Just in time to help would-be quitters keep their new year's resolutions to stop smoking, Suffolk County's Department of Health Services is offering smoking cessation classes at various locations throughout the county through the end of April.
"Studies have shown that tobacco users who try to break their addiction with behavioral support are more likely to be successful than those who try to do so without support," Dr. James Tomarken, the county's health commissioner, said in a statement.
Registration for the program is open through the second week of each session. The six-week "Learn to Be . . . Tobacco Free" classes are free to Suffolk residents. They offer information, help with planning, behavioral support, and counseling. Over-the-counter medications are available for a fee to those who are medically eligible. Later on, a "reunion class" reinforces the lessons learned in the program.
For those who are free on Monday nights, the Connetquot Library at 760 Ocean Avenue in Bohemia will offer the class from 6 to 7 beginning on Feb. 24. The reunion class will be on April 20.
On Tuesdays, there will be a session at the Hampton Bays Library at 52 Ponquogue Avenue starting on March 24 from 6 to 7 p.m. The reunion class will be on May 19.
There will be Thursday night sessions from 6 to 7 at St. Catherine of Siena Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at 52 Route 25A in Smithtown beginning on March 12, with a reunion session on May 7, and at Mather Hospital at 75 North Country Road in Port Jefferson, also from 6 to 7 p.m., beginning on March 19 with a reunion session on May 14.
More information can be had by calling 631-853-3187 for the Smithtown session or 631-853-2928 for all other sessions. Information is also online.