Janice Milliman, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   Like many, I've been closely following the legal and moral debates over e-cigarettes. Out of my own curiosity and a yearning to understand each participant's experience, I wanted to know more from people who have actually used the e-cig. So, I conducted my own non-scientific poll about e-cigs. I know the findings are not scientific, the sample size was way too small, and definitely not random or unbiased (after all, the people I spo... [More]

Janice Milliman, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   What do tobacco users and Olympians have in common? They are required to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. What’s the difference? You won’t ever hear an Olympic athlete say, “I just can’t do it.” Professional athletes like those on this year's U.S. ski team possess something that tobacco users need when trying to quit: confidence. In the world of tobacco cessation counseling, we call it self-efficacy. The more we believe in ours... [More]

Janice Milliman, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   Speck, the 14-year-old son of famous singer John Mellencamp, came up with a creative way to help his dad quit smoking. Although his heart is in the right place, Speck unfortunately might be in for a big disappointment. According to the Associated Press, Mellencamp promised to quit smoking if 1,000,000 people joined the Facebook group titled "1,000,000 to join, my dad john mellencamp will quit smoking." Mellencamp, a long-time ... [More]

Janice Milliman, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   What do cereal and tobacco manufacturers have in common? Walking down the grocery store cereal aisle can be a challenge, especially with kids in tow. Brightly colored cereal boxes with toys and other freebies grab their attention. Cereal manufacturers developed creative and effective ways of marketing toward their most important audience: kids. Unfortunately, tobacco manufacturers are using some of the same tactics to lure kids into... [More]

Janice Milliman, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   The recent death of Patrick Swayze raised much media attention and discussion of a little known and very deadly cancer: pancreatic.  For me, it also brought back bad memories. My good friend, Jim, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March of 2007.  Unfortunately, he did not survive long, and lost his battle 2 months later. I felt such grief and compassion upon learning of Mr. Swayze's death.  I wondered if he suffered the extrem... [More]