Health*Matters

UC to be Tobacco Free in 2014

Breathe Campaign

Berkeley is tobacco-free

UC is becoming a tobacco-free University January 1, 2014. University Health Services provides smoking cessation services for members of our campus community ready to quit or ready to try quitting again. The single best thing you can do for your health is to stop or quit smoking and it can often take multiple attempts to be free from tobacco. We are here to help you get started today!

 

Prepare to Quit

FOR FACULTY AND STAFF
Get a FREE 2-week supply of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)!
Get Your FREE Survival Quit Kit from Health*Matters!

Individual Consultation (phone or in-person) Help with assessing your readiness to stop smoking and developing your quit plan. To schedule an appointment, contact Kristl Buluran (510) 643-9082.
Prepare to Quit Smoking Workshop

Assess your readiness to stop smoking, learn about the quit process, and find out about resources to meet your needs.

Spring 2013:
Tue, Apr 9, 12:10 - 1 pm, L-05 Slottman Hall

Tue, Apr 23, 2:10 - 3 pm, L-05 Slottman Hall

Thu, May 2, 12:10 - 1 pm, Sproul Hall, Room 36

Register on the UCB Learning Center.

Schedule for a department presentations. Email Kristl Buluran, or call at 643-9082.

Take the next step Take the next step to become more physically active, eat better, manage smoking triggers, and prevent weight gain as you prepare to stop smoking. Visit the Health*Matters webpage for information on the Living Well Series, the campus Walking Group, FUNctional Fitness workshop, and more programs to support skills for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

 

FOR STUDENTS
Get a Free 2-week supply of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)!
Get Your FREE Survival Quit Kit from Health Promotion at the Tang Center!

Individual Counseling Appointment

Help with assessing your readiness to stop smoking and developing your quit plan. To schedule an appointment, contact Social Services at (510)642-6074.
Medical Appointment Medical advice, medication, referrals and follow-up. Call (510)642-2000 or make an online medical appointment with a primary care clinician at http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu.
Stress Management Information Visit this site to learn more about how to manage your overall stress while quitting. http://uhs.berkeley.edu/bewell.
Related Topics See Alcohol and Other Drugs, Stress and Anxiety, and UC Berkeley's Smoke Free Policy

Get Help to Quit with Cessation Programs & Counseling

Telephone Counseling & Support

California Smokers' Helpline
1-800-NO-BUTTS

California Smokers' Helpline is a telephone counseling program, offering up to seven FREE sessions of individual telephone support with trained counselors. The California Smokers' Helpline services have been proven in clinical trials to double a smoker’s chances of successfully quitting. The Helpline offers:

  • one-on-one, telephone counseling to quit smoking
  • referral to local programs and
  • self-help materials.

Services are available in six languages (English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Vietnamese) and specialized services are available for teens, pregnant women, and tobacco chewers. The Helpline also provides information to friends and family members of tobacco users.

Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 7 am to 9 pm, and Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm. Voicemail and recorded messages are available 24 hours a day.

Find out how the helpline works: About the California Smokers' Helpline

National Cancer Institute's
Smoking Quitline

1-877-44U-QUIT

The National Cancer Institute provides smoking cessation counselors to answer smoking-related questions in English or Spanish, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Calls are toll free within the United States.

The NCI QuitPal app is now available for download on iTunes!

NCI QuitPal is a free smartphone app to support smokers working to become smoke-free. This interactive app is developed using proven quit strategies and tools to help change behavior and assist you with giving up smoking.

Health*Matters
Individual Consultation

510-643-9082

Health*Matters Wellness Program offers faculty and staff free consultation to discuss your readiness to quit smoking and to help match quit resources to your needs. By phone or in-person, get help on developing your quit plan, learn about resources and University benefits that support your progress. To schedule an appointment, email or call Kristl Buluran at 510-643-9082.

Download and print the Take Action! Quit Smoking Goal and S.M.A.R.T. Steps form to help you determine what your specific goals are and help you create an action plan for quitting..

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Online Help

QuitNet is a free online, interactive program developed by the School of Public Health at Boston University. This program blends proven scientific methods with web technology to customize a smoking cessation program for you, including:

  • tools to help you quit
  • ex-smoker to smoker support
  • timely emails and lots more
  • a directory of smoking cessation classes and
  • many helpful links and resources.

Smokefree.gov was created by the Tobacco Control Research Branch of the National Cancer Institute, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and the American Cancer Society. This comprehensive site provides an online guide as well as downloadable resources to quitting smoking, including:

  • Smokefree TXT - a free mobile service to receive 24/7 encouragement, advice, and tips to help you stop smoking for good
  • Smokefree Smartphone Apps - downloadable apps to help get you through the hard times and keep you motivated to quit smoking and stay smokefree.

Clearing the Air: Quit Smoking Today (pdf), is an online booklet from Smokefree.gov that guides a smoker through the day-to-day process of becoming a non-smoker, including:

  • practical, step-by-step approaches and techniques for preparing yourself for quitting
  • an understanding the ways of quitting
  • what to expect on the day you quit and
  • referrals to additional information and resources.

Freedom from Smoking® Online

Freedom from Smoking® Online, from The American Lung Association's Stop Smoking Website is comprehensive online program to help you quit, accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through its Office on Smoking and Health (OSH), is the lead federal agency for comprehensive tobacco prevention and control. OSH is a division within the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, which is located within CDC’s Coordinating Center for Health Promotion.

Originally established in 1965 as the National Clearinghouse for Smoking and Health, OSH is dedicated to reducing the death and disease caused by tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke by offering:

  • current tobacco-related news
  • educational materials and
  • guides to help you quit smoking.

American Cancer Society provides information about:

  • the health hazards due to smoking
  • how-to tips for quitting
  • dealing with withdrawal
  • maintenance issues once you quit and more.

The EX Plan is a free online quit smoking program, based on personal experiences from ex-smokers as well as the latest scientific research from the experts at Mayo Clinic. Find tools and information on how to:

  • create a Quit Plan
  • set a Quit Date
  • stay Smoke-Free

There is also a text messaging feature to receive text messages supporting you through your quit process.

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Local Classes and Support Groups

City of Berkeley's Freedom from Tobacco Programs
Free, 6-week classes with the option of free acupuncture.

NEW!! The next FREE, 6-week session begins Saturday, May 18 and runs through June 29, 2013, 10 am - noon (no class on Memorial Day Weekend).
Click here for the flyer to post. To enroll, call (510) 981-5342 or email QuitNow@ci.berkeley.ca.us

For the schedule of classes, use the link above or contact the City of Berkeley via phone or email for more information.

UCSF's Tobacco Education Center
The Tobacco Education Center (TEC) at UCSF Medical Center offers classes as well as individual consultations with doctors trained in treating tobacco addiction.

Call (415) 885-7895

American Lung Association
Classes are held throughout the East Bay. Call to find one that meets your needs.

Call 1-800-548-8252

Nicotine Anonymous
Modeled after AA, these groups meet at many locations. Call for a recorded list of free meetings.

Call 1-877-879-6422

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Nicotine Replacement Therapy

FREE 2-Week Supply of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) for Faculty, Staff, and Students

1. Call the UHS NRT message line at 510.642.8410

2. At the prompt, leave the following information:
Your name;
Your contact information (phone and/or email);
Specify whether you are faculty, staff, or student.

3. An NRT specialist will contact you within one (1) business day to schedule an appointment for you to receive the NRT and important usage instructions.

Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRTs): Working with Your Doctor and Health Plan

It's a myth that kicking the habit is easy. Most smokers make several attempts at quitting before finding success. Why? It's not about willpower. It's about nicotine, a powerfully addictive drug that makes the body both physically and psychologically dependent. Smokers must overcome both of these dependencies to stay smoke-free.

To maximize your success with the quitting process, Health*Matters encourages you to make an appointment with your doctor to discuss the use of complementary quitting tools to minimize withdrawal symptoms. Research has shown success rates are significantly improved when nicotine replacement products such as nicotine patches, gum, or prescription medications are coupled with a smoking cessation program.

Here is more information about some of the pharmaceutical and nicotine replacement aids available through your doctor:

Visit the links below to find out about the smoking cessation programs and insurance coverage for NRTs offered through your health plan:


Univeristy of California's
At Your Service website



1-800-539-4072



1-800-464-4000



1-888-209-7975

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How to Help a Friend or Loved One Quit Smoking

Once a smoker has decided to quit, they are most likely to be successful when friends and family provide help and support. Whether you are also a tobacco-user and going through your own quit process, or have never smoked, you can help someone you care about who has decided to stop smoking by being part of their support team, asking how you can be most helpful and/or encouraging them through their quit process. If they aren't ready to quit yet, you can help them with identifying reasons for quitting, setting a target quit date, and offering to be part of their support network. Consider offering healthy and fun alternatives to smoking such as:

  • take walks with them
  • be a "workout buddy"
  • lend an ear if they need to talk about the challenges they are facing by not smoking

Visit the following links for advice and tips on how to help a friend or loved one quit smoking. Your support can be part of creating a healthy and successful environment for someone you care about as they become a non-smoker.


Helping a Smoker Quit: Do's and Don'ts - General Hints for Friends and Family


Help a Friend Quit Smoking with the Sklar Brothers (Video Email)

Show Some Support - send Smokefree e-cards, send a Milestone Award, tips & advice


How Can I Help My Friends and Family Quit Smoking? (pdf)

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More Resources to Support You

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Secondhand Smoke Information

When non-smokers are exposed to secondhand smoke it is called involuntary smoking or passive smoking. Non-smokers who breathe in secondhand smoke take in nicotine and other toxic chemicals just like smokers do. The more secondhand smoke you are exposed to, the higher the level of these harmful chemicals in your body.  Click HERE to learn more about the dangers of secondhand smoke from the American Cancer Society.

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UCB Current Smoking Policy

UCB: Smoking and Advertising Tobacco (pdf)

Summary: Smoking is not permitted inside any facility owned or leased by the University of California, Berkeley regardless of location. Smoking is not permitted in any outdoor campus facility used for spectator sports, meetings, entertainment, dining, or designated children's play areas. Smoking is permitted outdoors except within 25 feet of campus building entrances, exits, or operable windows. Advertising tobacco products on campus is not permitted.

Building Signs: If your building signs needs replacing with the new requirement of 25 feet, please contact Trish Ratto, Manager, Health*Matters at 643-7324 or tratto@uhs.berkeley.edu.

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