Aimee Schiefelbein, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   "I think I want to quit but my parents and all of my friends smoke. I just don't know how I am going to do it because they won't quit." As a Quit Coach, this is something I hear often from teenagers. Furthermore, the teen I am talking with usually has ambivalence about quitting in the first place, as many don't relate to the long-term health impact or have incentive to quit in the first place. A recent study by the University of ... [More]

Krista Gilbert, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   It can be easy to get overwhelmed by the tobacco problem. Tobacco is still the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. Every day I talk to people suffering from emphysema or heart disease and tobacco is largely to blame. I talk to people whose budgets are drained by the price of their habit and whose families are begging them to quit. Tobacco takes its toll. But then I take a step back and look at the BIG picture. I think of w... [More]

Jason Kalivas, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   A participant asked me recently how long it takes being quit before there are no more cravings for nicotine, at all, ever. "It's different for everyone," I said. "Some people never miss it; for some people it takes years; and for some those cravings never go away, but just become manageable." I'd learned it in Free & Clear University, while training to be a Quit Coach. I'd heard it from participants on the phone. I know that it's a true ans... [More]

Ryan Crawford, Quit Coach Supervisor, Service Delivery:   A friend came to me recently, heartbroken. She and her husband have been together for 10 years. He was her first love. And now, they’re getting a divorce. We thought they were great together. Sure, he smelled bad, but we let that go because she loved him so much. He was always with her at parties, always there to celebrate the fun times with her. He was there in the hard times too, when she had stressful days, when she felt... [More]

Ryan Crawford, Quit Coach Supervisor, Service Delivery:   If any country on earth is culturally defined through cigarettes, it’s Spain. Butts crushed on the stone streets, olive-skinned Sevillanos taking drags in the late hours of Féria, smoke misting every bar in Barcelona—it seems you forget that real air actually exists in Spanish public until you get back to the smoke-free airport for your return flight. Until now. Spain is considering a revolutionary, culture-warp... [More]

John Seidler, Professional Relations Director:   During the current recession, organizations are looking for cost savings wherever they can find them. There is particular pressure on employers’ benefits managers to try to reduce those ever increasing health care costs. There has never been a better time to contain cost increases by implementing a program like Free & Clear’s Quit For Life® Program. Free & Clear happens to be in the right place at the right time. Our customer base a... [More]

Crystal Mackay, Scheduling and Workflow Associate, Service Delivery:   The recent tax increase on tobacco products is causing many people to scramble for their phones in a rush to seek help in quitting.  According to USA Today, there has been a tidal wave of calls flooding tobacco quit lines since Wednesday, April 1st, the day the increase took effect.  Free & Clear’s 17 state quit lines alone were up 369% from the same day in 2008.  This poses the question: How can a hotline help me qu... [More]

Ryan Crawford, Quit Coach Supervisor, Service Delivery:   The state of Virginia is following suit with many other states and is expected to enact a smoking ban. This ban, as with other states’ precedents, would restrict tobacco use in public places and businesses. According to a recent article, small tobacco-focused Virginia businesses are concerned that the ban will threaten their livelihood. In addition, the controversial law is under political scrutiny. Some argue that the ban ... [More]

Liane Claassen, Quit Coach III, Service Delivery:   The office hours at Free & Clear are from 5:00am- midnight PST, seven days a week. Yep, we’re indeed that dedicated, because offering professional services to those interested in improving their lives is what we choose to do for a living. Now, does that schedule have an impact on our own way of living? You bet! The job of a Free & Clear coach is very detail-oriented; it requires lots of concentration and emotional energy. We need... [More]

Kristine Carabeo, Quit Coach Supervisor, Service Delivery:   With the New Year has come countless resolutions, and at Free & Clear we have been busy helping with one of the most popular -- quitting smoking! For so many, January 1 is a great time to kick the habit. The first of the year means a fresh start, new beginnings, and a chance to leave behind the past. But one particular person’s quit has taken center stage. President-Elect Barack Obama touts change and hope and who has un... [More]