Discuss how you started smoking.  What age? What was the appeal?  Did you think of possible consequences?

I had older brothers that got me involved around age 6-8.  I started smoking casually around age 12 and was a heavy smoker by age 16 because I had older friends.  My parents were deceased at that age and I just thought it was cool.  It became a habit but I didn’t worry about anything back then.

Discuss your past attempts (if any) to quit smoking.  Why do you think they weren’t successful?

I used candy and gum.  I quit four times for a couple of years but stress easily got me started again.  This time my age, health, and money made me want to quit.

What motivated you to quit for good?  How long have you been smoke-free?

Money, health, children and grandkids.  In October I will be 3 years smoke-free.

Discuss how Healthnet’s Quit Smoking Program helped in your journey to quit for good.

The motivating process.  This program helped in various ways with all the counsel and support.

 What has been most rewarding to you about quitting?

The money I’ve saved, the improvements to my health, and just feeling better overall!

HealthNet’s Smoking Cessation Program provides nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), which helps reduce patients’ withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Unfortunately, the cost can be a real barrier, particularly for patients without insurance. In the past, we’ve partnered with the Marion County Public Health Department to provide these patients with NRT at no cost to them. In 2013, we supplied these patients with 155 boxes of patches and 60 boxes of gum, totaling $3,500. This year, the Health Department was forced to end this support, due to funding cuts. We are currently looking for other community partners who might be able to assist with this $3,500 need.

If you’d like to support HealthNet’s Smoking Cessation Program, you can make a tax deductible donation here. Check out Kathy’s success story here!

More than four in five smokers say they want to quit.  Research shows that you are twice as likely to succeed if you join a tobacco cessation program that includes ongoing support.  That’s particularly important for those living near the poverty line.

Like many, Delorus Alderman of Indianapolis started smoking at 18.  Before long, she was a two-pack-a-day smoker.

“Quit now or die”

… was the sobering message from her doctor after she was diagnosed with heart disease.  Delorus began the difficult journey to quitting.

She had help from Stacey Chappell, the smoking cessation counselor at HealthNet Southeast Health & Dental Center.  Stacey gave Delorus many practical tips that she used to prepare herself and her family.  She also received free nicotine replacement therapy patches.

Delorus asked for support from her family and her on-line “IndyMoms” group – all of which rallied around her to help her get through the tough early months.

As Delorus celebrates her second year without cigarettes, challenges remain.  Still, she finds all the reason in the world to remain a non-smoker when she thinks back to that remarkably memorable day when one of her children gave her a big hug and said how glad she was that mom didn’t smell bad anymore.

• Thinking about quitting?  When you’re ready, we’re here to help with ways to quit smoking or chewing tobacco, and resources to support you every step of the way.
• Ready to quit?  HealthNet offers FREE one-on-one tobacco cessation counseling. You’ll learn how to beat cravings and overcome weight gain. Make an appointment at the health center nearest you.
• Help someone in need quit. A small donation to HealthNet’s Health Promotions Program will enable an underserved person to have access to free tobacco cessation counseling.

Here are some healthy ideas for celebrating this fun holiday:

1. Walk the parade route. The parade kicks off at North and Pennsylvania streets at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 17, and ends at Vermont and Meridian streets.
2. Go green. Skip the car and walk or ride bikes to the day’s destinations whenever possible. Our friends at SustainIndy and the IBJ can help you get started! 
3. Eat greens today. Leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach and Romaine lettuce pack in vitamins, iron and fiber. Or, try adding broccoli snap peas or cabbage to potato, rice or noodle dishes.
4. Skip the sweet treats slathered in green frosting. For a healthier green treat, try lime gelatin or add mint flavoring to sugar free vanilla pudding, along with a few drops of green food coloring.
5. Enjoy some healthy St. Patrick’s Day fun with your kids!
6. Don’t leave your health to the luck of the Irish. HealthNet’s Health Promotions offers FREE one-on-one nutrition counseling and FREE personal coaching on how to quit smoking. Make an appointment at the health center nearest you.
7. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by making Indy a healthier place to live! Last year, HealthNet’s Health Promotions program assisted more than 6,000 in our community with services like free cervical cancer screenings, nutrition and tobacco cessation counseling, and childbirth classes. With your help, they can do even more.

BUT!! Don’t forget FOUR great things about our Health Promotions team!

1. Nutrition & Diet – Our Clinical Dietician is here to help people learn how eat healthy, lose weight, control their cholesterol and SO MUCH MORE!  It is hard for anyone to eat healthy but even HARDER when you don’t have many choices.  Eating healthy on a budget is Karen’s strong suit. She will make sure you get on the road to success.
2. Tobacco Cessation – QUIT SMOKING!! We have a VERY persistent Tobacco Cessation Counselor who will exhaust every strategy in the book to find a way for her patients to stop smoking.  (Read a success story in a previous post).  It really all boils down to the individual’s commitment to quit, but Stacey will make sure that you have every tool possible to keep from lighting up again!
3. Pregnancy & Childbirth – Newly pregnant?  Whether it is a patient’s first pregnancy or FOURTH, all who participate in our childbirth or breastfeeding classes will benefit in some way. Our 5-week childbirth classes surround patients with others who are sharing the same experience.  Expectant moms learn helpful tips during their pregnancy and take a tour of the Methodist Hospital Labor and Delivery unit. Carlene makes it her job to help our patients be prepared for this new stage in their life.
4. Community Outreach – Whether it is a Health Fair or piloting a new walking program (more to come), our Health Promotions team is always thinking of great ways to engage our patients in preventive care.  It is our job to help patients take ownership of their own health, because their lives are busy and at times VERY stressful. Illness can only increase stress and cause greater difficulty in treatment.

In the middle of all of this “MADNESS,” we want to recognize the great work done by our Health Promotions team.  Who also needs YOUR help! All pregnancy classes, smoking counseling, and nutrition help are free to our community.  A quick donation can go a long way in order for our team to continue and INCREASE their success in the most underserved areas of our community.

Consider a $25 gift to Health Promotions to keep them in our centers and increasing the health of our neighborhoods!

In the technical sense of the word, I have ALWAYS been a smoker, but I didn’t actively start smoking until I was 18.

Like many have done in the past, Delorus Alderman started smoking at the age of 18.  It was part of the culture at that time.  There weren’t any laws banning smoking ANYWHERE.  There was a smoking “hole” at her school where all you needed was a note giving permission.  Her parents did it, her friends did it, and it was just something that was accepted.  Before long, she was smoking two packs a day without even blinking an eye.

She continued at this pace, until she heard the words come right out of her doctor’s mouth, “Quit now or die.” It was a simple, sobering statement after it was discovered that Delorus had congestive heart failure, and on January 2, 2010, Delorus began her difficult journey to quitting.

With help from HealthNet’s smoking cessation counselor, Stacey Chappell, Delorus has overcome many obstacles on her road to no smoking.  Stacey gave her many practical tips that she used to prepare herself and her family.  Delorus used NRT patches; however, she was unable to us Chantix due to other health issues.  “Stacey gave me my life back, and I try to tell her how amazing she is every time I talk to her.”

Delorus gained inspiration from her husband, Jerry, who quit smoking in 2002.  But with inspiration also came some resentment.  Jerry made it look easy, and this oftentimes discouraged Delorus. “He took a class, read a book, and just walked away from the cigarettes.  But, he was my biggest supporter, even when I wasn’t the happiest camper!” She had tried to quit several times in the past, but ended with no avail.  Now, she could not even tell people that she was trying to quit because she didn’t think she could be successful.

"Stacey gave me back my life..."

Blessed with a supportive husband and family, Delorus sought peer support from others who were going through the same thing.  She asked for support from her online “MomsLikeMe” group – all of whom rallied around her, using creative strategies and tough love to help her get through those hard months.  Her kids would bring her hard candy and gum. Her youngest daughter came up with a great idea – a jar for collecting cigarette money, a visualization of her success.  And Jerry was there, whispering words of encouragement and support along the way.  Her online group stuck with her, emailing with her at all hours of the day and the night.  Making herself accountable to these folks spring boarded Delorus to success.

As Delorus enters her first year without cigarettes in a very long time, challenges still remain.  Cravings are strong.  Family members and friends still smoke.  However, Delorus finds inspiration in a thought she had when reflecting on becoming a non-smoker – “My mom was 8 years older than I am now when she passed away from congestive heart failure.  She was a smoker; so, I felt like if I kept smoking, then I was bailing on my kids.”

You can help others and yourself to quit smoking.  Contact our tobacco cessation counselor or look up the health center location near you.

Add a comment below if you or a loved one has had a success story, and feel free to post any questions you have about our program!