Tobacco Cessation Program
- Set your quit date today
- Register now
- How does it work?
- Health benefits of quitting
- Cleveland Clinic's Tobacco Treatment Clinic Web site
- Real age 10-step guide to quitting smoking
Set your quit date today and start saving!
Cleveland Clinic’s Tobacco Treatment Center is based on the latest scientific knowledge and offers a customized plan to help when you are ready to quit the tobacco habit. Whether you smoke, chew or dip, the program offers the one-on-one support and resources you need to become tobacco free. This program is provided at no cost to AlaskaCare Employee Health Plan members. Register now.
Wellness Team Contact Information
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact:
- Michael DiFilippo, MS, RD, LD
- Wellness Coordinator
- Registered Dietitian
- Email: michael.difilippo@healthsmart.com
- Fax: (907) 297-7365
- Phone: (877) 517-6370 and select the wellness program option
- Direct: (907) 297-7350
How does it work?
- Develop an individualized treatment plan
- Access our experts without leaving home. Phone consultations with a certified tobacco cessation specialist help you understand nicotine addiction and how to quit when you are ready. You get privacy, convenience and an individualized treatment program.
- Combined medication and behavioral therapy
- Research shows that the combination of behavioral therapy and medication increases your chance of quitting. A tobacco cessation specialist works with you to determine the best possible treatment program and consults directly with your primary care physician to prescribe the latest tobacco cessation medications. Our behavioral experts will help you become more aware of your triggers and urges, and provide suggestions that will help you move away from your dependence on tobacco.
- Follow-up
- The tobacco treatment specialist will stay in touch to check on your progress, offer tips and celebrate your successes.
Cleveland Clinic Tobacco Cessation specialists developed the S.M.A.R.T. Quit Approach to help you reach your goal:
- Strategy: use a program tailored for your success
- Motivation: make a pact with yourself to keep trying
- Awareness: learn about nicotine addiction, withdrawal and triggers
- Reasons: compare pros and cons to identify your top reasons to quit
- Tobacco-Free Life: set a date, then commit to living without tobacco
The Benefits of Quitting Smoking
| Cessation duration | Health benefit |
|---|---|
| 20 minutes | Body’s heart rate drops |
| 8 hours | Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal and oxygen level in blood increases to normal |
| 24 hours | Chance of heart attack decreases |
| 48 hours | Nerve endings start regrowing and ability to smell and taste is enhanced |
| 2 weeks to 3 months | Risk of heart attack drops and lung function improves. Circulation improves. |
| 1-9 months | Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease |
| 1 year | Risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s |
| 5-15 years | Added risk of stroke is reduced to that of a nonsmoker’s |
| 10 years | Risk of lung cancer is half that of a smoker’s. Risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas decrease. Risk of ulcer decreases. |
| 15 years | Risk of coronary heart disease equals that of a nonsmoker’s. Risk of death returns to nearly the level of people who have never smoked. |