During pass time between classes at Keene State, students may see each other smoking.

Smokers can often be found gathering around corners of buildings. It’s likely that everyone’s heard this before, “Smoking is bad! It causes cancer! You need to stop.” Despite those warnings from Middle to High School, a study by ABC News reported that 23 percent of college students smoked in the past year.

There are people out there looking to quit smoking.

KSC’s Health Center now has two ways to  aid in quitting smoking: the smoking patch and nicotine gum.

Samantha Moore/ Art Director

For those who are not familiar with the smoking patch or nicotine gum, this is a quick review on how they work.

With the nicotine patch, it’s recommended to start on the day one plans on quitting.

Begin by peeling the patch off the packaging and placing it on a hairless and clean part of the body.

The patch stays on for 24 hours, and then it can be taken off and replaced with a new patch.

The nicotine gum is simpler; all people have to do is chew.

Those who want to quit should start off chewing gum 15 minutes after a meal, then go on chewing for about an hour.

Keep in mind that you should talk with your doctor or someone at the Health Center before starting either option. They are more than willing to help students in need.

There are a couple of students who are already taking an interest in this offer from the Health Center.

First-year Cyril Farrar said that he smokes a pack a day and is trying to quit.

When he learned about the Health Center’s plans to help students, he said, “I think I’ll check this (Health Center) out.” Another first-year Aidan Tremblay said he spent about $40 a month on cigarettes. He was also interested in checking out the Health Center’s offer.

However, neither student knew of the Health Center and how they want to help students quit smoking.

There are other students who have heard of the Health Center’s initiative to stop smoking. First-year Ryan Goff said he’s been smoking for almost a year now.

He said, “People will come up to me as I smoke and tell me to go to the Health Center.” Ryan said he’s thought about quitting and may start soon.

First-year Cody Loweth has been smoking ever since he got to Keene. Cody says he wants to quit, but hasn’t made much of an effort either.

They both expressed worry that they should quit soon because they spend $40 a week on cigarettes.

Regardless of how long someone has been smoking, this can help smokers stop. First-year Mike Yard said he’s been smoking on and off for a about five years now.

He said that he smokes about two packs a week, but has tried cutting back.

Mike said, “I’ve tried stopping before, but those attempts haven’t worked.” Mike has expressed interest in going to the Health Center at some point to try and quit smoking.

Tiffany Mathews, who works at the Health Center, said the staff is working hard with Cheshire Medical Center to help students in need.

She said that several students have already taken advantage of this and she hopes more come seeking aid.

The program has already been talked about online and she hopes it will continue to spread.

She said, “We hope students help us spread the word about this evidence-based strategy so more people can become tobacco-free and start living a healthier life.”

Michael Fremeau can be contacted at mfremeau@kscequinox.com