Great American Smokeout spreads the word

Nov 20, 2008 (Kokomo Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- GTAM | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Tracy Fleener had tried and failed, tried and failed.

A smoker since her teens, Fleener had wanted to quit her pack-a-day habit since her mid-20s. Six months was the longest she'd managed to hold out against the urge.

So when a traveling hypnotist was making a stop in Kokomo last year, Fleener was at the point where she thought she might as well give it a try.

In a local hotel conference room, with the lights dimmed, Fleener listened to ambient sounds and the soothing voice of the hypnotist. She said she never had a moment when she felt as if she'd been truly "under" any kind of spell, no moment when she regained consciousness.

"We kind of got in a relaxed state, but you're not 'out of it' like you might think," she said. "You heard what he was saying the whole time."

One of the things he was saying, she recalled, was a fairly vivid description of licking an ashtray.

The woman sitting next to her didn't find much help, she said, and lit up as soon as the session ended.

But Fleener must have truly wanted to quit.

A week or so later, she was at home with her husband, Mitchell Fleener, who was having a smoke on the front porch. She decided she wanted a drag off his cigarette.

When she took that drag, she said, it tasted exactly how she'd imagined licking an ashtray would taste.

That puff, on March 8, 2007, was the last time she's smoked.

She doesn't want to repeat that experiment.

"All it takes is that one cigarette. I know if I pick up that one cigarette again, that's all it takes. And I don't want to go back to it again," she said.

Today, the day of the Great American Smokeout, many of the nation's estimated 45 million smokers will be reminded of the dangers of smoking, and the benefits of quitting.

American Cancer Society officials estimate some 44 percent of those smokers have tried to quit for at least one day in the past year.

But anyone who's tried to quit likely knows the sort of frustration Tracy Fleener went through for years.

She admits being forced outside to smoke at Chrysler and local restaurants, the rising price of cigarettes, and her own health problems all made her want to quit.

Whether she got lucky at her hypnotism session makes no difference to her. She wants to stay quit, and she's already beaten tall odds.

According to the Cancer Society, studies have shown individuals in Fleener's situation stand a better chance of quitting when surrounded by a support group.

This year, they're urging individuals to try the American Cancer Society Quitline at (800) 227-2345, where people who plan to quit will be able to speak with a trained counselor and receive free, confidential counseling.

The Indiana Tobacco Prevention Coalition has its own quit line, (800) QUIT-NOW, which offers two weeks of free nicotine gum for people willing to enroll in a stop smoking program.

"Callers to Quitline can be connected with smoking-cessation resources in their communities, social support groups, Internet resources, and medication-assistance referrals," society officials said.

Since its inception in 2000, Quitline has provided counseling support to more than 380,000 smokers.

Smokers and their loved ones can also check out the society's Web site at www.cancer.org/GreatAmericans, which offers tips and tools for friends, family and co-workers of potential quitters to help them be aware and supportive of the struggle to quit smoking.

Tracy said Mitchell has tried to help by smoking outside the house. With a history of heart problems in his family, he wants to quit, but like many smokers, it seems a huge mountain to climb.

"I have stress, and stress can kill you, too," he said. "Sometimes I think smoking helps me get rid of the stress."

But he's also seen Tracy deal with life smoke-free.

"When she'd get upset, that's when she'd smoke a bunch. She'd be walking through the house, lighting up one off the other," he said.

Now she's regretting she didn't quit sooner. Both of their children -- ages 20 and 21 -- smoke.

"When I was younger, they'd tell me to quit smoking. Now I'm telling them to quit smoking," she said.

"A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that social networks are helpful in quitting smoking," said Jim Leslie, American Cancer Society associate director. "Friends and family can help the most by being aware and supportive of the struggle to quit, and the American Cancer Society has resources to help them show support for their loved one who is trying to quit."

Shirley Dubois, Howard County Tobacco Coalition Coordinator, will be at the YMCA from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. today, with a local youth anti-tobacco group, handing out T-shirts to those wanting to quit.

"Even if you can only quit for half a day, it's a start. You can do it for half a day, you can do it for a day. But quit forever, and you can be done," she said. "It's never too late to quit."

Scott Smith may be reached at (765) 454-8569 or via e-mail at scott.smith@kokomotribune.com

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