MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, Calif. -- Semper Fit offers a new game plan for smokers who want to quit the habit and embrace an overall healthier lifestyle aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif.
Tobacco, specifically nicotine, dependence is a condition often requiring repeated treatments, but the new program offered by Semper Fit and conducted by Shelley Lamey, the Health and Fitness Director and Certified as a Tobacco Treatment Specialist/ Facilitator, offers an all-encompassing approach.
“Operation Tobacco Free Marine is a cessation program established by HQ Marine Corps and the Semper Fit Health Promotions Departments,” Lamey said. “It includes classes, a workbook, homework, a fitness plan, nutrition education, a relapse plan and so much more.”
There are six sessions in the program, and Lamey offers a very flexible schedule to meet anyone’s needs. During the sessions, Marines will learn specifics about nicotine addiction, impacts on the body and mind, as well as the usual statistics and facts. However, it also has built-in plans for coping with stress and triggers, as well as a reward system for successfully completing days without nicotine.
With a focus on Total Force Fitness, the Marine Corps is embracing a methodology for understanding, assessing and maintaining military personnel’s well-being to ensure their ability to carry out missions, Lamey explained.
“Eight components make up the model: social, behavioral, physical, environmental, medical, spiritual, nutritional and psychological fitness,” Lamey said.
The TFF model dovetails with Operation Live Well strategies which encourage individuals to engage in every aspect of healthy living to include embracing a tobacco-free lifestyle. Some of the benefits of the program are optimizing performance, increasing military readiness and improved resilience.
The Center for Disease Control states that smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere in your body, including the following: blood, bladder, cervix, colon, esophagus, kidney, larynx, liver, lungs, mouth, throat, pancreas, stomach, and trachea. Smoking also remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States, killing more than 480,000 Americans each year.
Even given those facts, the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region, reports that approximately 15 billion cigarettes are sold daily. That is about 10 million every minute. The reason for such sustained tobacco use is in its chemistry.
“Nicotine and the additives (each tobacco company has their own proprietary blend) in the tobacco are very addictive,” said Dawn Dialon, substance abuse counselor on base. “Nicotine and Caffeine have the highest rates of relapse (higher than IV Heroin use). Once someone is addicted to nicotine, the body gets use to a certain level of nicotine and when the level drops too low withdrawal is kicking in and the limbic system/amygdala in the brain sends out the craving messages- to get more nicotine.”
The symptoms of withdrawal alone are reason enough for some to avoid quitting nicotine. Some of those symptoms include: feeling irritable, angry and anxious, having trouble thinking; food or other cravings; feeling hungrier than usual … or even grieving.
“People provide many reasons for not being able to quit smoking,” said James Maher, Behavioral Health section head. “Nicotine is very addictive and if a person has been smoking for a long time, they start to have cravings when they are not smoking.”
In addition to the addictive nature, there is also a strong behavioral element to successfully quit smoking, explained Dialon. Behavioral cues can be almost as pleasurable to a smoker as nicotine. Although smoking is discouraged in nearly all work environments, smoking is
a natural break in work day to go hang out, socialize and smoke with other smokers. This is positive reinforcement. So, behavioral and cognitive interventions need to be combined to successfully address those behavioral payoffs in any serious attempt to become smoke free.
There’s hope!
“Part of what we offer through this Tobacco Cessation Program is a plan which we develop in advance, to help change the behaviors,” Lamey explained. “We develop different interventions, distractions, and give them the tools they need to change the patterns. We work to identify triggers and then create a game plan around those. For instance, if someone knows they always want a cigarette when they drink, or after a meal, then we can address those triggers with other things like taking a run, or calling a friend and so on.”
Everyone’s triggers vary, but one common trigger for most tobacco users is stress. Between the Tobacco Cessation Program at Semper Fit and tools offered by the Behavioral Health staff, efforts are focused on reducing and coping with stress and developing a comprehensive path for success.
“It’s common for people to have a hand-to-mouth habit, so we can recommend changes such as using chewing gum to keep the jaw occupied, or even healthy snacks, to replicate and replace the behavior,” Lamey said.
Some healthy options for snacks include nuts, seeds, berries, carrots, celery, sunflower seeds, turkey, chicken, fish and beans.
Tobacco use has several other impacts on the human body, such as diminishing the body’s ability to absorb vitamins such as C and Bs. It also decreases taste bud sensitivity, so upon quitting, foods will be more flavorful, and the body will absorb vitamins and minerals better.
Smoking also changes how your body uses oxygen and carbon monoxide. Smokers and those who breathe in secondhand smoke, show increased levels of CO in their blood. The CO binds with hemoglobin and makes it less able to carry much needed oxygen throughout the body, Lamey explained.
“One of the things we offer through this program is a close monitoring of the person’s carbon monoxide levels,” Lamey said. “The end goal is a healthy life in every way.”
In addition to the Tobacco Cessation Program offered by Lamey and Semper Fit, the Behavioral Health staff also offer support in a variety of ways.
“BH offers one-on-one educational sessions about the risks and consequences of smoking and also uses cognitive behavioral interventions to help people recognize their pro-smoking cognitions and perceptions and helps them change those by substituting different cognitions regarding their health, their desire to live longer which they want to become their automatic thoughts,” explained Maher. “BH also encourages behavioral changes through substituting a
different behavior for the smoking behavior such as deep breathing, meditation, stretches, walking, journaling, using positive affirmations and guided meditation to help overcome the urge to smoke; to create different coping skills for anxiety and whatever triggers their desire to smoke. Of course, smokers should have a medical consultation and may consider medical aids and assistance.”
Between the Tobacco Cessation Program, and the support offered by the Behavioral Health Section, those who want to live a healthier life have a wide range of support and training available. Since there is the social and cultural aspect of smoking and tobacco use, Lamey recommends using a buddy system.
“It’s easier to make a big change like stopping the use of tobacco when you have support,” Lamey explained. “Instead of someone encouraging you to smoke because you’re out drinking maybe, have a Battle Buddy who is also quitting with you and you can support one another. The buddy system really helps people keep each other on target.”
Impacts on Military Readiness
Improved vigilance and cognitive functioning
Improved visual performance, dark adaptation, night vision
Increased ability to cope with stress
Increased lung capacity
Increased fine motor coordination
Greatly increased stamina
Improved physical endurance and performance capacity
Lower rates of absenteeism and increase in productivity
Marine Corps Tobacco Use Data:
60.8% used any type of nicotine
31.9% were current smokeless tobacco users
30.8% were current cigarette smokers
7.2% were current electronic nicotine delivery system users