Last night was another fun night at the Bluefoot filled with familiar faces, drinks and good company. Unfortunately, one of our original members ended up not being able to participate in the group so we were able to welcome a new member to the group, Christine! Congratulations to Ryan, Brian C, and Kelly for reducing their smoking levels.

I love the sense of self-gratification that members seem to have when they tell me each week how they have cut down their smoking. I never ask each person directly how much he or she has smoked, but it seems like something they enjoy sharing…. “I’ve only had 4 today” or “I didn’t smoke at all today” with a look of excitement on their face.   I would never judge anyone for smoking, but it makes me smile that my group feels comfortable enough to share their stories and of course I am proud of them for cutting back.

This week I tried to get to know the members a little better and asked them to tell me one cool/interesting/silly fact about themselves.  Below are their answers: (more…)

Last night we welcomed 5 new people into the Commune quit group, which means our group is now successfully full.  This week only the newbies had to do the saliva testing and it was just as entertaining the second time around. Congratulations to Phil, Peter, Christian, and Tim for reducing their carbon monoxide levels and going home $5 richer.

Highlights of the Night

Sean is gaining back his taste buds

We have 2 new girls in the group

Christian’s smokerlyzer score put him in the non-smoker zone!

Great job my lovelies.

Next Group: Wednesday 9/23 at 8PM @ the Bluefoot!

I guess you could say that I was an extremely incessant smoker. I could easily light up while having a heart to heart about someone dying of cancer, scrumptiously inhale, exhale and nod my head in agreement at how heartless the disease is. At first word that my grandfather died of heart failure, directly related to smoking, I immediately ran and lit up for comfort. You may ramble off a million reasons for me to quit and I’ll come back with a million and one reasons not to. Sadly, this is very typical of a nicotine addict, whose fear of a slow looming death is oddly fleeting and whose want and will to quit seem powerless over the desire to smoke.

I’ve smoked for 23 years, which is just shy of two thirds of my entire life. I fear the damage that can’t be undone that will most inevitably pay me a visit in the coming years.
Unless you are one of those very fortunate people who wake up one day with an epiphany and quit cold turkey, you WILL need help.

I was approached by Jenny, a member of Commune, to join a smoker’s cessation group. She lured a small crew of us in with the appeal of meeting at a local hangout spot, generous incentives for positive progress and basically a new approach to quitting. As someone who tried anything and everything already, why not? It was social, it was fun and it was geared towards positive change. Our weekly progress was tested through an accurate, innovative method, tracked and we were rewarded the more we cut down. The people in the group, all habitual smokers, began to compare their progress on a weekly basis, pat their neighbors on the back for success and it became a group effort. People were really trying. It was not a structured circle where we would stand up and say, “Hello…My name is Dawn and I’m a nicotine addict”…nor was there any berating and looking down upon. Commune was there to sincerely help, supplying us with informative materials and tools to understand our individual smoking habits, in addition to its effect on the world around us. It was the first time in my entire life that I quit smoking for more than three days. Ever. Once I had that head start, which I think was the missing link to quitting, I knew that when I was truly ready, that I could do it. (more…)

Last night, geared with stickers, a rad poster board for tracking (pats self on back for old-school poster board skills), saliva kits to measure nicotine levels, a smokerlyzer to measure carbon monoxide in people’s lungs, and some good old fashion cash, I met up with 10 local smokers at the Bluefoot to form Commune’s second smoking quit group.

The group started with hellos, smiles and laughs and segued into what the group should expect over the next 12 weeks. After papers were signed and surveys were filled out, it was time to get the fun stuff started.

First, we started with the baseline saliva test. Weird? Yeah, kind of, but people were into it. There is nothing like spitting into a small tube to bring you closer to your friends. After saliva was collected, members put 8 drops on to their saliva strips, waited 30 minutes and were shown how much nicotine was in their system. (more…)