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NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- After snapping a photo of the seven unused cigarettes swirling down the toilet, Southeast Volusia County resident Deborah Keyser smiled to herself and went to bed a quitter.
Ending a lifelong smoking habit was not as instantaneous as flushing a toilet, but was a hard-fought battle Keyser won with the help of a free smoking cessation program at Bert Fish Medical Center. After years of nagging from her family, repeated advice from her doctor, and even personal concerns about the rising cost of cigarettes, Keyser decided to confront her smoking addiction.
"Smoking was the first and last thing I did every day for 40 years, and I knew that it had to be my decision to quit," she said. "I enrolled in the classes, set a quit date, and used the information from the classes to meet my goal."
As a participant in Bert Fish Medical Center's smoking cessation program, Keyser analyzed every aspect of her smoking habit.
- She made a list of the people she smoked around, what triggered a craving, and where and when she smoked.
- She drove a new route to work so that she would not pass by any store that sold cigarettes.
- She bought sugar-free gum and lollipops to fend off cravings.
Today, a smoke-free Keyser says that she doesn't miss the coughing and wheezing she used to suffer, or the burn holes in her clothing.
Keyser will be one of several alumni from BFMC's smoking cessation program who will be giving testimonials during the hospital's free community celebration of the national Great American Smokeout at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday at the hospital's outdoor deck.
Local residents who pledge to quit smoking "cold turkey" and register for the BFMC smoking cessation program will receive a free turkey sub courtesy of the Morrison Management Specialists, the hospital's food service provider.
This year is the American Cancer Society's 35th Great American Smokeout, which encourages smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day.