Helping Family and Friends To Be Smoke Free

Parents Are Key To Prevention of Smoking

• Make your home and cars smoke-free. Families can take the "Smoke-Free Home Pledge" by calling 1-866-SMOKE-FREE (1-866-766-5337) or visit the EPA website at www.epa.gov/smokefree

• Make sure your children understand it is NOT ok to experiment with any tobacco products

• Communicate short-term as well as long-term health consequences of using tobacco, such as yellow teeth, bad breath, wrinkles, shortness of breath, and cancer

• Set a good example. Children with parents who smoke are at higher risk of becoming smokers themselves

When A Friend Or Family Member Uses Tobacco

• Don't be afraid to approach a friend or family member about quitting.Your encouragement shows you care

• Be supportive and non-threatening when someone is trying to quit

• Know that each quit attempt brings a person closer to remaining tobacco-free

• When someone is ready to quit he/she should talk with a health care provider

If You Smoke - It's time to quit. Until you quit, don't smoke or handle tobacco products in front of friends and family. If you have children, explain to them it's a bad habit you hope to break.

Health Care Providers Can Help

Providers Can:

• Address concerns you have about your own tobacco use or that of a friend or family member

• Link people to useful resources such as local hospital quit-smoking programs, convenient telephone quitlines, and informative websites.

• Discuss, recommend or prescribe medication to help smokers quit

Read a book together All Families Love a Good Book

For Ages 4-8 - Jimmie Boogie Learns About Smoking, by Tim C. Brenneman

For Ages 9-12 - Smoking Stinks, by Kim Gosselin

For Parents - Combating Teen Smoking Research and Policy Strategies, by Peter D. Jacobson (Editor)

For Everyone - Kids Say Don't Smoke "Posters from the NY City Smoke-Free Contest by Andrew Tobias

Newton-Wellesley Hospital has donated copies of these books to the main libraries in Needham, Newton, Waltham, Wellesley, and Weston, Massachusetts

Know The Facts:

• Tobacco causes more deaths than alcohol, drugs, AIDS, motor vehicle accidents, suicides, and homicides COMBINED

• Nicotine is more addictive than cocaine, heroin, or any other drug

• Each day more than 4,000 children are trying their first cigarette

• Nicotine addiction can occur after smoking only a few cigarettes

• In the western suburbs of Boston, by senior year of high school at least 50% of students report trying cigarettes

The foregoing information was gathered from several sources, including: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Environmental Protection Agency, Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Resources For Quitting Smoking:

• The X-Pack, designed for 18-24 year olds. Available at the Newton-Wellesley Hospital Gift Shop, at www.x-pack.org or call (503) 294-0554

• Quit smoking classes are available through the Wellness Center at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. For more information, please call (617) 243-6566 or toll-free at (866) 694-3627

• For adolescents and families, the school nurse can be an excellent resource

• Massachusetts Quit Line and Website: www.trytostop.org 1-800-TRY-TO-STOP (1-800-879-8678) (In English) 1-800-8-DEJALO (1-800-833-5256) (In Spanish and Portuguese)1-800-TDD-1477 (1-800-833-1477) (For Deaf/Hard of Hearing)

• A comprehensive list of national resources for quitting can be found at: www.cdc.gov/tobacco/how2quit.htm

General Tobacco Control Information for Friends and Families:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov/tobacco/edumat.htm

• American Cancer Society www.cancer.org

• National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaigns Web site at www.TheAntiDrug.com

A Word From The President of Newton-Wellesley Hospital

"We all know friends, family members, and teenagers who use tobacco or may be thinking about starting. Many people walk through the doors of NWH for medical care as a consequence of their tobacco use or from being exposed to someone else's smoke. The Newton-Wellesley Hospital Tobacco Control Initiative is a collaborative effort with concerned members of the community and the MassGeneral Hospital for Children to address tobacco use. We are committed to giving our friends and families the best chance to be tobacco-free."

Michael S. Jellinek, MD, President, Newton-Wellesley Hospital

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Copyright Newton Wellesley Hospital http://www.nwh.org