Krista Gilbert, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:

Recently, the CEO of Philip Morris, Louis C. Camilleri, made the outrageous claim that cigarettes are "not that hard" to quit.  As a Quit Coach, I know this is simply untrue and a crippling attitude for tobacco users to have.  The truth is, tobacco companies like Philip Morris treat commercial cigarettes with harmful chemicals, many of which are added by design to make cigarettes more addictive.  Although Camilleri did acknowledge that cigarettes are dangerous and addictive, he dismissed the difficulty of overcoming this addiction.  Perpetuating this myth hinders the success of tobacco users who want to quit.  And most tobacco users want to quit!

I told a participant just the other day, “If it was easy to quit, then I wouldn’t have a job as a Quit Coach.”  She had been able to quit smoking for a short time, but relapsed due to emotional strain when the family pet passed away.  She admitted she was hesitant to take a call from a Quit Coach.  “I didn’t know if you guys would want to help me after I messed up.”  Support is one key many tobacco users need in order to quit successfully.  Unfortunately, many tobacco users feel like she did – embarrassed to ask for support.  They have the misperception, reflected in Camilleri’s statement, that “it should be easy to quit,” a belief that no doubt sabotages their efforts.

While on one hand tobacco use is becoming more and more stigmatized in our society, we are lagging behind in recognizing how difficult it is to quit and providing adequate support.  Many tobacco users I’ve talked to have quit other substances in the past such as alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines.  Most report that tobacco is the toughest of all these substances to quit and they are surprised.  There are no in-patient treatment centers for tobacco, though some wish there were.  “If you could just lock me up for a week, then I could quit.”  I’ve heard that sentiment more than once from participants bemoaning the difficulty of quitting.  No, there are no treatment centers, but thankfully they do have some help.  What they do have is quit lines, like the Quit for Life program, and tobacco users who call us have much higher chances of success quitting.

Not every tobacco user has a hard time quitting.  A few really can “just walk away.”  But these cases are rare.  That’s why we have programs like the Quit For Life Program.  Years of diligent research has taught us what helps people quit tobacco for good.  Participants have access to this wealth of information and experience and it’s just a phone call away.  Why?  Well, unlike Philip Morris would have you believe, it really is that hard to quit.