Erin Lavery, Senior Supervisor, Service Delivery:   A recent article in Yahoo! News outlines how Americans who smoke have increased their tobacco intake since the economic downturn has begun. This trend is alarming to those of us in the business of helping people quit smoking, but it’s also no surprise. For people addicted to nicotine, smoking often becomes a coping skill to get through challenging times. When family members die, their cigarettes console them in their grief. When ... [More]

Erin Lavery, Senior Supervisor, Service Delivery:   Sometimes, the last thing our participants want to hear from a helping professional is, “I know how you feel.” It makes them wonder if we really do. Even though many of us have quit in our past, we are separated from that moment by time and experience. In short, we may have a pretty good idea of where you are coming from, but we don’t know how you feel. This fact highlights an issue faced by many of our participants. Quitting tob... [More]

Erin Lavery, Senior Supervisor, Service Delivery:   I can spot them by the words they choose. These participants say things like, “My husband says I should quit” or, “My doctor says that I should stop smoking before the surgery.” They talk a lot about what people around them say they should do. They say “should” a lot. One thing they don’t say is, “I want to quit.” These people are a different kind of participant. They aren’t staring down their cigarettes with anger or determi... [More]