The North Georgia Health District is sponsoring a “Freedom from Smoking” class in Ellijay beginning on Monday, Aug. 4, at the Gilmer County Public Health Department on Southside Church Street. The class is open to Murray and Whitfield residents, and will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. each Monday for seven weeks.

Participants attend eight classes, two during the first week or “Quit Week.” The cost is $50. If the participant completes all eight classes, the $50 will be refunded. To register, call (706) 272-2939.

The Freedom from Smoking program works in conjunction with the Quit Line's new Nicotine Replacement Therapy component. Tobacco users who need replacement therapy along with the class must register through the Quit Line for that component and use replacement therapy along with the Freedom from Smoking class to help them quit.

Nicotine replacement therapy is free for eligible callers 18 and over. The programs are designed for adults 18 and over, but the Quit Line has specialized programs for youth 13-17.

Residents of the health district are eligible for this program, which includes the six-county area of Whitfield, Murray, Fannin, Pickens, Gilmer and Cherokee. Interested tobacco users can call (706) 272-2939 for more information about scheduled classes.

“Social support is an important part of the quitting process,” says Ramona Bennett, a tobacco treatment specialist who is working with the health district. “That's why extra support in a group format for tobacco users such as the health district’s Freedom from Smoking program is helpful. They will understand that they are not alone.

“Tobacco users should not be discouraged when they give in to a craving, which is called relapse, or a ‘slip.’ They should realize that a ‘slip’ is part of the process, and that they should go back on their plan and not give up.”

The Freedom from Smoking and Quit Line’s Nicotine Replacement Therapy programs are two separate entities that work differently, but the North Georgia Health District is combining both of the elements.

“According to the latest health service guidelines on cessation,” said Bennett, “counseling — along with FDA-approved Nicotine Replacement Therapy in the form of nicotine patch, gum or lozenge — can triple a tobacco user’s chances of quitting.”