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January / February 2010
Volume 22, Number 1

News you can use

Polk County Employee Credits Healthy County for
Helping to Quit Smoking

Read 4,000 reasons to quit smoking!

Back in high school, Mickey Stafford was surrounded by images of cool leading men and seductive Hollywood starlets smoking cigarettes. In life, some of her friends puffed away at school and at home her parents smoked as well. Not surprisingly, Stafford picked up the habit at age 17.

But after 33 years of smoking, the Polk County precinct 1 clerk found the habit much lonelier.

“When I was younger I was surrounded by people who smoked,” Stafford said. “But now it is much less socially acceptable. I feel like society looks down on smokers and it is something I was feeling ashamed of doing.”

Despite being embarrassed by her nicotine habit, Stafford continued smoking. Not that she didn’t want to quit. She tried; she even unsuccessfully kicked the habit for two months in 2007. She just did not know how to walk away for good. After being diagnosed with acid reflux in 2008, Stafford’s doctor encouraged her to quit. He prescribed the smoking cessation drug Chantix, with the warning that her acid reflux would worsen if she continued smoking.

But the drug alone wasn’t enough. Everyone wanted her to quit, but she needed more personal help which came when Polk County signed up to become part of TAC Health and Employee Benefits Pool’s Healthy County program (see smoking cessation side bar on next page).

“Healthy County turned it all around,” Stafford said, “because I now had some sort of a support group. We can give each other tips and we are all going through this together.”

Stafford especially cites the support of Polk Healthy County Coordinator, Jeanette Montgomery, as inspiring. Stafford’s mother, who is now celebrating 11 years of being smoke-free, also provided encouragement by reminding her daughter “you only fail when you stop trying.”

While Stafford signed up for Healthy County, she did not focus her wellness efforts on quitting smoking right away. She first set her mind on eating healthy first; only after losing 25 pounds did she realize something was missing.

“I was making progress on my fitness level and my nutrition, but I was still smoking,” she said. “To be able to be proud of losing that weight I had to quit smoking.”

On Sept. 7, 2009, after having taken Chantix for a few weeks, she signed up on the Blue Cross Blue Shield Web site aimed at smoking cessation, smoked her last cigarette and prepared for panic to set in. Only this time it didn’t.

“I have had to rely on my faith in God to get this far successfully,” Stafford said. “I feel like that is why there was no panic and why I feel like I can succeed this time, I really do have support.”

While Healthy County efforts, her faith and family’s support have helped, Stafford cites a couple of other positive motivations that keep her going.

“I do not have to spend $50 a week on cigarettes anymore,” she reported, adding that the money now goes to buy things she wants, something she never did before. “I am used to spending my money on my kids, but never me.”

Another positive outcome from Stafford’s decision to quit is that several friends and two sisters are following suit.

And Stafford, thrilled to be an inspiration, can give them and others trying to end the addiction advice and support.

“You will really like life without cigarettes,” she said. “You will like not having the smell in your house, you will love the extra money, but most of all you will enjoy the pride you feel in yourself.”