Cigarette butts line the sidewalks and streets all over the NIU campus, and students light up a smoke during short breaks from class or as they make their way through the King Memorial Commons.

But what happens when the desire to quit takes over the desire to smoke? NIU and the DeKalb community offer several non-smoking programs for those who want to kick the habit.

Smoking Cessation, established two years ago by NIU Health Enhancement Services, is run by health educator and coach Mary Strohm. NIU doctors and nurses saw the need for students to quit smoking, so they developed a one-on-one approach to help.

The program originally was adopted from the University of Pittsburgh and then modified for NIU with one simple goal: to reduce the number of students who smoke.

Steve Lux, intern and co-coordinator of Health Enhancement Services, has spent one year coaching students on how to quit smoking. Lux does the coaching during the summer and when staff is short.

“People know that smoking is bad for them and it is the most addictive drug we have,” he said. “The reason why people want to quit is because of health reasons, pressure from roommates (they don’t want to smell like cigarettes anymore), shortness of breath while exercising and having tightness and congestion in the chest.”

At the University of Pittsburgh, the program had a 40 to 50 percent success rate. NIU University Health Service hopes to improve upon that rate.

“I feel good when I know I helped someone either quit smoking entirely or if I helped them decrease their intakes,” Lux said.

Strohm agreed.

“This is a very rewarding job, and I feel good when someone has accomplished their goal and when they have told me that because of me, their life has changed for the better,” she said.

In addition to NIU having Smoking Cessation to help students quit smoking, Kishwaukee Community Hospital also offers a smoking program, directed by Joyce Davidson. She is a former nurse and a former smoker who’s taught the class for eight years.

Each class topic relates to a particular goal to help quit smoking. There are several non-smoking strategies that are taught, including how to manage stress, manage weight, if that’s a

concern, and how to stay away from smoking after quitting.

There are no support groups in this class, but it’s encouraged to have a friend or family member close by for support. Participants also will have the option of purchasing products at a

discounted price to help them quit smoking.

“If a person wants to quit smoking, they must come in the class and have a sincere desire to quit,” Davidson said. “I know that smoking, as well as second-hand smoking, is bad.”

There’s a $20 fee for the Kishwaukee program, which is refunded at the completion of the program. The UHS service to help students is free and is funded through student health fees. Once at the UHS building, students have to fill out a form about their smoking history and they watch a video on how to quit smoking.

There are three coaches that meet with students one-on-one to help identify their individual strategies to quit smoking. For example, the coaches ask how long they’ve smoked and how many cigarettes they smoke per week or in a day.

Next, the “cold turkey” strategy sets in, which means that a person sets a date for when he or she wants to quit smoking.

Then, after students have quit smoking, they are encouraged to throw away their cigarettes. Other strategies utilized include coping with stress, deep breathing, exercise, oral substances like gum or water and support from others.

A one-week trial supply of gum or nicotine patches is given to participants. Zyban, which is a non-nicotine medication, also is available.

Quit Kits are available at the Holmes Student Center and the Office of Campus Recreation after students fill out a questionnaire about their smoking habits. The kits will have information on how to quit and will include gum and other mints.