But instead of messages detailing what time to meet their friends at the mall, these texts are aimed at helping them give up smoking.

The Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness rolled out a program Tuesday morning that will use daily texting to remind teens to stop smoking or not to pick up the habit at all.

Known Health department director Dr. Adewale Troutman said at a downtown press conference that the ButtOut Program is just one more step in promoting healthier lifestyles among young people.

Troutman told those gathered that Kentucky ranks worst of all 50 states in the percentage of smokers between the ages of 12 to 17, according to a report released this year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

?There is a need for us to address this issue as early as we possibly can,? he said. Troutman also said the program is a useful alternative to other quitting methods for teens because some options or devices such as nicotine patches or gum are not available to minors.

The program works by texting KY to 30644. Teenagers then will receive three text messages daily reminding them not to pick up a cigarette or cigar. Participants also can sign up by visiting www.buttoutlouisville.com or calling 574-STOP (7867).

An example of one text reads: ?U may feel mad, sad, anxious, sleepy or cranky. U may have headaches or nightmares. THIS IS ONLY TEMPORARY!?

Troutman said the texts will address teens who are trying to quit smoking and experiencing withdrawal as well as teens who are thinking of starting. It is also available for adults, but the ButtOut texts for the teens will be a little more ?gritty? and aggressive, said Ellie Schweizer, community health supervisor for the department?s tobacco prevention and secession program.

She said more than 190 text messages will be used.

There is no cost to sign up for the program, but only individuals with unlimited text plans will result in no fees through their cell phone provider. Though it could prove pricey for individuals who have to pay for each text.

(2 of 2)

To promote the anti-smoking program, Schweizer enlisted rappers Ron Clutch and B. Stille, of the Kentucky hip hop group Nappy Roots. Both spoke at the press conference.

?We?ve always been concerned with the young people, especially in Kentucky,? B. Stille said about his fellow group members. ?It?s a shame what the statistics show.?

The CDC also reported that 61 percent of teens who smoke have tried to quit, but only 12 percent were successful, according to information released by the health department.

B. Stille said he and the group are planning appearances at schools and radio messages to help get the word out about the program.

The program will also use a group of high school students from Fern Creek and Iroquois high schools, called the ButtOut Squad, to spread the message. Several members of the squad were at the announcement Tuesday, including Fern Creek senior Elizabeth Morrow.

Morrow said she knows how difficult it can be to stop smoking.

She went through withdrawals when she quit and said a program like ButtOut would have been helpful. ?It would have made it easier,? she said.

Reporter Chris Quay can be reached at (502) 582-4241.

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