Are you a student struggling to stop Smoking?

The prospect of feeling dizzy, depressed and nauseous does not arouse much motivation for the typical smoker to quit. Aside from battling a physiological and psychological addiction, battling through withdrawals is yet another obstacle between desired freedom and an unwanted bondage. With that in mind, as a student, how and why should you even get the process of quitting started?

To begin, Boise State is becoming a smoke-free campus effective August 17. There will be literally no smoking permitted anywhere on campus. Second to that, there has been a recent raise in the tobacco excise tax. Currently, smoking carries with larger and more complex costs for the average student smoker. Aside from the now obligatory information about health risks, new studies illustrate the implications of smoking and its influence on academic success. Beyond the negative influences in the classroom, smoking will play a role in taking the life of one in nine students who smoke, according to the Health and Wellness center.

Simply understanding the reasons to quit may not provide the impetus necessary for some smokers. Cessation from smoking is not likely to happen through sheer will. According to cancer.org, only about four to seven percent of smokers are able to quit without the aid of medicine or other forms of support. Boise State is currently offering support to students who smoke that will aid them in the process of quitting. The support provided includes free classes about tobacco cessation, free nicotine replacement therapy and free phone and internet services.

If you have been thinking about quitting, now may be the opportune time.

BOB BEERS
Editor at large

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4. Boise State to go smoke-free
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