located at United Way of Mid-Maine

A Program of PATCH (Planned Approach to Community Health) 

Our mission:  To support and encourage policies, environments, education and activities, in our community and schools, that promote good nutrition, physical activity and the reduction of tobacco use.

Topic Areas

            

 

Quit & Win!  

Quit & Win! Winter/Spring 2008 Session begins January 1st! 

  Healthy Maine Partnership of Greater Waterville is now taking local enrollments for participants and worksites for our Winter/Spring 2008 Quit & Win! program.  Quit & Win! is an incentive program for people who are ready to quit tobacco.  

If you or someone you know is ready to quit – and lives in the Greater Waterville, Maine area, contact us to enroll – you may win CASH, up to $200!  Participants who quit tobacco anytime between January 1, 2008 and March 30, 2008 and stay quit for five weeks and until our finale on May 15, 2008, are eligible for cash prizes.  Contact us to a free quit kit and details.

Quit & Win! is also available to local worksites that would like to offer the program to their staff.  If your organization or company would like to be a Quit & Win! site, contact us to be set up for free! 

If you are outside of the Greater Waterville area, we would be happy to send template materials so you can start your own local Quit & Win program.  

Tobacco-free organizational standards!

Local organizations and businesses play a key role in supporting the health and wellness of their employees, clients, customers and families in our community.  Establishing a tobacco-free environment at your worksite, is an effective and important way to support and promote employee health that has great benefits for the organization.  Check out our Bronze, Silver, and Gold Tobacco-Free Environment Standards that have been developed for use by employers to write or revise a current policy.  Along with the standards, you can order The Partnership For A Tobacco-Free Maine’s “Good Work! Creating A Smoke-Free Workplace” kit.  This includes information on writing a policy (including samples), making it work, getting the message out, supporting employees who want to quit smoking, and free policy signs and decals.   

 Suggested Methods to Quit Smoking

Many smokers who contemplate quitting look upon the process as losing an old friend.

There is no foolproof way to stop smoking. You'll probably have to experiment with several different techniques before you stumble across one that works for you. Some of the more common methods are listed below.
 
 Nicotine Patches - About 20% of people who use the Patch have quit and remained smoke-free after six months. The Patch has proven to be successful for many people. The Patch also has the convenience of being purchased over-the-counter.  Possible side effects include skin rashes, nausea, headaches and stomach problems.  Most importantly, don't smoke while using the patch! Doing so can rocket your body's nicotine level up to toxic levels—which sort of defeats the purpose if you're quitting for health reasons!

Nicotine Gum - Nicotine gum is available over-the-counter. Some people prefer it to the patch because chewing gum provides the oral stimulation that also comes from smoking. The taste may turn off some people.
 
 Medication - Certain antidepressants curb nicotine cravings. Choosing to explore this route requires the consent of your doctor, who can explain the advantages and disadvantages of using medication to combat smoking.
 
 Hypnosis - One of the big advantages of hypnosis is its non-medicinal approach—it can be combined with patches or medication without fear of unwanted physical side effects. 
 
 Cold Turkey - Ah, the macho way to quit!  Just say no!  Unfortunately, only about 3% of smokers who use this method succeed. Your chances of success rise if you have a good support group, however.  Using a scheduled reduction plan, where you slowly reduce cigarette consumption, has also proven itself more effective than just quitting "cold turkey."

Information procured from this website,

http://www.feel-better-quit-smoking.com/html/after_quitting.html  

              Quick Links

Smoke-Free Housing Coalition of  Maine

Greater Waterville Healthier Dining Guide

Forty Healthier Donations Handout

Please feel free to contact us !