Quit smoking class begins Sept 10

Space is still available for the September 10 quit smoking class offered by the McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) and Centegra Health System. The seven-week class will meet from 6pm-7:30pm, at Centegra Health Bridge Fitness Center, 200 East Congress Parkway, in Crystal Lake. A $25 course fee is refundable if all sessions are attended. Class members will also receive a free 3-day pass to Centegra’s Health Bridge Fitness Center. To register, call MCDH at 815-334-4525 or 1-877-CENTEGRA.

Classes will teach practical ways to end nicotine addiction through group support and behavior modification. It will also review nicotine replacement products that are currently on the market. Instruction is provided by MCDH staff that is trained in the American Lung Association’s Freedom From Smoking® program. This program is considered the “gold standard” and has helped tens of thousands of smokers quit over the last 30 years. Evaluation studies have shown that individuals who participate in Freedom From Smoking®:

· experience immediate health benefits;

· learn to address the physical, mental, and social aspects of their addiction; and

· six times more likely to be smoke free one year later than those who quit on their own.

You can be smoke-free by Thanksgiving! To speak with a counselor immediately, call the Illinois Tobacco Quit Line at 1-866-QUIT-YES.