Tobacco Cessation at Wellstar Georgia Cancer Center

Our approach

Smoking can affect almost every organ in your body. Quitting tobacco lowers the risk of 12 types of cancer. That’s why we’ve created a tobacco cessation program that’s open to everyone—patients, the public, local businesses and our healthcare community. Our goal at Wellstar Georgia Cancer Center is to help you live a healthier, tobacco-free life.

Tobacco Cessation Coaching Sessions

What to expect

Cessation coaching sessions are facilitated by a Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist (CTTS) and are designed to meet each person's specific needs. By actively participating in the coaching session, you will develop your "quit plan" and gain the skills needed to cope with nicotine addiction and tobacco-use habits. The coaching sessions are designed to help you achieve your quitting goals so you can lead a healthier lifestyle.

• After your initial visit and health assessment, a clinic staff member will register you for your coaching session. Registration is required to attend the session.
• New cessation coaching sessions are offered every two weeks.
• Each cohort consists of a one-hour group session every week, for eight weeks.
• Coaching sessions are conducted virtually or over the phone to fit your schedule.

Electronic Cigarettes

Our program does not support using electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or vaping) as alternatives to conventional cigarette smoking or as an aid to quitting other tobacco products. E-cigarettes/vaping are not evidence-based methods for quitting tobacco or reducing nicotine dependence. They also come with serious health risks.

E-cigarettes do not emit “harmless water vapor.” The secondhand aerosol contains harmful substances, including nicotine, ultra-fine particles that lodge deep into the lungs, and low levels of chemical and metal toxins known to cause cancer. These include:

• Cadmium
• Formaldehyde
• Lead
• Nickel
• Propylene glycol

Dangerous health effects on the young

The nicotine in e-cigarettes is especially harmful to the developing brains of young people. Pregnant women should avoid e-cigarettes, as they pose significant health risks to a baby’s brain development. E-cigarettes and vaping can also cause airway irritation, asthma and impaired lung function.

Health Benefits of Smoking Cessation

Immediate benefits

• Within 20 minutes of your last cigarette, blood circulation improves.
• Within 20 minutes, your blood pressure and heart rate return to normal.
• Within 12 hours, your blood’s carbon monoxide and oxygen levels return to normal.

Intermediate benefits

• One to nine months after quitting, shortness of breath decreases.
• Sense of smell and taste improves.
• One year after quitting, your risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a tobacco user.
• Women who stop smoking before or during the first three to four months of pregnancy reduce their risk of having a baby with a lower birth weight compared to that of women who never smoked.

Long-term benefits

• Five years after quitting tobacco, the risk of cancers in the mouth, throat and esophagus decreases significantly.
• Five to 15 years after quitting, your risk of stroke is the same as someone who has never smoked.
• Within 10 years of quitting, your risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a tobacco user.
• You significantly reduce your risk of lung cancer, other cancers, heart attack, stroke and chronic lung disease.

Get Ready to Quit

Our cessation coaches make every effort to tailor the program to your needs. Here are some additional steps you can take to prepare yourself for success:

• Make a plan and ask family and friends for support. This greatly improves your chances of quitting for good.
• Set a quit date.
• Get active. Adding exercise to your daily routine, even before you quit, will help with cravings.
• Start calculating how much money you’ll save by not buying tobacco products.
• Stay hydrated. Drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily.
• Check with your human resource department at work or your insurance provider—being a non-tobacco user may give you health insurance benefits.

Quitting tobacco is a journey, but you don’t have to do it alone. Our team is here to provide the support, tools and guidance you need to live a healthier, tobacco-free life.