CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The Tobacco Free Community Coalition has once again brought back its free online program, the Quit Nicotine/Smoking Blue Ridge Program, which began on Sept. 23 and will run every Wednesday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. over Zoom through Oct. 28.
The free program is open to all residents of Charlottesville as well as the counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson. The program is being led by Scott Mein, a certified tobacco treatment specialist who’s work has been driven by his own family history.
Mein told Cville Right Now that his father and seven aunts and uncles all smoked when he was growing up. And while his father eventually quit, his aunts and uncles all died from tobacco-related diseases.
“I realized at the time, I didn’t like the smell of cigarettes, and didn’t like seeing all the ashtrays full of cigarettes and the smell and so forth,” he said.
His experiences eventually led him to receive his certification as a Tobacco Treatment Specialist, and upon moving to Fluvanna in 2015, he learned about the Quit Smoking Program, which was being led by Dr. Tom Daniel, a thoracic surgeon at UVA.
“‘The reason why I started this,’ he said. ‘After removing 5000 lungs (damaged) by cigarettes … I knew I had to do something about it,'” Mein recalled.
After moving to a virtual format during the COVID-19 pandemic, the program has stuck to the format since, allowing it to reach all five counties in the Blue Ridge Health District.
The six-week course covers different strategies each week for quitting smoking and nicontine, including detoxing, nutrition, medications, nicotine replacement products, stress reduction, acupuncture and hypnotherapy. Mein uses a variety of speakers in each of the meetings to discuss these topics.
“I have six excellent presenters. They’re all very good, very engaging,” he said. “Some of them were former smokers, which makes it even better because they can speak about it from their point of view because they were smokers.”
Mein also receives support from other volunteers like Dr. Nile Wagley, a clinical psychologist who has been involved with the group since 2011.
As part of the program, Wagley told Cville Right Now he provides the participants with education, providing info helpful to them like the fact it take an average of eight attempts to quit smoking, as well as support as they navigate their own unique journey toward quitting.
“It’s so fun to see all the different groups come through,” he said. “Some are successful. All make a little bit of progress, and we have a lot of folks come as alumni and support other folks who quitting. So there are people who’ve been in the program for many years who have been successful and they come every year to support others.”
The program is now through its second week, but there is still time to join, as Mein said he requires participants to attend at least four of the six weeks. Those interested can reach out to him through his email, scottrmein@gmail.com, to receive the Zoom link.
“Come give it a shot,” Wagley said. “Sit in one meeting and see what it looks like and what it feels like, and 90% of people who do that are surprised how comfortable it is, and then they become surprised at how much progress they’ve been making.”
