Students looking to start their academic year by stopping smoking can turn to the Student Health Center for support.

The Iowa State Wellness Center offers the Smoking Cessation Program, an eight-week course for students, staff and members of the Ames community who want to quit smoking.

Randy Mayer, program coordinator for the ISU Student Health Center, said group members focus on why they smoke, which plan they want to use to quit and how they are going to replace smoking in their lives.

“[Participants] need to do some serious thinking about smoking,” he said. “They need to know why they smoke and what they can to do to prevent it.”

Mayer said one of the group’s high points is the support that members give to each other throughout the duration of the two-month process.

“The program is most beneficial because it’s a group program,” he said. “They go through it as a group and have someone to talk to.”

Denise Allumbaugh, Smoking Cessation Coordinator, said participants don’t stop smoking until the fourth session and spend a lot of time originally focusing on stress management, fitness and weight control.

Linda Dutton, career conference coordinator at ISU, is a former participant of the program and is now smoke-free.

Dutton smoked for about 15 years, and since the program, she has not had a cigarette for a little more than two years.

“I was tired of coughing and not feeling my best,” she said. “It was just time.”

The scariest part for Dutton was the first session.

“I didn’t know anybody,” she said. “But after everyone introduced themselves and I heard everyone’s situation, the scary feeling was dispelled within the first 30 minutes.

“It’s a very positive program,” she said. “They spend time focusing on success. It’s just very positive.”

Dutton especially enjoyed the buddy system part of the program, which has group members reminding each other to resist the temptation of smoking.

“You call each other once a week or maybe more,” she said. “You are able to help someone else.”

Andrew Allen, junior in management information systems, smoked for seven years. He went through the program and has been smoke-free for 18 months.

Allen started smoking at a young age because of the initial feeling of appearing older and mature.

“I thought it was cool, but I knew I didn’t want to smoke forever,” he said.

Allen joined the program with his mom, who was a student at ISU at the time.

“It gave me a date,” he said. “I always knew I wanted to quit, but the program gave me a date, and I really prepared myself. The program finalized it. It gave me a group of people, and we leaned on each other for support.

“I couldn’t imagine doing it on my own,” he said.

The program costs $20, but if all the sessions are attended, there is a $10 refund.

“Most people complete it,” Allumbaugh said. “[Participants] may miss a session or two, but the completion rate is very good. Overall, 90 percent of people quit smoking by the end of the program.”