DeKALB — AARP will be hosting a program called the Courage to Quit Class on Wednesday. This program will be taught by Northwestern Medicine and has been developed by the Respiratory Health Association. The program will be on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 11:30 a.m.

This program will be based on the work of Andrea King, PhD, who is a faculty member at the University of Chicago. King is a psychiatrist who focuses on tobacco and alcohol addiction, assessment and treatment of substance use disorders and cancer prevention and control.

According to the AARP website, this program teaches skills and provides support that can help reach smoke-free goals. The class can teach about addiction, withdrawal, medications, cravings, avoiding triggers and the health benefits of being smoke-free. The event will be located at the Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Health and Wellness Center in DeKalb. DeKalb also hosted the event last month. DeKalb is not the only town in Illinois that has this class, as it has been in cities like Crystal Lake, Sandwich and Oak Park, helping smoking addicts quit their tough addictions.

According to the CDC, in 2017, about 14% of all adults, 15.8% of men and 12.2% of women, were current cigarette smokers. Although it may seem as though there are many people smoking in the U.S, according to the CDC, current smoking has declined from 20.9% in 2005 to 14.0% in 2017. Each year, about 1.3 million smokers quit.

More information can be found by contacting the Community Wellness Coordinator at 815.748.8962 or you can email [email protected].