Joint News Release
April 6, 2017
Media Contact: Kim Papich
kpapich@srhd.org
(509) 324-1539, c (509) 994-8968

Done My Way shows real lives, real ways locals quit smoking

SPOKANE, Wash. – An evocative local campaign—with compelling stories told by real former smokers—that highlights a variety of quit methods and provides a glimpse at better lives without cigarettes, was launched today by Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) and CHAS Health. Now available at www.donemyway.org are four thought-provoking videos that catalog locals’ unique journeys to quitting and their advice to current smokers who want to quit. The Done My Way videos and corresponding materials are in an effort to connect people with a variety of proven cessation resources, allowing them to choose how they quit smoking. The site features details specific to successful methods, namely calling the Washington State Department of Health’s Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW, and, in order of effectiveness, includes options for:

****    Counseling and Medication ***/** Medications/Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

• Among the web-based resources and counseling opportunities, CHAS offers its patients nicotine replacement therapy. 
• For a limited time, and while supplies last, Inland Northwest Health Services Community Wellness will provide free NRT to people who are uninsured or underinsured and attend Quit for Good, its four-week online smoking cessation class.

**       In-Person Counseling and Support

*        Web-Based Cessation Programs

*        Self-Help Materials

Testimonials on the site focus on individuals’ motivators to quit, ranging from health problems to tension in relationships to financial loss. Encouragingly, the former smokers also share everything they got back after quitting, including breathing improvement and ability to be physically active again, gaining personal connections and saving money. One Done My Way participant was even able to return to her passion of being a classically-trained vocalist and shared her talents in her video. Participants also focus on persistence not punishment, emphasizing that sometimes it takes seven to 10 times before quitting for good.

“Hundreds of lives are lost each year in Spokane County due to smoking, and for every person who dies, many more people live here with an illness caused by smoking,” said Dr. William Lockwood, CHAS Health medical director. “We cannot afford to continue watching the human and economic toll from tobacco rob our community of parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends and co-workers. Our organizations are committed to doing everything we can to help smokers quit and prevent young people from starting in the first place.”

Tobacco use remains a leading cause of preventable death and chronic disease in Spokane County, as well as in Washington state and nationally. Quitting smoking greatly reduces the risk of developing smoking-related diseases. Smokers can, and do, quit. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, today there are more former smokers than current smokers. These are just some of the health benefits of quitting smoking:

• Lowered risk for lung cancer and other cancer types
• Reduced risk of heart attack
• Reduced risk for infertility in women and men

Every year about three out of five (59.7 percent in 2014) adult cigarette smokers in Washington state stop smoking for one day or longer because they are trying to quit smoking cigarettes. The desire to quit smoking is, seemingly, universal. Yet, many adult smokers do not use methods proven to increase their odds of success in quitting, which is why the Done My Way campaign emphasizes 15 proven resources currently available locally to those who wish to quit. The Done My Way campaign is another step in the health district and its partners' commitment to prevent young people from starting to use tobacco and helping those who smoke quit.

“Although the videos may be emotional to watch, they show real people who found their own unique path to quitting and who are now reaping the benefits,” said Dr. Sam Artzis, SRHD interim health officer. “There is sound evidence that supports the use of these types of peer-to-peer images and messages to encourage smokers to quit, to keep children from ever beginning to smoke, and to drastically reduce the harm caused by tobacco.”

For more information on the Done My Way campaign, including other campaign resources and links to the videos, visit www.donemyway.org. Or visit www.srhd.org. SRHD’s web site offers comprehensive, updated information about Spokane Regional Health District and its triumphs in making Spokane a safer and healthier community. Become a fan of SRHD on Facebook to receive local safety and wellness tips. You can also follow us on Twitter @spokanehealth.