STOP workshops offer cost-free nicotine replacement therapy

NEWS RELEASE ALGOMA PUBLIC HEALTH ************************* For many smokers the cost of nicotine replacement products can be a barrier to quitting.

NEWS RELEASE

ALGOMA PUBLIC HEALTH

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For many smokers the cost of nicotine replacement products can be a barrier to quitting.

The STOP (Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients) Program workshop offers eligible participants in Algoma five weeks of cost-free nicotine replacement therapy and smoking cessation information to help them in their quit attempt.

Nicotine replacement therapy has been shown to effectively help people quit smoking by easing withdrawal symptoms.

Workshop participants also receive educational material with quit smoking and relapse prevention strategies, along with information to address other unhealthy lifestyle factors that are known to accompany smoking.

STOP workshop(s) will be held in Sault Ste. Marie on February 19, 2014 as well as in Blind River on February 21, 2014. For more information, to see if you are eligible to participate, and to register for a workshop call Algoma Public Health at 705-942-4646 x 3058 in Sault Ste. Marie or 1-888-356-2551 in Blind River .

The STOP Program is led by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and is funded by the OntarioMinistry of Health and Long-Term Care as part of its Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy.

CAMH is Canada’s leading addiction and mental health teaching hospital. Integrating clinical care, scientific research, education, policy development and health promotion, CAMH transforms the lives of people impacted by mental health and addiction issues.

Background: The STOP Program

Introduced in 2005 through a partnership between the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the former Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport, the STOP Program has already provided smoking cessation medication, free of charge, along with behavioural support to an unprecedented 90,000 Ontarians.

Questionnaires administered pre- and post-treatment will help STOP Program researchers learn more about the long-term impact of providing nicotine replacement therapy and other smoking cessation aids free of charge to smokers across Ontario. To date, results for STOP participants have shown an improvement of at least two times the typical quit rates.

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