Quitting tobacco Published Nov. 8, 2010 By Susan Huser Health and Wellness Center PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The 21st Space Wing's vision is "America's Space Superiority Wing-Globally Postured to Win." With the upcoming Great American Smoke Out scheduled for Nov. 18, it is appropriate to start preparing to really focus on this vision and ask the following question; are we reaching this vision with almost 17 percent of Peterson Air Force Base using tobacco? On Oct., 1 the Health and Wellness Center received a memorandum from the Air Force Surgeon General's office regarding a new Air Force Instruction 40-102, which is calling for a decrease in the number of designated tobacco use areas on bases. This change in tobacco policy also requires all medical treatment facilities to become tobacco-free campuses by the end of calendar year 2011. These upcoming changes are reinforced with statistics taken from the Centers for Disease Control showing lost duty time from smoking in the Air Force amounting to 3,573 full-time personnel per year -- equal to the loss of an entire Air Force Wing. The AF Surgeon General memorandum states: "Air Force fitness data shows increased run times for smokers compared with non-smokers, and health data indicates smoking impairs night vision, reduces physical endurance, and increases the time it takes for wound healing. Tobacco also harms an Airman's long-term health and second-hand smoke threatens wingmen, friends, and family." Encouragement to quit is absolutely essential when tobacco users, commanders and leaders ponder the following: How can we be prepared to win when approximately 6,000 days are lost due to tobacco use? How can we be prepared to win when the 21 SW lost $965,457 a year in productivity and direct medical costs from tobacco users? The obvious answer is; we can't. Many of you may be asking why is it important that I quit? I am not hurting anyone but myself. Well, that is not entirely true. Consider that approximately 55,000 non-tobacco users die from second-hand smoke every year, and 6.4 million of today's children die prematurely from smoking-related diseases. Does this fall under our mission to professionally operate our installation and support our larger mission family? No. However, if we provide support and opportunities for our troops to adopt a new behavior, we will be in accordance with the 21 SW mission. Quitting an addictive habit is going to be difficult, and many will try and fail, but the benefits far outweigh the struggle. Practice makes perfect. The more times you try to quit tobacco, the more successful you will be in the long run. Many former tobacco users tried to stop several times before they succeeded -- if at first you don't succeed, quit again. The HAWC offers tobacco cessation classes every Friday afternoon from 11 a.m. to noon. A certified tobacco specialist will provide one-on-one appointments, if needed, and will also bring a tobacco cessation program to your squadron. To give the tobacco user more tools toward a successful quit attempt, the 21st Medical Group also now offers the newest medication, Chantix, along with Zyban, the nicotine patch and the nicotine gum. Research has shown that using medication doubles your chances of successfully quitting. Committing to a tobacco cessation program that also includes behavior change increases the chances of success by another 60 percent. Commanders and supervisors, encourage participation in the HAWC tobacco cessation program as mission requirements permit to those who are dependent on tobacco products.