New help for women smokers in Cayman

Dave Bennet, volunteer and Website designer, and
Christine Sanders of CICS

Friday, August 6, 2004

Quitting Smoking is never easy, but new research released this week has found that it is even more difficult for women.

A review of 18 studies of hypnosis-based smoking cessation programs conducted by Ohio State University has found that about 30 per cent of men who used such a treatment successfully quit smoking, compared to only 23 percent of women.

Here on the Cayman Islands, the Cancer Society offers a free six-week group support programme to help smokers give up, at their offices in Maple Road.

The society has recently designed a new website with the help of Dave Bennet, a volunteer who has survived cancer.

The new site - www.cics.ky - contains information concerning the quit smoking programme, as well as information on cancer prevention, detection, screening and full details of the society’s services and support.

Christine Sanders of Cayman Islands Cancer Society said: “We want more people to find out about the society through the website. It is another tool that we can use for informing the public about new events coming up, what is happening in general with the society, and all of our services.”

Specialists believe that the differences are associated with women and the specific difficulties they have with quitting smoking rather than problems with hypnosis.

Nicotine is an extremely addictive drug, as within seconds of inhaling on a cigarette nicotine travels to the brain, telling the brain to release chemicals that make you want to smoke more.

This is why, when smokers try to cut back or quit, the absence of nicotine leads to withdrawal.

Studies reveal however that the more attempts a smoker makes to quit, each time it does get easier for both sexes.

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