Crystal Mackay, Scheduling and Workflow Associate, Service Delivery:   The recent tax increase on tobacco products is causing many people to scramble for their phones in a rush to seek help in quitting.  According to USA Today, there has been a tidal wave of calls flooding tobacco quit lines since Wednesday, April 1st, the day the increase took effect.  Free & Clear’s 17 state quit lines alone were up 369% from the same day in 2008.  This poses the question: How can a hotline help me qu... [More]

Crystal Mackay, Scheduling and Workflow Associate:   “Did ya bring my snoose?” were the first words out of his mouth.  Not something you’d expect to hear from someone who just had his second heart attack and was lying in a bed in the cardiac unit, taped up with tubes, wires, and hoses poking out of every limb… All of which were hooked up to what looked like machines from the inside of a space craft.  The doctors were just running every test possible at this point. Hey Dad, how ya ... [More]

Crystal Mackay, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   Despite the many quitting resources we offer to participants in our tobacco cessation program, many people let the opportunity pass them by. As a Quit Coach, I hear it in their tone of voice, or lack there of: “Yeah, I read the materials. I think I’ve been online a few times.” When, in reality, most of these participants have probably never lifted a finger to flip through the pages of the booklets this program has provided.  I can al... [More]

Crystal Mackay, Quit Coach, Service Delivery   It amazes me how much support (or lack thereof) can really affect a smoker’s quit. For some, not having much support is okay. In fact they’d even prefer it. However, for others, they wouldn’t be able to move forward in their quit process without it. In my eyes, there is no right or wrong, but more so a who or how? Let me explain: What does support look like for our participants? It could be the faces of family or friends, co-workers, ... [More]

Crystal Mackay, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   Most people think of their quit buddy as being someone who they are quitting with. Pretty simple right? It definitely can be if you know how that quit buddy relationship is going to play out. In my experience as a Quit Coach, I have learned that there are many types of quit buddies. Some quit buddies quit as one single unit. This means, if your buddy slips up and smokes, you slip up. If your buddy succeeds through an urge, so do ... [More]

Crystal Mackay, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   I was calling a program participant for one of her regularly scheduled, follow-up support calls. Like usual, I introduced myself & where I was calling from. I asked how the participant was doing & she replied with something like, “Well, I’m sorry if I don’t seem totally ‘here.’ We just buried my father today.” I expressed my empathy and understanding that this may not be the best time to talk about her quitting smoking, but much to m... [More]