Care for a puff of DDT? How about a drag of formaldehyde? Or maybe, a puff of arsenic?

Sound tasty?

The pesticide, embalming fluid and poisonous element are just some of the ingredients found in cigarette smoke.

According to a University of Minnesota Web site, with each puff of smoke the body is exposed to more than 4,000 chemicals. Over 50 of them cause cancer.

Thursday is the 27th annual observance of the Great American Smokeout, a day created to call attention to dangers associated with tobacco use.

Dr. Susan Swartz of the Center for Tobacco Independence at Maine Medical Center in Portland said that according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, 16 percent of the 228,000 adult smokers in Maine live in Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin counties.

She said telephone calls to the Maine Tobacco Helpline from that area represent 18 percent of the calls it gets. CTI manages the Helpline.

“We get an excellent distribution of calls from those three counties,” Swartz said.

She said the Helpline, 1-800-207-1230, is not a hotline.

“We deliver education and counseling over multiple sessions,” she said. “We focus on how to help people stop and get access to treatments scientifically proved to be effective.”

Swartz said the concept that “if you really want to quit you will” is a big myth, because every year more than 50 percent of adult smokers want to quit and try.

She said quitting is a process, not an event, and people having a hard time quitting should seek treatments to boost confidence and chances of success.

“Dependence on nicotine is similar to heroin in its ability to create dependence,” Swartz said.

She said medications, counseling and education are proven methods for smoking cessation.

“Our goal is to engage the smoker in the process and our Helpline specialists are trained to provide assistance,” Swartz said. “They’re supportive, non-judgmental and provide a treatment plan tailored to the caller.”

Swartz said quitting takes work – there is no magic smoking cessation pill.

In the tri-county area there are three organizations that are part of the 31 Healthy Maine Partnerships, formed from Maine’s share of the tobacco master settlement: Healthy Oxford Hills, 743-5933, ex. 776; Healthy Community Coalition, Farmington, 645-3136; and Healthy Androscoggin, 795-5991.

Healthy Oxford Hills offers tobacco cessation classes on Tuesdays and Thursday from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. and gives away “Quit Kits” designed to help smokers quit.

From Nov. 20 to Jan. 1, people can sign up for the “Quit and Win” program that offers a chance at $500 for anyone older than 18 who can stay smokeless until Feb. 14.

Healthy Community Coalition publishes a Grocery Gazette every month, which is distributed to the county’s grocery stores and handed out for free.

“We give out tips on quitting and stress relievers,” said Sandy Richards, program manager. “You have got to substitute your habit with something else. Everybody is different and it is important to have a variety of methods.”

The American Cancer Society, which sponsors the Great American Smokeout, promotes a year-round approach to help people quit smoking.

The ACS provides materials and technical support to schools, hospitals and groups or individuals promoting smoking cessation.

Kelly Seiler, cancer control associate for the ACS in Topsham, said it usually takes more than one intervention to get people to quit.

“Most of our materials are available on Web sites. People can download information they need and link to other Web sites,” said Seiler.

The ACS Web site is www.cancer.org. The Topsham office phone number is 207-373-3700.

jsmedley@sunjournal.com

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