Cigarette butts a problem, HAWC classes a solution

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Ethan Morgan
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Members of base leadership have noticed an increased number of cigarette butts lying on the ground around areas like Middleton Hall and the Galaxy Club.

According to Air Force Instruction 40-102, "Tobacco use in the Air Force," the Air Force has prohibited the use of tobacco on installations except in designated tobacco areas and housing units.

In order to make sure RAF Mildenhall is in compliance with AFI 40-102, tobacco-users need to do one of two things. Either people can smoke or use their tobacco products in the designated tobacco areas around base and then dispose of their products properly, or they can give up tobacco products altogether. And with the start of the New Year quickly approaching, there is no better time to make a resolution to quit.

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and preventable death in the United States.

To help people quit using tobacco products, the health and wellness centers at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath offer tobacco cessation classes each month to Team Mildenhall and Lakenheath personnel and their dependents.

"We all want to live long lives, so why continue to do something that can shorten your life," said Staff Sgt. Dequalin Rogers, 48th Aerospace Medicine Squadron nutrition counselor. "Plus, the amount of money you save could be put towards something else like vacation, bills or even savings."

The goal of each smoking cessation class is to educate and help motivate individuals to stop smoking, along with giving them a support group of people who are trying to do the same thing.

The class teaches the health benefits of stopping smoking, as well as financial and lifestyle benefits, said Rogers. "We also talk about medications and what is available if they decide to not go 'cold turkey.' As a group we also discuss experiences of what worked and didn't work."

"The main reason I decided to stop smoking was for my son," said Staff Sgt. Christopher Waller, 48th Component Maintenance Squadron hydraulics journeyman, RAF Lakenheath, and a participant of a HAWC tobacco cessation class.

For Waller, the class provided information and ideas on how to quit smoking.

"One of the ideas they gave me was for me to carry a card with my reason for quitting, around with me, which has actually helped me a lot," said Waller.

Each month, about 12 to 15 Airmen and family members attend the class at each base. The classes are held Tuesdays at the RAF Lakenheath HAWC and Thursdays at the RAF Mildenhall HAWC from 1 to 3 p.m.

Though the HAWC offices prefer that people call to be scheduled for the class, they also accept anyone who walks in on the day of the class.

For more information about the tobacco cessation class, call the RAF Mildenhall HAWC at DSN 238-7161 or the RAF Lakenheath HAWC at DSN 226-2710.