New Year's Common Resolution 'Quit Smoking' Difficult Alone...

Operation scene of the Gwanak-gu Smoking Cessation Clinic. (Photo by Gwanak-gu Office)

Many smokers make New Year's resolutions to quit smoking, but it often ends in failure within a few days. Although they are well aware of the harms of smoking and the benefits of quitting, overcoming nicotine withdrawal symptoms and changing long-standing habits is not easy.

While there is agreement on the necessity of quitting smoking, willpower alone is not enough. In such cases, external help such as medication or mind control techniques is needed. Utilizing programs run by local governments is also a good method.

Each district in Seoul is stepping up to support residents who have resolved to quit smoking in the new year.

Gwanak-gu is expanding its smoking cessation clinic, which was mainly operated during weekday working hours, to include evenings and weekends. The Gwanak-gu Public Health Center operates the smoking cessation clinic from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, with extended evening hours until 8 p.m. every Thursday, and a Saturday clinic from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month. The clinic offers free services such as nicotine dependence assessments and one-on-one smoking cessation counseling.

For groups of 10 or more wishing to quit smoking, a mobile smoking cessation clinic is also available, where professional counselors visit directly. Participants can receive face-to-face counseling and support such as cessation aids, providing specialized services for quitting smoking. The district also operates a KakaoTalk channel called ‘Gwanak-gu Public Health Center Smoking Cessation Clinic’ that offers mobile smoking cessation services, allowing for remote registration and counseling.

Seongdong-gu also operates additional Saturday smoking cessation clinics on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month to accommodate workers and residents who find it difficult to visit during weekdays. Two branch health centers also run smoking cessation clinics for residents who have difficulty visiting the main health center.

At the smoking cessation clinics, participants can receive personalized counseling and education based on nicotine dependence assessments and exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) measurements from professional counselors. They can also receive smoking cessation aids and behavioral reinforcement items. Through consultations with affiliated doctors, smoking cessation medications can be prescribed.

In particular, a segmented, step-by-step program is operated: for six months from the quit date, visits and phone counseling are provided to manage smoking cravings and withdrawal symptoms; from six to twelve months after quitting, follow-up management is conducted via phone, text messages, and email.

Nowon-gu enacted the ‘Special Account Establishment Ordinance for Creating a Smoke-Free Environment’ in 2014 and has been providing incentives (rewards) to those who successfully quit smoking since then. Residents who maintain their registration in Nowon-gu from the date of registration at the smoking cessation clinic until successful quitting receive cash incentives of up to 600,000 KRW over three years.

It is both natural and unique that the funds come from fines imposed on smoking in non-smoking areas. According to Nowon-gu, 607 residents who successfully quit smoking in 2022 received a total of 110 million KRW in smoking cessation success support funds.

Participants receive one-on-one counseling with professional counselors to specifically understand their smoking patterns and habits, followed by advice on customized alternative methods such as exercises to suppress smoking urges. The district also continuously conducts nicotine hair tests to track participants' smoking cessation status and appropriately adjusts management plans.

Because strategic management is combined, including support for smoking cessation aids (nicotine patches, gum, candy) for participants who have difficulty controlling impulses despite strong willpower, participant satisfaction and success rates are high.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.