HELENA — The American Lung Association says, "Only four to seven percent of people who try to quit [using tobacco] 'cold turkey' are successful in staying tobacco-free."

Statistics like that are why St. Peter's Health offers an entirely free program to help you quit.

On Tuesday, four Helenans are putting down their cigarettes, chew, and vapes, saying goodbye to tobacco use. 



"I probably tried to quit ten times before I was successful," said Mike Doughty. 



After smoking for 50 years, I kicked the habit while taking the Freedom From Smoking program put on by St. Peter's Health through the American Lung Association.

(Mike Doughty shares what helped him quit smoking)

The program examines physical and behavioral dependence and runs seven weeks with eight classes.

Quit day is scheduled in the middle of the program, and they hold a follow-up class later in the week since the first 24 to 48 hours tend to be the most difficult.

Doughty said, "It was 10:24 am on June 21st, 2021, that I flipped the cigarette out the window as I pulled into the parking lot. I went through the class, and when I came out, I got in the truck, and I grabbed a cigarette, and I thought 'I'll wait until I get home.'"


Doughty continued to push off that cigarette for hours, then days, but he never ended up lighting it.

"It turned out in this class, as opposed to others, rather than making you feel like a bad person because you're a smoker, we shared information, we shared stories, created camaraderie," said Doughty.


For Mark Nay, who was a tobacco user for 30 years, quitting nicotine was harder than quitting other addictive substances.

(Mark Nay shares how he kicked smoking)

He said, "Nicotine is really insidious. My life isn't a disaster while I smoke, chew, or while I use nicotine. It doesn't get bad until you have cancer, and once you have cancer, then it is really bad."

You do not have to be a St. Peter's Health patient to join, and you can either be referred by a doctor or refer yourself to the class online. 



The program is held four to five times yearly, with the next session starting in April.

So far, the program has had 285 people attend since it began in 2019.