Leave smoking behind during Great American Smokeout

Charlie Norwood VA encourages Veterans to leave smoking behind during Great American Smokeout AUGUSTA, Ga. — Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center is encouraging Georgia and South Carolina Veterans to take the first step to stop smoking as part of the annual Great American Smokeout on Nov. 19 to improve their physical and mental health.

“According to our research, counseling can improve one’s chances of quitting,” said Dr. Robin E. Jackson, director of Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center. “And combining counseling with medication works better using either medication or counseling alone.”

VA’s smoking counseling programs are among the most effective tools available for Veterans who want to permanently stop smoking. VA health care providers can help Veterans explore the role tobacco plays in their daily routine, including the activities or situations that trigger someone to use tobacco products. These triggers can include talking on the phone, drinking coffee or alcohol or feeling bored or stressed. VA providers work with Veterans to develop strategies for coping with those triggers and to tailor plans for quitting that will fit into each Veteran’s everyday life.

In addition to counseling, VA provides other services designed to help Veterans stop smoking, including prescription medications, nicotine-replacement products like gum and patches and resources such as Quit VET and SmokefreeVET.

For more information about tobacco cessation through Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, e-mail vhaaugpublicaffairs@va.gov and www.mentalhealth.va.gov/quit-tobacco.

Derrick Smith, Public Affairs Officer