MEXICO — The River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition will hold a four-part smoking cessation workshop in February, employee Kelsey Arsenault said Wednesday.

The program will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Feb. 4, 11, 18 and 25, at the Region 9 Adult Education Center.

The Feb. 18 meeting will be a one-on-one discussion via phone, Arsenault said.

Arsenault, who serves as the Drug Free Community Program coordinator for the River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition, said an employee with the Healthy Maine Partnership group reported that someone in the Rumford area was looking for a program that helps people quit smoking.

“When it comes to smoking cessation, there’s not a lot of sources out there, compared to other things,” Arsenault said. “There’s Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, but there’s not as many programs out there to help you quit smoking.”

Arsenault said she led a smoking cessation workshop in Farmington as part of her college internship and found it to be successful.

“I was asked if I’d want to lead a smoking cessation workshop here in the Rumford region, and I said that I’d love to do it,” she said.

Among the topics are how to manage stress, exploring self-empowerment and goal-setting.

“This isn’t just a program that tells you over and over, ‘Hey, you need to quit smoking,’” Arsenault said. “Instead, it’s about working with smokers and giving them the tools needed to overcome difficulties. We’ll be working on goal-setting each week, and increasing their self-confidence so they can learn strategies for quitting on their own.”

There is limited space available for the program. To register, contact Arsenault at 207-364-7408.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com

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