Tobacco

Tobacco

GMU Smokers: visit Quit Smoking, the GMU smoking cessation website

Resources to Quit

Stress & Tobacco

Resources to Quit:

Program

Cost

Program Length

Contact Information

Arlington Hospital - Quit for Good
$40

Meets twice a week for two weeks

703-558-6740

Faquier Hospital - Quit Smart Program
$150 payable at evaluation

Five 1-hour meetings

1-800-322-7500

Potomac Hospital - Self Guided Smoke Stoppers
$75 includes one-on-one counseling

By appointment

Kim Haney

703-670-1877

INOVA Health Services - Freedom from Nicotine
$118

Six sessions

703-204-3366

Kaiser Permanente - Commit to Quit
free to members, $5 for non-members

Two hour class

1-800-444-6696

Manassas Community Service
Free

One weekly session for four weeks

703-792-7739

NoVa Counseling Center Hypnotherapy
$300.00

Three sessions

703-237-8801

GMU Student Health Services
Free to GMU students

By appointment

703-993-2830

Check out other resources to quit smoking:

http://www.gmu.edu/student/quitsmoking/
www.lungusa.org
www.tobaccofreekids.org
www.ash.org
www.cancer.org
www.cdc.gov
www.ahcpr.gov/clinic/quitsmok.htm
www.smokefreekids.com/smoke.htm
www.americanheart.org
www.quitnet.org

Information by Phone
Student Health Services: (703) 993-2833
ACS: 1-800-ACS-2345
NIDA: 1-800-662-4357
Cancer Institute: 1-800-4-CANCER
CDC: 1-800-CDC-1311
Health Education Services: (703) 993-3690

Ex-Nicotine Support Groups

Nicotine Anonymous
Alexandria: Mon & Wed - 8pm
Falls Church, DC, and Maryland: Sat - 4pm
For more information, call 978-7545

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Smoking and Stress

Q: How can I quit smoking with all the stress I am under?

A: So, you feel smoking soothes you, makes you feel better, and reduces your stress? Actually, it’s creating stress for you - addiction. Don’t believe it? Keep reading. If you smoke to calm yourself before or after an exam or other stressful event, you probably feel immediate gratification. But it’s not gratification from stress reduction, it’s gratification for your body’s chemical need for nicotine. You’re like a puppet being controlled by nicotine and answering to its every demand. In studies, smokers indicate they feel "relaxed" when they smoke, but these same smokers also report a higher incidence of mood fluctuations, with "normal moods during smoke inhalation followed by periods of increased stress between cigarettes." Smokers also report patterns of irritability and stress around the time that they abstain from nicotine. So if cigarettes are so great at reducing stress, why are you still anxious? Apparently, the mood "benefits" of smoking amount to only the relief of withdrawal symptoms, not stress reduction. It is for this reason that people usually become anxious and agitated the first few days after they quit smoking, but by Day 14 withdrawal symptoms have often dissipated and if you feel anxious it’s probably because of the mid-term, and not because of nicotine withdrawal. With all the stress of college, isn’t it logical not to add one more item to the list? Addiction is stressful; nicotine is a stress inducer. Think about quitting.
Source: Parrott, Andy (1999). Does Cigarette Smoking Cause Stress? American Psychologist, 54, 817–820.
For more about smoking, cigarettes, and nicotine: http://www.gmu.edu/student/quitsmoking/

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Resources to Quit:
Program	Cost	Program Length	Contact Information
Arlington Hospital - Quit for Good	$40	Meets twice a week for two weeks	703-558-6740
Faquier Hospital - Quit Smart Program	$150 payable at evaluation	Five 1-hour meetings	1-800-322-7500
Potomac Hospital - Self Guided Smoke Stoppers	$75 includes one-on-one counseling	By appointment	Kim Haney 703-670-1877
INOVA Health Services - Freedom from Nicotine	$118	Six sessions	703-204-3366
Kaiser Permanente - Commit to Quit	free to members, $5 for non-members	Two hour class	1-800-444-6696
Manassas Community Service	Free	One weekly session for four weeks	703-792-7739
NoVa Counseling Center Hypnotherapy	$300.00	Three sessions	703-237-8801
GMU Student Health Services	Free to GMU students	By appointment	703-993-2830

Check out other resources to quit smoking: http://www.gmu.edu/student/quitsmoking/ www.lungusa.org www.tobaccofreekids.org www.ash.org www.cancer.org www.cdc.gov www.ahcpr.gov/clinic/quitsmok.htm www.smokefreekids.com/smoke.htm www.americanheart.org www.quitnet.org Information by Phone Student Health Services: (703) 993-2833 ACS: 1-800-ACS-2345 NIDA: 1-800-662-4357 Cancer Institute: 1-800-4-CANCER CDC: 1-800-CDC-1311 Health Education Services: (703) 993-3690 Ex-Nicotine Support Groups Nicotine Anonymous Alexandria: Mon & Wed - 8pm Falls Church, DC, and Maryland: Sat - 4pm For more information, call 978-7545 Back to top Smoking and Stress Q: How can I quit smoking with all the stress I am under? A: So, you feel smoking soothes you, makes you feel better, and reduces your stress? Actually, it’s creating stress for you - addiction. Don’t believe it? Keep reading. If you smoke to calm yourself before or after an exam or other stressful event, you probably feel immediate gratification. But it’s not gratification from stress reduction, it’s gratification for your body’s chemical need for nicotine. You’re like a puppet being controlled by nicotine and answering to its every demand. In studies, smokers indicate they feel "relaxed" when they smoke, but these same smokers also report a higher incidence of mood fluctuations, with "normal moods during smoke inhalation followed by periods of increased stress between cigarettes." Smokers also report patterns of irritability and stress around the time that they abstain from nicotine. So if cigarettes are so great at reducing stress, why are you still anxious? Apparently, the mood "benefits" of smoking amount to only the relief of withdrawal symptoms, not stress reduction. It is for this reason that people usually become anxious and agitated the first few days after they quit smoking, but by Day 14 withdrawal symptoms have often dissipated and if you feel anxious it’s probably because of the mid-term, and not because of nicotine withdrawal. With all the stress of college, isn’t it logical not to add one more item to the list? Addiction is stressful; nicotine is a stress inducer. Think about quitting. Source: Parrott, Andy (1999). Does Cigarette Smoking Cause Stress? American Psychologist, 54, 817–820. For more about smoking, cigarettes, and nicotine: http://www.gmu.edu/student/quitsmoking/ Back to top