Ashtrays will soon disappear

Time to Butt Out

March 28, 2003

Now that most New York City bars and restaurants have joined the list of workplaces in which smoking is banned, there's no better time to kick the habit. But if 'cold turkey' sounds more like Thanksgiving leftovers than a quitting tactic, you may want to explore the smoking cessation resources available in Lower Manhattan.

While 1.4 million New Yorkers currently smoke, seven out of every 10 smokers want to stop, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH). Here are some downtown sources that can help you quit successfully -- starting today.

A thing of the past

Gouverneur Hospital

Gouverneur Hospital, on the Lower East Side, participates in the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation's Smoking Cessation Program, which teaches people about the negative health effects of smoking and gives them the necessary tools to quit. 

The hospital offers group support and programs with free medications. Call or walk in for an appointment to meet with a doctor who will prescribe the best course of treatment. For non-English speaking patients, the facility has piloted TEMIS, a system that enables patients and their health-care providers to receive simultaneous translation services through the use of wireless technology.

Tribeca Hypnosis and Healing Institute

For an alternative quitting method, a trip to Trudy Beers at the Tribeca Hypnosis and Healing Institute may be in order. Beers, a self-described clinical hypnotherapist, believes that, to help people achieve their goals, deep, emotional connections must be unraveled in conjunction with and through hypnosis. Beers says that only one session ($350) is needed for smokers, who are then armed with a customized tape that they must listen to  daily for at least 21 days. She claims an 85 percent success rate with this method. Skeptical? Beers claims, "I have never met a person who cannot be hypnotized."

Quitting on Your Own

If you want to try to quit on your own, here are some tips from NYC DOHMH:

1. Choose and write down your reasons for quitting.
2. Identify your smoking triggers (e.g., alcohol, other smokers, caffeine, stress).
3. Identify your coping strategies (e.g., keep busy, stay in non-smoking areas, drink lots of water).
4. Select a quit date and prepare for that quit date.
5. Discard all tobacco products, lighters, ashtrays, etc. (including those in the car).
6. Prepare a list of support people who can be called upon when needed.
7. Prepare yourself with available support group and quitline information (such as the toll-free New York Smokers' Quitline: 1-888-609-6292).
8. Educate yourself on withdrawal symptoms, including negative mood or difficulty concentrating, which are temporary but can last for two to four weeks.

In addition, through a collaborative City and State Health Department initiative, free nicotine replacement therapy (i.e., "the patch") will be provided to the first 35,000 eligible New York City smokers over the age of 18 who call the New York State Smokers' Quit Line -- (866) NYQUITS (1-866-697-8487. For more information, click here.