Physicians Health Plan's tobacco cessation program aims to give you the support and tools you need to kick the tobacco habit. It will take motivation.
With that, some tools, and a personal coach, you will be able to break this habit and learn new, healthier habits to take its place.
How Ready Are You?
Answer these questions to see how prepared you are to quit:
- Do you have a strong reason to quit?
- Are you confident you can quit?
- Are you willing to make a plan to quit and stick to it?
If you answered yes to all of these questions, you are ready to get started. Our program will step you through the process of quitting. Remember that the tools you need to break this habit come from within you.
If you answered no to one or more questions, that's OK. You may want to focus on these areas before trying to quit.
If you haven't identified a strong reason, take some time to think about it. Why is it important for you to quit? How will your life be different without tobacco? Why have you decided to quit now?
If you are not confident, think about some possible reasons why. Is it lack of expericence? Concern about cravings?
Think of the obstacles that are in your way. Once you know what they are, you can plan for them. A good plan makes it more likely you will overcome urges to use tobacco. Each small victory increases confidence.
Program Benefits
- Tobacco cessation educational materials
- Healthcare reminders
- Contact with the tobacco cessation coach to help you stay motivated to quit
Who is Eligible?
All members of Physicians Health Plan (PHP) and Physicians Health Plan FamilyCare are eligible to participate in our tobacco cessation program.
Enrollment and Phone Support
PHP members interested in getting started can call Healthy Roads at 1.877.330.2746 to speak with a customer service representative about the program.
Coaching sessions are designed to:
- build motivation to quit
- build confidence about quitting
- offer support
- keep you on track
- help you think positively about quitting
- pinpoint triggers
- help you learn skills and tools to cope
You will learn to:
- Deal with triggers
- Use new strategies
- Cope with cravings
- Plan for success
- Develop a new self image
Benefits of Quitting
It can be motivating to think about the positive things that will happen when you quit. Take a look at how your health improves over time:
- Sense of smell and taste begin to improve
- If quitting cold turkey, nicotine is out of the body in 72 hours
- The body's overall energy level goes up
- Coughing, shortness of breath, and sinus congestion all decrease
- Risk of heart disease is reduced by half after one year
- Risk of stroke decreased to the level of a non-tobacco user after five years
- After 10 years, risk of lung cancer is reduced by half
- After 15 years, the risk of death returns to the level of someone who never smoked